Edge City Sustainability
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Table of Contents
Edge Cities by Jeremy Arbuthnot
Charter and Surrey’s vision by Chris Jarvie
Demographics by Chris Jarvie
Introduction to Case Studies (CS) by Sarah Herring and Sarah St. John
CS1 – Central City by Bruce McCall-Richmond
CS2 – Just beginnings flowers by Sarah St. John
CS3 – Surrey food security by Sarah Herring
CS4 – Water Conservation, Project SaveH20 by Sarah St. John
CS5 – Youth Engagement by Jude Coates
CS6 – Arts and Culture by Romanda Simpson
CS7 – Sustainable Business by Frederic Van Caenegem
CS8 – Green Business / Products by David Banks
Recomendations by all authours
Conclusion
2
Who We Are
W
e are nine interdisciplinary students from the Certificate
program for Sustainable Community Development (SCD)
at Simon Fraser University. SCD is part of the newly launched
faculty of Environment which includes Environmental Science,
Geography, Resource and Environmental Management, Sustainable Community Development and Development Studies. In
the words of the Faculty Dean, John Pierce, “we are committed
to being student –centred, creating learning environments that
are challenging, collaborative, experiential, interdisciplinary,
skill-based and ethically- informed”
Our team has a wide range of skills and experiences coming SFU’s Sustainable Community Development
from anthropology, health science, political science, journalismCertificate Program
communications, psychology, economics and dialogue.
Edge City Sustainability: A Paradox?
T
he term Edge City was first used and defined by Joel Garreau in his book Edge City: Life On the New Frontier (1991). The generally accepted criteria covers a variety of bases, from total square footage of office
space, general town layout and transportation options, to such basics as how and when the city came to be.
Sites for edge cities are necessarily pre-determined by developers or city planners (Bontje & Burdack, 2005)
and are usually situated in a Greenfield or near highway intersections and typically do not have a dedicated
municipal government and thus no real sort of community planning or thought to effective land-use (Bontje &
Burdack, 2005). Another primary characteristic of edge cities is that they did not exist prior to 1960. These parameters do not bode well for sustainability practitioners and one could assume from the majority of literature
on the topic that the term “Edge City Sustainability” is paradoxical and is something that has never and can
never be achieved. One of the biggest challenges for edge cities is their detailed planning and specific function, which inhibits the ability of these spaces to adapt to economic and/or cultural changes.
The definition for edge cities was created from and for the North American perspective (Bontje & Burdack
2005). In this context, Garreau identifies approximately 150 edge cities in the continental United States that
fit his model and support his theory. Due to the different city models of Europe and North America, as well as
the unique ways in which development has occurred, there has been discussion about whether edge cities exist within Europe. While North American cities are auto-centric and thus more suitable to outward expansion,
European cities are generally more compact and established around a central hub, with greater prevalence
of mixed-use buildings and industry clustering (Bontje & Burdack, 2005). European cities, it has been argued,
are not conducive to the development of edge cities as defined by Garreau (Bontje & Burdack, 2005), but may
exist within a different scope and serve a similar purpose. While the European examples of edge cities are
broader in terms of definition than their North American counterparts (Bontje & Burdack, 2005), they meet a
similar end.
One of the reasons for this divergence is the large amount of research that has been done to analyze and prove
the detrimental effects of the growth of edge cities on traditional cities and Central Business Districts. A trend
has emerged in defining edge cities by the industry that dominates their economy. As befits their origins as
predetermined and premeditated entities, edge cities are constructed with a specific function in mind. Both
North American and European examples of this phenomenon exist, with Chicago having at least three edge
city areas, all located on or around major transportation hubs and all serve entirely different purposes. The
largest of these, Elk Grove Village, is in close proximity to the O’Hare Airport and employs nearly half of its
90,000 workers in industries such as manufacturing, mining and wholesaling. (Greene, 1997). Paris, France has
developed three edge cities in its own right. La Defense acts as the financial sector (Bontje & Burdack, 2005),
Massy-Saclay is the manufacturing city (Bontje & Burdack, 2005) and “Val d’Europe stands out as a special case
that in many ways bears closer resemblance to the American Edge City model. This is no accident, but stems
from the involvement of the Walt Disney Corporation as a major actor in the project” which has subsequently
seen the area become the tourism and service hub (Bontje & Burdack, 2005, p323). Another way in which the
European edge cities differ from their North American counterparts is “that they result from a much higher
4
level of involvement of the public sector in all aspects of their development” (Bontje & Burdack, 2005, p328)
and thus they have avoided much of the “uncontrolled growth of the exploding metropolis” (Paterson & Connery, 1997, p327) that has undermined the grand vision of mid 20th century North American edge cities.
There is ongoing debate as to whether people follow jobs or jobs follow people (Garreau, 1991), and edge cities play an important part in this equation. As deliberate communities, established for specific functions, edge
cities have been accused of “ghettoizing” central business districts through cheaper rent prices and subsidized
development fees while at the same time contributing to urban sprawl and increased greenhouse gas emissions. As populations moved away from traditional urban centres to take advantage of increased land availability, the perception of decreased costs, and improved air quality, businesses have moved to take advantage
of the same benefits and the access to a new and increasing workforce. There is evidence (Garreau, 1991) that
jobs follow people and therefore edge cities are an effect of sprawl. More recently however, there is a growing body of research that suggests that this relationship can work both ways, and that in certain instances “the
outward movement of retail establishments accelerates the pace of suburbanization of moderate- and upperincome and white families” (Ding & Bingham, 2000, p841) Furthermore, the outward expansion of retail firms
and other employers increases the spread of urban sprawl, a phenomenon that has not been observed within
urban cores. “The employment growth in the inner-city area has little impact on population growth. In contrast, however, employment growth in edge cities may have a profound impact on the regional housing development and population growth” (Ding & Bingham, 2000, p837).
