Update Report a Green Milestone for City's Sustainability Efforts
Aug. 26, 2013
This year, the City of Vaughan’s annual Green Directions Vaughan implementation update report, which highlights significant accomplishments and progress made on the Community Sustainability and Environmental Master Plan, includes a new category — key performance indicators. These indicators provide a baseline to effectively monitor progress as the City continues to roll out its ongoing Master Plan.
This year, the City of Vaughan’s annual Green Directions Vaughan implementation update report, which highlights significant accomplishments and progress made on the Community Sustainability and Environmental Master Plan, includes a new category — key performance indicators. These indicators provide a baseline to effectively monitor progress as the City continues to roll out its ongoing Master Plan.
“We’ve reached an important milestone in the City’s environmental strategy to achieve a more sustainable future for the community,” said Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua. “We now have established benchmarks that allow us to measure the impact of our environmental initiatives and track the progress of our success. We’re also continuing to promote transparency, accountability and education by reporting back to the public on the advances made on our commitments to sustainability.”
The implementation update reports on 24 core sustainability indicators that help to measure the outcomes and outputs of Green Directions Vaughan. These indicators are reflected in several City projects that aim to support a healthy environment, vibrant communities and economic vitality.
While the indicator tracking process is still in its early stages, the report reveals some notable short-term improvements in several key categories. Some of the highlights include:
- 77 per cent increase in the total volume of building floor area certified under recognized green building programs between 2011-2012
- 60 per cent increase in the number of participants at the Earth Hour celebration at City Hall from 2011 to 2013
- 22 per cent decrease in total volume of daily water used per person between 2009-2012
- 14 per cent increase in the number of citizens demonstrating active participation in recreation programs between 2011-2012
Next year’s annual follow-up report will include updates on several other indicators — such as air quality and greenhouse gas emissions — and continue to improve on other initiatives related to active transportation and community engagement. For more information on Green Directions Vaughan, visit the Environmental Sustainability page.