Happy Earth Day!

Learn about ten ways the City of Vaughan is helping to protect the environment

Today is Earth Day – an opportunity to reflect on the importance of protecting the environment, both now and for generations to come. The City of Vaughan is a leader in sustainability with a long-standing commitment to keep Vaughan green. In fact, environmental stewardship is woven into every aspect of city building – including planning open greenspaces, developing new community stewardship programs, implementing sustainable initiatives and municipal polices across the organization, and so much more.

Here are ten ways Vaughan is championing a more sustainable future:

1. Earth Hour

Every year, the City recognizes the global Earth Hour movement by powering down non-essential facility lights. This year‘s Earth Hour event took place on Saturday, March 25 at 8:30 p.m., and citizens were encouraged to participate in a number of ways, like going on a nighttime walk, trying a bike powered smoothie maker, sharing conservation tips, making a paper lantern, learning about sustainability from various vendors and more. Learn more at vaughan.ca/EarthHour. 

2. Green Directions Vaughan

Green Directions Vaughan is the City’s sustainability master plan. It provides long-term actions the City will take to meet key sustainability goals, such as enhancing stormwater management, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilient infrastructure and providing access to affordable, modern energy. The plan has evolved since it was originally approved in 2009, and now it includes new community sustainability objectives and 70 different actions the City will take to change how the organization designs, plans and executes programs. Visit vaughan.ca/GreenDirections to learn more.

3. Litter cleanup

To help keep Vaughan clean, City crews have embarked on their annual spring cleanup efforts to clear garbage and debris off public property, including parks, trails and boulevards. Learn more at vaughan.ca/litter.

Residents are also doing their part to help keep Vaughan clean by participating in the City’s 20-Minute Makeover community clean-up. This week-long event began on Monday, April 17 and runs until tomorrow, Sunday, April 23. Makeover participants have been heading outside for 20 minutes during the week to clean litter from local school yards, greenspaces, backyards and even around Canada Post mailboxes. Visit vaughan.ca/20MinuteMakeover to learn more and find out how you can get involved next year.

4. Earth Day Canada’s Municipal Tree Planting Relay

Through Earth Day Canada's Municipal Tree Planting Relay, the City has planted 845 trees across the community. Naturalized areas were selected that provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, improve erosion control and replenish groundwater, filter stormwater, encourage native plant growth, reduce maintenance costs and improve biodiversity.

5. Environmental Pledge

In alignment with Green Directions Vaughan, the City is encouraging everyone to be kinder to the environment. Whether it’s tending to a community garden, utilizing home energy rebate programs, initiating green business practices or biking to school or work, making simple changes to your everyday routine can go a long way. Until Monday, May 1, visit vaughan.ca/GreenDirections to share an action or daily habit you’ll adopt in 2023.

6. Municipal Energy Plan

The Municipal Energy Plan Revision is currently underway. This strategic planning document and action framework will outline how Vaughan can increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to transition to a low-carbon community. Visit vaughan.ca/MEP to learn more.

7. Green Guardians

Green Guardians is the City’s new environmental stewardship program. As a Green Guardian, residents, community groups and businesses can get involved in existing City-led events and programs, create their own community event or host a corporate tree planting to better our environment. Visit vaughan.ca/GreenGuardians to learn more.

8. Sustainable buildings

To foster resiliency in Vaughan, the City is retrofitting City-owned facilities. Currently, three City facilities (Vaughan City Hall, Fire Station 7-10 and Fire Station 7-9) are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified. The Civic Centre Resource Library has also achieved LEED Silver certification. Future City-owned facilities are also being built to meet LEED certification requirements and reach Zero Carbon or Net Zero Carbon standards, including the Carrville Community Centre, Library and District Park, Fire Station 7-1 and Fire Station 7-12.

The City’s Sustainability Metrics Program forms part of Vaughan’s green development standards. The program evaluates the sustainability performance of new development applications in Vaughan through a point-based system around the following criteria: built environment, mobility (sustainable transportation), natural environment and parks, infrastructure and buildings, and innovation. Visit vaughan.ca/SustainabilityMetrics to learn more

9. Electric vehicle infrastructure

To help create a low-carbon economy, Vaughan has invested in electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the following City facilities:

• Vaughan City Hall, which has four level-two charging stations capable of charging eight vehicles at once. Electrical line rough-ins have also been installed to support an additional 20 vehicles charging with level-two stations and two vehicles charging with level-three stations.
• Civic Centre Resource Library, which has one level-two charging station capable of charging two vehicles at once.
• Joint Operations Centre, which has two level-two charging stations capable of charging four vehicles at once.
• Pierre Berton Heritage Centre, which has a level-two charging station capable of charging two vehicles at once. This is the City’s first public charging station.

10. LED Streetlights Retrofit Program

In October 2019, Vaughan began a city-wide Streetlight Retrofit Program to replace high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights with light-emitting diode (LED) technology. LED lights are more reliable, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve visibility and roadway safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, as they radiate a brighter white light. Smart technology upgrades are also underway, such as a web-enabled lighting control system. This provides accurate energy metering per streetlight, integrated GPS for real-time streetlight performance and the ability to turn on, dim or turn off streetlights remotely. More than 24,000 new lights have been installed as part of this program. Visit vaughan.ca/LEDStreetlight for more information.

BONUS! 11. Active Transportation

At present, emissions from vehicles make up nearly a quarter of Vaughan’s emissions. To reduce this, the City is providing residents with more options to travel sustainably – including by foot, bike, or public transit. This is being done by advancing more than 120 kilometres of active transportation infrastructure (including cycling facilities and pedestrian-friendly areas) within key projects throughout the community. Projects currently underway include the Jane Street Uptown Link cycle tracks and sidewalk, the Vaughan Super Trail and Thornhill Neighbourhood Active Transportation Network. Read a full list of projects in the Active Transportations Programs – Third Annual Update.

Learn more about these and other sustainability initiatives at vaughan.ca/environment.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE?

Everyone has a role to play to ensure a clean, green future for Vaughan. The best place to start is by making more sustainable choices at home, at work or even when you’re out shopping. Here’s how:

When you’re at home:

• Replace incandescent lightbulbs with energy-efficient lightbulbs (LEDs).
• Turn off lights when leaving a room.
• Unplug electronics, chargers and appliances not in use.
• Wash clothes in cold water.
• Sign up for paperless billing.
• Use a green bin and blue box to separate waste in your home, including the bathroom.

If you’re at work:

• Only print what’s needed and opt for paperless options when available.
• Use refillable ink cartridges.
• Pack a litter-less lunch with reusable containers.
• Bring plates and cutlery from home to cut down on single-use plastics.
• Use a reusable water bottle and mug for your drinks.

When you’re out in the community:

• Use reusable shopping bags.
• Donate clothing and household items you no longer use.
• Choose green cleaning products to reduce harmful chemicals.
• Walk or bike for short trips.
• Don’t litter.

Even small changes can have a big impact! For more tips, visit vaughan.ca/GreenDirections.

Need more inspiration? Check out Earth Day Canada’s list of at-home activities. Join the movement on social media by sharing how your family is celebrating Earth Day.

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