As firms increase their presence in outlying areas, they gain considerable power in the planning and future
development of the area. Commercial areas of the suburbs are often considered “ugly and disordered, especially as compared to [..] traditional urban form” (Scheer; Perkov,1998, p299) This is due to the fact that plots
of land are developed as demand requires with no over arching vision for the area or joint decisions made by
competing stakeholders. Firms have different interests and different priorities and as a result “in Edge Cities
not controlled by a single entity, streets are laid out and built as they are required for development. Very large
parcels are subdivided, with a minimal street system giving access to very large sites” (Scheer, Perkov, 1998,
p307). As part of their research, Scheer and Perkov (1998) have devised a list of 3 characteristics that distinguish edge cities from traditional urban centres. These differences speak to the lack of long-term planning and
also reflect on the perceived ‘ugliness’ of these spaces:
• The process by which streets are first laid out;
• The scale; and
• The relationship of the three fundamental form elements: streets, land subdivision and building
As edge cities begin to reinvent themselves, it is these aspects of their (lack of) design that will first
need addressing – particularly as we move towards a less auto-centric way of life. The sprawl of edge
cities needs to be revisited and planning systems need to be rethought. As it stands now, “land and
resource consumption [in edge cities] is much greater than required [...] but it has become the norm,
and may be reinforced in zoning regulations” (Scheer & Perkov, 1998, p. 308).
This reinvention is both necessary and difficult to achieve. Due to the determined nature of edge cities, they
are not easily reconfigured for new purposes and as society has grown and adapted over the past half century
(Stevens, 2008) edge cities have suffered what could be seen as a planned obsolescence. Century City, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, was designed to be the retail and business centre for the surrounding
suburbs but lacked the ability to adapt.
Gary Luddy, the co-director of the Los Angeles planning department’s Urban Design Studio confirms that “The
urban design of Century City is very mid-century: lawns, gigantic setbacks, high-rise office buildings in opposition to the street life that could occur. That plan was never intended to change. Circumstances changed
around it.” (Stevens, 2008) This is the case for many edge cities, and as the 21st century progresses, many
will look to diversify and to become more sustainable. One of the ways this will happen is through infilling.
Because the “vastly spread out areas of our current edge cities are several orders of magnitude larger than
traditional downtowns…even though they employ fewer people” (Scheer & Perkov, 1998, p328) there are numerous opportunities to reduce the scale of these cities without reducing livable space. By building up instead
of out, edge city planners will be able to reverse or at least mitigate the negative social and ecological effects
of sprawl (Zipperer et al, 2000) while at the same time revitalizing currently dying centres. The North American edge cities could also follow the lead of their European counterparts by introducing “much higher level
of involvement of the public sector in all aspects of their development” (Bontje & Burdack, 2005, p328), thus
ensuring the changes are widely supported by those who will be using the space.
With the current drive that edge city planners are approaching the challenge of “retro-fitting suburbia”,
it seems possible that in the near to mid distance future edge cities will be able to reclaim the glory they
achieved when they were first devised. Now, as then, is a time of grand visions (Stevens, 2008), one can only
hope that we have learned from past mistakes and will incorporate principles of adaptability in our plans for
the future.
6
Demographics: Surrey
A
s the Metro Vancouver region moves forward over the next thirty years, population projections estimate
that the population will increase by more than 50% from 2.2 million to 3.4 million residents. Vancouver
will see a population increase of 23%, which will represent approximately 10% of the overall growth for the region. This makes the peripheral areas even more important within the regions growth strategy. The projections
for Surrey in the Regional Growth Strategy are that 27% of the overall population growth in the region will
happen within Surrey and that Surrey’s population will be on par with Vancouver’s at 740,000 by 2040. These
figures make Surrey’s ambitious goal to rival Vancouver as an edge city all the more realistic.
(Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy, 2009)
The geographic location of Surrey within the region lends itself to the capacity for growth. Surrey is situated
as the gateway to the Fraser Valley and as the Valley grows, so too will Surrey’s importance within it. Surrey
has the capacity to act as a downtown for the Fraser Valley as it is well serviced by rapid transit (with more
planned), a major highway, the Delta Superport, as well as two international airports (Abbotsford and Vancouver).
Surrey is the second largest municipality in B.C. with an area of 317.185km², which is considerably larger
than Vancouver at 114.713km². While Surrey’s population may currently represent approximately 19% of the
regions population, it is not in a dense form of housing. Vancouver’s population per km² is 5039 people compared to Surrey’s 1245 people/km². Though Surrey does have a much larger land area, this figure is still indicative of the pattern of sprawling low density development within Surrey to date. This pattern is one that the City
is trying hard to counter. Over the last ten years the City’s population grew by over 100,000 residents (Annual
Review of Surrey Official Community Plan By-law, 1996, No. 12900, Feb. 2009). This represents nearly 30%
of the overall growth for that time period for the region. During this period the portion of multi-family units
increased from 28% to 33% to accommodate the new population (Annual Review of Surrey Official Community
Plan By-law, 1996, No. 12900, Feb. 2009). As the City moves forward and attempts to reach lofty population
targets, this portion of the housing market will need to increase. The areas that are projected to see much of
the growth are the City Centre area, which is projected to nearly triple its population, as well as Newton and
Cloverdale where the populations are projected to be almost doubled. (Annual Review of Surrey Official Community Plan By-law, 1996, No. 12900, Feb. 2009)
GVRD Population and Private Dwellings, 2006 Census
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census
8
In order to be represented as an edge city, there must be more jobs than bedrooms in the jurisdiction. Though
Surrey has the second highest number of jobs in the region at 157,000 it has only 0.68 jobs per employable
person which is relatively low (Annual Review of Surrey Official Community Plan By-law, 1996, No. 12900, Feb.
2009). Surrey does have room for employment generating growth as it has the highest amount of industrial
land in the region as well as a desire to increase its office space within the City Centre area. The trend in Surrey
is shifting towards less people leaving the city to go to work with more people staying within the city for work.
Nearly 60% of workers in Surrey also live in Surrey. These trends are encouraging, and if continued, offer the
potential for Surrey to make itself into a more self-contained and complete community. (2006 Census Information Update, 2008)
Sustainability Charter
S
urrey’s role and importance within the Metro Vancouver region continues to grow as it matures from a
sprawling suburb to an edge city. Surrey has recognized its importance to the region as the largest suburb
of Vancouver, and has acknowledged that sprawling suburbs are not a sustainable practice. In recognition of
this, Surrey has developed a Sustainability Charter. The Charter is a policy document that is used to guide the
city towards making better sustainability decisions. In the Charter, Surrey has adopted the following definition
of sustainability:
“Sustainability is the principle of meeting the needs of the present generation in terms of socio-cultural systems, the economy and the environment while promoting a high quality of life but without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Sustainability Charter, 12)
Surrery’s goals in creating the charter are to:
Be Home to the Region’s Second Downtown
Be the Fraser Valley’s metropolitan centre, connected to major regional destinations by rapid transit and an
efficient road network designed to support economic activity.
Have the City Centre be a welcoming home to a diverse population and be one of North America’s most sustainable downtowns, renowned for it’s skyline, spectacular views, urban design, arts and culture, and its green
infrastructure.
Include distinct and vibrant neighbourhoods, a dynamic business sector, education and hospital districts, and
will be an important regional and international destination for visitors.(Sustainability Charter, 19)
The Charter utilizes a three pillar approach to sustainability incorporating the Socio-Cultural, Economic, and
Environmental pillars:
Source: Sustainability Charter, pp. 8
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Surrey’s Vision of Sustainability
“Surrey values and protects its natural environment through stewardship of its rich tree canopy, and
enhancement of its natural areas and biodiversity. It is a safe City, with a vibrant City Centre and liveable communities that provide a range of affordable and appropriate housing options. Surrey leads
the way in sustainable design, “green” buildings and “green” infrastructure. It provides transportation choice, with a focus on the efficient movement of people and goods, not just vehicles. Surrey incorporates “Triple Bottom Line Accounting” into its operations, incorporates and encourages alternative energy sources, and strives for carbon neutrality and no net impact from waste. It is a city that
fosters local employment opportunities and “green” businesses including a sustainable agricultural
base and local food security. Surrey has a network of widely accessible community health and social
services, parks, recreation, library and cultural opportunities that promote wellness and active living.
The City embraces its cultural diversity, and promotes tolerance, social connections and a sense of
belonging.”(Sustainability Charter, pp. 8)
Now that Surrey has developed its Charter it needs to be implemented. Through our report we will highlight
through case studies examples of sustainability already in effect. These case studies will demonstrate how
sustainability is a goal that anyone can achieve and that average residents and businesses within Surrey have
already been practicing sustainability.
Introduction To Case-Studies
I
n collaboration with Anna Mathewson from the city of Surrey, the group decided to focus our research on
sustainable case studies from Surrey. Our project is intended to put a ‘human face’ to sustainability – what
does sustainability look like and what do sustainable people and organizations do? We wanted our audience
to see and understand existing social, cultural, economic, and environmental success stories in Surrey so that
the pillars’ concepts become more relatable and user-friendly. In other words, we wanted to help promote the
charter in a way that encourages moving from ‘theory to practice’ or ‘policy to action’.
Our research was conducted in the spirit of appreciative inquiry. In Clear Leadership (2001), Gervases R. Bushe
builds off of the idea of ‘appreciative inquiry’ originally developed by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastava
in 1987. He states that ‘exceptional leaders’ are appreciative, meaning they “focus more on what’s working
and what they want more of and less on problems and what they want less of” (Bushe, 2001, p.155). Taking
an appreciative inquiry approach to sustainability in Surrey, we have highlighted businesses, organisations,
and initiatives already in place that showcase the Charter’s ideals. We want people to see what’s working and
build upon it in their own contexts – be it in their own organisations, families, or individual actions. In seeing
what’s working, we want Surrey residents to get excited about, contribute to, and take ownership of sustainability, using the Charter to guide their future development. The following case studies are meant to provide
further momentum for sustainability in Surrey and act as a springboard for suggestions on how to build upon
what is already working.
1 Surrey Central City
T
he municipality of Surrey is a rapidly growing jurisdiction. Surrey has fully recognized that there are development alternatives to those that have been practiced in the past that have created its current sprawling
geography. Since 1991, it has been a goal of the City to create a city centre and be a regional downtown of the
Fraser Valley. It is estimated that by 2031, the population of the Surrey City Centre will increase to 65,000 and
be employing 36,000 people (Land Development and Building Department, 2009). Paralleling the Land Development department’s plans for Central City is the City’s Sustainability Charter (SC). The SC specifies preferred
economic, environmental and social direction during the City’s anticipated growth period.
During its redevelopment, Central City planners are going to be faced with a number of objectives from within
and from initiatives like the Sustainability Charter. The following goals are outlined by the SC and will be providing guidance during the development of Central City (SC, pp. 19):
• Be home to the region’s second downtown
• Have a full range of local employment opportunities and green businesses
• Lead the way in sustainable community design and development
• Embrace an accessible and diverse culture
• Promote active living and cultural opportunities
• Promote a society where all residents feel a sense of belonging
Surrey Central
Bing Thom Architects were engaged to provide land use and urban design consulting services for the Central
City planning process. This section will focus on Bing Thom Architect’s attempt at catering to these goals by
planning and re-developing a mall into a mixed used catalyst, downtown building. The range of specific goals
overlapping the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability are impressive. Some of these
achievements will be described below along with some challenges, opportunities and recommendations for
policymakers in Surrey that can be learned from the redevelopment of the Central City mixed use building.
Mixing Uses
T
he Sustainability Charter highlights many facets of urban design and development that its creators and the
general public at large are beginning to appreciate. The benefits of creating attractive, liveable places for
people to live and work in environments that promote sociability, decrease resource consumption, and create
economic opportunity are all realistic outcomes of creating a sense of place and mixing land uses. Jane Jacobs
was one of the first to realize the importance of the mixed use block as early as the 1960s in New York City, and
emphasized how people should use place for different purposes and different schedules, which can maximize
the use of facilities and transportation options (Jacobs, 1993). This is similar to the synergies in business, school
and retail created on the indoor block of Central Surrey. By mixing uses, Central Surrey is better able to achieve
economic, socio-cultural and environmental goals outlined by the Charter.
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Economic Goals
E
conomic imperatives outlined by the charter suggest promoting the clustering of business and personal
services, locating business were it can be best served by a sustainable transportation network, the creation
of an attractive business environment, encouraging compactness, and support for a diversity of job opportunities.
The clustering of business and personal services is achieved by not designating the land to a singe use. The mix
of office, educational and retail services found at Central City create a diversity of opportunity that is attractive
and inviting. Diversity is essential to surviving the highs and lows of our current market system by its ability
to be flexible and adaptive to changing demands (Jones and Williamson, 2009). By compacting employment
lands, Central City is able to reduce the need for additional trips to access services. The increased exposure to
businesses such as retail and advertising is also greatly improved by the increase in pedestrian traffic created
by the various businesses and educational facilities in Central Surrey.
Socio-Cultural Goals
S
ocio-cultural goals focus on the establishment of place and the creation of an attractive and functional public realm. By incorporating a high quality of design and beauty into its architecture and planning, Central
City creates an environment that is conducive to cultural activities and networking opportunities. These interactions are the lifeblood that binds community and allows people to congregate freely and meet face-to-face.
The creation of an active, democratic populace requires a place for civility and protest when important public
affairs are at hand. The plazas, open public spaces, and architecture of Central City increase social mixing and
connectivity. Central City caters to the populace in creating space were people can voice identity and congregate to achieve common goals. Although the benefits are not quantifiable, the capacity that Central City has to
host positive social and cultural interactions is an asset to the community.
Environmental Goals
E
nvironmental goals met at Central are the establishment and improvement of the built environment. The
SC recognizes the need to reduce resource consumption and the need to derive products from sustainable
sources. Central City’s high density and location have re-established the formerly suburban, auto-dependant
mall as a transit oriented, well designed manifestation of thought-out planning processes that integrate elements of Surrey’s Sustainability Charter. For example, building Central City with fir peeler cores (a waste product of the local timber industry) both visually and architecturally incorporates social space into its design. It
shows us that ‘green’ aspects of building design are applicable to any development, and can be achieved
without the sometimes complicated LEED environmental building design rubric. The building’s finest feat may
be its location. Central City is supported by a sustainable transportation network that both minimizes the use
of personal vehicles and encourages walking.
Barriers
F
or Surrey to reproduce these favourable outcomes, it is going to need to have the ability to overcome the
barriers that will be pushing against the promotion of sustainable development practices. For example,
Bing Thom architects have been the lead consultants in the entire redevelopment of Central City. Mustering
this high quality of understanding and professionalism towards the cities goals will be difficult in all development applications. The persistence in creating partnerships between retail, office, educational and public
entities is not something to be overlooked, and requires consistent and open communication between all parties. Other barriers may include; financial resistance to mixed use development, the remoteness of suburbia
and other malls, the upfront costs of such a large-scale project, and the many zoning variances that need be
acquired to complete mixed-use developments. If it is to duplicate the success of Bing Thom and Central City,
Surrey must find a way to generate the resources required to make mixed use developments a reality.
Conclusion
T
he City of Surrey needs to take an active role in ensuring that developments of this type can be modeled
and adapted to the specifics of place in future nodal-type developments. Surrey has successfully created its
downtown catalyst building. The challenge will reside in maintaining and reproducing this high standard of land
use within its boundaries. Surrey has the tools and initiative to create qualitative improvements in public life
through development and redevelopment of land resources. If Surrey is able to maximize the use of its new
Sustainability Charter and emphasize the importance of catalyst developments such as Bing Thom’s Central
City, Surrey should be able to go ahead with its plans in creating a lively downtown for the region.
14
2
Just Beginnings Flowers: Floral Design School
J
ust Beginnings Flowers is an exceptional organization that truly
embodies the fundamental principles of Surrey’s Sustainability
Charter. It is an organization that incorporates aspects of all three
pillars: socio-cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability.
June Strandberg, is an award winning Canadian florist. Before she
started Just Beginnings Flowers, she ran a program for 13 years
called Beginnings in Burnaby Correctional Center for Women Maximum Security Prison, where she taught floristry and life skills to
the prisoners. (Just Beginnings Flowers website 2009). The women
became quite talented at floral design, winning the People’s choices
awards at the Pan Pacific Hotel, and serving about 150 weddings a
year.
June Strandberg founded Just Beginnings Flowers after Beginnings ended. Just Beginnings Flowers is a flower
shop as well as a floral design school. One of the goals of the school is to provide support for women after
they leave prison. In addition to referrals from prison, students are referred through other organizations such
as Servants Anonymous. Students include victims of domestic abuse, recovering drug addicts, and mentally
challenged women. The course is also open to anyone in the community looking to start or change their career. Classes are usually a mix of women who are referred and women who sign up on their own.
The program is six weeks, running 9am-3pm Monday through Friday. At the end of each course June Strandberg helps each woman find at least a part time job in floristry. Women from the community who sign up for
the program are responsible for covering their own costs. The referred women are funded mostly through
grants and corporate sponsorship, primarily VanCity. Just Beginnings Flowers is continuously working hard to
expand their business so that flower sales upstairs can cover the cost of the school downstairs.
June Strandberg does not differentiate between the women in her course (personal communication, Nov. 20,
2009). Each woman attends the course to learn how to be a florist, and therefore their background in other
aspects of life is irrelevant to the way the course is taught. This is a unique atmosphere. While at first June
Strandberg wondered how the non-referred women would respond to the life skills portion of the course, she
quickly realized that women from all walks of life can always use more life skills. Women she expected to not
be interested in the life skills section of the course ended up showing their interest with questions. June Stranberg’s innovative attitude gives women a chance to bond through their commonalities and not be isolated
through their differences.
As a leader of social sustainability in the community, Just Beginnings Flowers
also seeks to be environmentally sustainable. Just Beginning Flowers tries to
buy as many flowers as possible from within 100 miles and from growers with
sustainable practices. They also try to reduce their waste through composting
and using glass that can be reused instead of plastic. Furthermore, the company
buys environmentally friendly products varying from the organic fair trade coffee
they sell in their store to biodegradable soap.
Photo: Sharon Doucette,
for Surrey Now
Just Beginnings Flowers business practices are also in line with the City of Surrey’s goals under the economic
pillar of the Sustainability Charter. One chart goal aims to “support local business that contributes to the social
well-being of the community by hiring individuals facing barriers to employment or by other means” (SSC,
2008, p 24) and Just Beginnings Flowers represents this type of business. The school of floral design takes in
women with barriers to employment and finds them places to work. It provides women with skilled jobs that
they can be proud of, and that they can use to integrate themselves back into the community in a positive
way. This is not only economically sustainable for the individual, but it benefits society economically as well.
It empowers women to take care of themselves financially and therefore prevents the future need for society
to support them through the costs of social services, or in some cases through the cost of their stay in prison.
Having more programs like this would inevitably save a great deal of money. Due to its close alignment with
the economic goals of the charter, it is an example of the kind of organization the city could support in accordance with its goals.
Just Beginnings Flowers is a local business that strives to fund their floral design school themselves. This however remains an ongoing challenge, and women who would benefit from the school are often turned away.
Through Just Beginnings Flowers efforts to grow and expand as a business, they were able to win the Olympic
bid. All Olympic medal winners will be holding flowers from Just Beginnings Flowers. Hopefully this will help
them to gain the publicity that will help them continue to grow their customer base and eventually become
self sufficient financially.
Just Beginnings Flowers is a leader in many aspects of sustainability. It is an organization that strives to facilitate community building and empowerment. It is a model of compassion, and recognizes that everyone deserves respect and a place in the community. Just Beginnings Flowers uses floristry to give women the power
to add beauty to the city of Surrey. As June Standberg says, ‘flowers are magic’ (personal communication Nov.
20, 2009).
Additional Sources of Information
Interview with June Strandberg, Founder Just Beginnings Flowers, (Novemember 20, 2009)
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3 Food Security
T
he Surrey Sustainability Charter defines Food Security as “community residents having access to safe,
affordable, culturally acceptable, and a nutritionally adequate diet through a system that maximizes community self reliance, environmental sustainability and social justice”. The projects addressing the charter’s food
security ideals that will be highlighted in this section are the Hazelnut Community Garden, the Surrey Urban
Farmers Market, and the Surrey Food Bank.
The charter places Food Security in their “sociocultural pillar” which focuses on meeting resident’s basic needs
and building community capacity. They prioritize food security action at the municipal-jurisdictional level because 1) it is the most visible level of government to residents in their daily lives, and 2) they have the capacity
to make decisions in land use planning and zoning which is relevant to Surrey’s Agriculture land connection.
Approximately 30% of the City of Surrey is located within the ALR, 67% of which is primarily used for agriculture. Agriculture is generally expanding in Surrey; the net increase in agricultural production is greater than
the net loss, both in terms of area of land and in terms of the number of parcels in use. As such, the city has
implemented a few strategies to ensure that the urban-agricultural interface is addressed including:
• Limiting the size and location of houses built on Agricultural properties
• Requiring landscape buffers between residential properties and agricultural land, and;
• Creating an Agricultural Advisory Committee – which they were the first municipality in the lower mainland
to do so in 1995
The Charter puts emphasis on the importance of securing local food sources, and commits to:
• Being a leader in protecting the agricultural land reserve (ALR);
• Promoting urban agriculture and support sustainable agriculture;
• High quality, locally produced food;
• Fresh and healthy food will be available to people of all income levels, and
• Food processing industries will create local jobs and incorporate a high “value added” component to the
local economy
The ALR in Surrey
30 % of the Surrey is
located within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR),
67% of which is primarily
used for agriculture
Hazelnut Community Garden
Hazelnut Community Garden located at the hazelnut
meadows park at 140th street and 68th avenue
Charter Goals
SC14: Support Food Security
• A leader in protecting the agricultural land reserve
• Promote urban agriculture and support sustainable agriculture
• High quality, locally produced food
• Fresh and healthy food will be available to people of all
income levels
• Food processing industries will create local jobs and
incorporate a high “value added” component to the local
economy
Hazelnut Community Garden has 32 plots and is one of 4 community gardens in Surrey and opened as of June
2009. This project is in partnership with DIVERSEcity, The city of Surrey, and United Way.
Their partnership with DIVERSEcity is a particularly inspiring story for linking immigrants with local food and
community.
DIVERSEcity is a community resource center founded in 1978 that used to go under the name Surrey Delta
Immigrant services society. Their role is assisting immigrants with integration into their new communities, and
they have created space for immigrants to learn skills, connect with the community around them and cultivate
their own food.
As such, the garden is a microcosm example of
DIVERSEcity garden participants get to:
community planning, process and implementation
in a locally relevant context that is sustenance-cen• Learn about the vegetables and fruits suitable for
tered and rewarding for participants. The garden
Canadian climate, organic gardening and composting, is looking into hosting some design charettes to
seed saving, and harvesting;
encourage ownership of the new expansion.
• Develop a relationships with the community based on food
production while managing a gardening area collectively, and
• Meet monthly to vote on operations.
Images: Grand Opening June 3, 2009
18
Surrey Urban Farmers Market – located at City Central skytrain station
Charter Goals
SC14: Support Food Security
• A leader in protecting the agricultural land reserve
• Promote urban agriculture and support sustainable agriculture
• High quality, locally produced food
• Fresh and healthy food will be available to people of all
income levels
• Food processing industries will create local jobs and
incorporate a high “value added” component to the local
economy
The farmers market is all about healthy people, supporting your local farmers, creating a community gathering space for celebration, and education on things like nutrition and food miles.
In addition to fresh local produce and food products, plants, flowers and crafts, the Surrey market also welcomes specialty imported food products to appeal to their culturally diverse population. This is different
from the Coquitlam Farmers Market which requires all goods be made, baked, grown or raised in BC by the
vendors themselves. The market strives to meet Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste challenge generating as little
trash as possible.
Thanks to a grant from BC Healthy Communities (part of BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport), the market
has a number of free courses lined up focusing on eating local, growing food and composting, such as the
upcoming “Local Food 101” at the Strawberry Hill library on December 1st, 2009, and the Semiahmoo Library
on December 3, 2009.
Farmers Market Delights, 2009
Surrey Food Bank - located at 10732, 135th Street
Charter Goals
SC14: Support Food Security
• A leader in protecting the agricultural land reserve
• *Promote urban agriculture and support sustainable agriculture
• *High quality, locally produced food
• Fresh and healthy food will be available to people of all income levels
• Food processing industries will create local jobs and incorporate a high “value added” component to the local economy
T
he Surrey Food Bank provides a missing piece of the puzzle – access. They do this by delivering food hampers to those with mobility challenges, and providing food to those who cannot afford it. In addition to
providing food to clients from lower income brackets, they also offer their services in a number of languages
including French, Mandarin, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
British Columbia has seen an 81% increase in food bank use in 2009, according to this years hunger count.
The food bank in Surrey gets no government funding, and does not solicit donations door to door – they rely
solely on community corporate and individual support. They serve an astonishing 14,000 clients a month,
42% of which are children and babies. A glance at their top-ten wish list for donations shows that baby formula is number one – leaving a haunting impression of the service this organization gives to the community
One great initiative they increased their capacity to do this year is gleaning – which is gathering produce
directly from farms that would otherwise rot in the fields. They increased their gleaning this year by 51% to
gather and process 86,000 lbs of produce.
The Hamper to Your Home delivery service gets food to the elderly
and those that are homebound
while at the same time maintaining their independence and connection to the community
Food Bank Volunteers and Staff, Food Bank Website
20
Recommendations
The Farmers’ Market Nutrition and Coupon Project (FMNCP)
The Farmers’ Market Nutrition & Coupon Project (FMNCP) is a provincial initiative of the BC Association of
Farmers Markets (BCAFM). The purpose of the FMNCP is to increase access to fresh BC-produced farm products for low-income pregnant women and low-income families with children, complement existing cooking and
skill building programs (CSB) and expand the awareness, use of and sales at BCAFM member farmers’ markets.
Currently, the Surrey Urban Farmers Market does not participate in this program and it could be a great way
to get low income families at the lively market location, picking up healthy, delicious food to feed themselves
with.
Apiary at Hazelnut Community Garden
Currently the Cottonwood Community Garden in Strathcona Park, East Vancouver harvests honey from their
three on-site hives. The product, honey (a value-added product), is sold to maintain the operations of the garden, and to fund their fully accessible expansion. This could be a viable option to educate and add economic
support to the community garden and its participants.
Food Bank and Farmers Market Link
Currently the Coquitlam Farmers Market partners with the local food bank organization SHARE. SHARE provides storage space, and in return the Farmers Market funnels any overflow produce from vendors into the
organization who then distribute it to their community contacts. Surrey could utilize this idea to create a
valuable synergy for avoiding food waste and contributing nutritional food options to low-income clients of the
food bank. To make this a viable option the food bank may have to consider processing capacity.
Zero Waste Community Challenge
The Strathcona Community in East Vancouver took on a zero waste challenge over the summer of 2009 – with
fantastic results in waste-reduction. The project was created by SFU student Deanna Rogers in The Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue and was funded by Metro Vancouver as a pilot project. This would be a valuable
initiative to get the community thinking about their waste production, and reduce it significantly.
4 Water Conservation: Operation Save H O
2
O
peration Save H2O promotes water conservation and
Surrey’s water metering program by spreading the slogan “Save water save money!” Operation Save H2O runs in the
summer and consists of five teams of three youth that traveling
around the city on bicycles. The program provides information
to residents at their doors and targets both high water consumers and those without a water meter. Youth provide tips to
homeowners about how they can save money by conserving
water and survey homeowners about their current water use
and about their perception of Surrey’s water metering program.
Additionally, youth also educate homeowners at various community events.
www.surreywatermeter.com/
The municipality of Surrey is the only municipality in the Lower Mainland that has mandatory water metering
for new homes. Homes with water meters are charged three times a year according to how much they use.
The current rate is $20.00 plus $0.665 per m3. Homes without the water meter are charged a flat rate. The
current flat rate is $526.0 per year, and is expected to rise due to increasing costs of supplying water (City of
Surrey Website 2009). For the majority of people (approximately 80%) switching to a water meter actually
reduces their water bill. The City of Surrey is encouraging homeowners to volunteer to have a water meter
installed. The city covers both the cost of both the installation as well as the meter itself.
This program is promoting awareness and incentive for Surrey residents to reduce their environmental impact.
Youth provide simple solutions for homeowners to save water and money. These simple solutions range from
using a rain barrel to water the garden to checking for and fixing water system leaks and drips (City of Surrey
Website 2009). In addition to encouraging Surrey residents to reduce their impact on the environment through
water conservation, the program reduces the city’s environmental impact. Reducing the demand for water also
reduces the need for the city of Surrey to build more water distribution infrastructure despite its continuous
growth and development.
This program also makes economic sense; the slogans “Save water, save money” highlights the reduction in
costs for the homeowner and for the City of Surrey. It also gives Surrey residents control over what they pay
using a model similar to other utilities like electricity; they can chose to use less water and pay less or for those
residents who use more water they will have to pay more. Water metering therefore eliminates the subsidization of high water consumers by low water consumers while encouraging water conservation that will save the
city infrastructure costs.
Operation Save H2O also has positive impacts on the social aspects of sustainability. When youth ask homeowners questions it not only provides a mechanism to measure the impact of the water metering program but
also is an opportunity to hear what people think about the program and gather suggestions for improvement.
22
Youth learn a lot about the community’s varying levels of knowledge about sustainability and learn through experience effective ways of spreading knowledge. Youth were also provided with the means and in many cases
the motivation to expand awareness about the importance of water conservation in their personal networks.
Of course many programs face challenges, and this program is no different. Because the program is only two
years old the impact of the outreach is difficult to measure. For example: Did the program encourage people
to conserve more water this year or was outdoor water use less because there was more rain? Also, the youth
often experienced resistance going door to door when trying to encourage people to sign up for water meters.
Homeowners were very sensitive about having people come to their door in order to ‘sell’ something. Also
people were often resistant to change and they would prefer to stay with the traditional billing system that
they are familiar with because the unknown is too risky. In some cases there was also a lack of awareness on
the need for water conservation and the positive impacts of water conservation in the community.
Despite a few challenges, the program has so far been successful. The city would likely benefit from continued
growth and development of the program. One of the suggestions from last year’s Project Coordinator, Lina
Azeez, was to put more emphasis on water wise gardens. She suggested the Operation Save H2O youth could
turn the existing water wise gardens on the City Hall grounds into a learning centre that offers tours. Initiatives
like this would help to expand the program and provide more diversity in the way that the program engages
with the public.
With environmental, economic, and social benefits Operation Save H2O is in line with the goals of the Surrey’s
sustainability charter. Based on community engagement, it gives residents of Surrey a chance to ask questions,
and learn more. Through the program residents are given the knowledge and the tools to become more sustainable members of their community.
Additional Sources of Information
Interviews with Sig Bernat, Project Supervisor Surrey Water Meter, Engineering, Utilities and
Transportation (November 13, 2009) and Lina Azeez, Project Coordinator Operation Save H20,
(November 26, 2009)
5
Youth Engagement: Surrey Youth Leadership Council
T
here is an often-used phrase that ‘the youth of today are the
hope for the future.’ However, when it comes to integrating
youth into future planning processes, it is rare to find an initiative that actively solicits youth participation. Encouragingly, Surrey
has implemented one such initiative: The Surrey Youth Leadership
Council.
The Surrey Youth Leadership Council (SLYC) is comprised of voluntary high school aged participants who collaboratively plan peer
social events and participate in city planning processes. The group
is mentored and facilitated by the City of Surrey’s Youth Participation Coordinator, who effectively acts as the
communications link between the City and youth interests. SLYC describe itself as “Whalley youth helping
Whalley youth speak up and have their voices heard.” (Youth Speak Up! Forum Highlights, 2008)
SLYC fits under the Social and Cultural pillar of the Sustainability Charter. As stated on the City of Surrey website, “[t]he Sustainability Charter’s goal for Socio-Cultural Sustainability is to promote a safe, caring, engaged,
and liveable community, with a sense of place, that is inclusive of all aspects of diversity and provides a range
of educational, recreational, cultural and employment opportunities, affordable and appropriate housing,
transportation options and personal, health and social services that are accessible to all.” The SLYC initiative
begins to meet this goal by actively increasing opportunities for traditionally marginalized youth to engage in
social planning and create a greater connection to their community.
SLYC is one key aspect of the City of Surrey’s Youth Engagement in Social and Community Planning project,
which is a joint effort of the City’s Social Planning and Community Leisure Services. The project is intended to
develop a ‘made in Surrey’ model of youth engagement, providing young citizens with opportunities to “contribute to the community, develop leadership skills and participate in decision-making [as] critical components
of creating a Child and Youth Friendly City.”
SLYC has organized two annual Youth Speak Up! forums, openmic nights, and a variety of outreach activities for City of Surrey
planning processes. They are planning to create an online communication forum, adult-teen mixer events, and expect to participate on the City’s Sustainability Task Force that will develop the
indicators that will guide and evaluate the Sustainability Charter.
A participant at You(th) Speak Up! Looking
after a baby (and future Surrey youth)
24
The active organizers of SLYC activities are enthusiastic, creative,
intelligent and motivated teenagers. And though they may seem
the ‘cream of the crop,’ destined to lead
their peers off the streets and into the boardroom…in some cases, SLYC organizers are also closely associated
with an often scorned upon late night presence in the community. The very diverse and cooperative nature of
the Surrey Leadership Council is a huge success in and of itself.
While success can generate more opportunity, there are also numerous challenges that SLYC has identified as
needing to be addressed. One such example is the characterized ‘gang-wannabe kids’ who, whether or not
involved in unscrupulous activities, nevertheless help perpetuate mistrust towards Surrey teenagers in general.
Another related difficulty is finding ways to prevent organized events from being sabotaged by youth under the
influence of alcohol. Proactive outreach towards disengaged peers is a significant challenge, and SLYC participants are more often leaders by example.
SLYC participants have identified the “brain-drain of energy and ideas to
Vancouver City” as one of the challenges to creating a vibrant and youthfriendly Surrey City. Many youth do not consider their community as worth
participating in, and are more likely to travel to Vancouver for socio-cultural
stimulation.
SLYC is working on expanding the types of events they organize to both
meet the diverse needs of youth, and to make connections with the adults
of their community. Adults are considered one of the most significant barriers to creating a youth friendly
city, in large part because it is normally adults that are in the position to determine what opportunities Surrey youth will be given SLYC participants have noted concern that adults do not usually ask for the opinions
of young citizens, or misunderstand the intentions of youth expression and modern day communications like
social media. SLYC is planning to hold events that will be mutually inclusive of both adult and youth interests such as a multi-media art show - in order to break down some of the communication barriers that exist between the generations.
From an outside perspective, the Surrey Youth Leadership Council seems to be a successful form of supporting
and increasing positive youth engagement in community participation and planning. SLYC is well positioned to
bridge communication gaps between ‘adults’ and ‘teens’ in the community, as well as to create and increase
activities where teens are more likely to connect respectfully with one another. The challenge is to expand the
reach of initiatives like SLYC in order to improve community awareness and participation in such opportunities. For example, SLYC works primarily in Whalley, and does not yet have the capacity to include the youth of
Newton.
There is a great deal of inspiration to be gleaned from the youth in Surrey, and to further tap into this largely
unutilized resource would be of great benefit to the community’s social capital.
Additional Sources of Information: Interview with Surrey Leadership Youth Council Participants (November 16, 2009)
6
Arts & Culture: The Culture Capital of Canada
T
he goals in the Sustainability Charter (2008, p20-21) related to arts and culture are:
• Embrace an Accessible and Diverse Culture - celebrate a rich blend of art, music, dance, theatre and other
cultural celebrations through festivals and events accessible to all who live and work in the City.
• Promote a Society Where All Residents Feel a Sense of Belonging - people have a strong sense of social connection, where volunteerism is widespread, and where there is pride in the community and a high level of
citizen engagement. Surrey will be inclusive of persons of different ages, cultures, abilities, religions, backgrounds and lifestyles. It will be designed to be child, youth and senior friendly and accessible to those with
special needs.
• Promote Active Living and Cultural Opportunities - A variety of parks, recreation, library and other cultural
opportunities will be widely available to people of all ages and abilities.
Many cultural practitioners believe in the four pillar approach to sustainability where Culture is distinct from
Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability. By separating it from the social services, which includes
parks, sports centres and social equity initiatives, having the 4th pillar increases the perceived value of culture
and arts, and recognizes the important role they play in creating a livable and sustainable city. However, Surrey has opted to use the 3 –pillar approach, therefore creating challenges in maintaining strong arts and culture
activities. Because arts and culture is often considered a “soft” service it is likely to be the first of the services
to have funding reduced. This presents a challenge for those working in the sector, as the uncertainty makes it
difficult to plan into the future for long lasting events and programs.
When culture is ignored or under-emphasized there is a high chance of increasing crime, social unrest, and cultural
tension. Surrey has the reputation of experiencing racial violence, which increased there was little cultural communication fostered by the city as immigrants moved into the traditionally white neighbourhoods. In 2006 Surrey “had
the second largest immigrant population (after Vancouver)” and was home to 150,230 immigrants or 38.3% of the
population of Surrey (Citizen and Immigration Fact Sheet, 4,6). Recognizing the cultural unrest and acknowledging
the increasingly diverse population Surrey has since implemented strategies, including the Sustainability Charter,
that seek to address the diversity of the city and to create a vital community where there is an appreciation of heritage and the citizens encourage others to understand and respect the variety of cultural backgrounds. The follow-
ing examples demonstrate how Surrey is actively moving towards the Sustainability Charter goals that relate to
Arts and Culture.
Wandering Angels Lantern Festival
While the City of Surrey is engaging citizens, it is the citizens themselves who
have also reacted and are working to create a community they want to live
in. The Wandering Angels Lantern Festival was a community driven event
imagined and undertaken as a response to a tragic event. After a violent
stabbing near a residential area that had the victim hailing a cab rather than
getting help from the neighbours close by, the community felt they needed
to connect to each other and establish a feeling of safety and a sense of
belonging.
26
The purpose of the festival, which saw 2,000 attend,
was to create community cohesion and bring young
and old together through a shared positive experience.
The eighth Socio-Cultural goal, where the city states it
is seeking to “cultivate a community that is caring and
compassionate, inclusive and respectful of all aspects of
diversity, in which citizens are involved and connected,
and have a shared sense of pride in the City” (SCC, 2007,
p23) is firmly achieved by the Wandering Angels Lantern
Festival.
As part of this initiative, local volunteer artists opened a
lantern making workshop 2 days a week from April until the
day of the festival, August 30th. The materials used were
reclaimed and recycled, and included milk jugs covered in
thin tissue for a soft glow, which contributed to a minimal
footprint. A map of the locale, Holland Park, was situated
in the studio on which individuals could draw what they
wanted to see at the festival, thus contributing to identity
and fostered community pride.
Culture Capital of Canada
The initiatives that the City and its community members have
undertaken in the past have enabled the city to be honoured
as a Cultural Capital of Canada in 2008, receiving 2 million in
funding from the Department of Heritage to be used for events
that promote the arts and culture. It received this distinguished
award because of its excellent track record of past achievements, and “the best and most ambitious (while still realistic)
program of proposed activities for a community its size” (Cultural Capital Proposal, n.d.).
With their vision of Fusion ’08 – A Catalyst for Cultural Sharing the City undertook 8 projects that would contribute to creating a lasting legacy of culture. These events and projects included: Inspired Ideas Speaker Series,
Kla-How-Eya Canoe: A Learning Journey, Vaisakhi – Harvest the Fun, Six public arts projects, Glocal: Your World
in Motion, and Surrey Nature Centre at Green Timbers.
Civic Treasures
Furthermore, as a 2008 Cultural Capital of Canada the city
inaugurated 12 citizens as Civic Treasures in recognition of
their significant contribution in the arts heritage and cultural sectors. (Civic Treasures Award Program). This was the
first year the award was given, and each year one new Civic
Treasure will be honoured.
Fusion Festival
Award Recipients, City of Surrey webstie, Civic
Treasures Award
Surrey’s Fusion Festival was the largest event organized with the funds received through the Cultural Capital
award. It had over 25 ethnic backgrounds represented, 90 tents showcasing food, art, and cultural heritages,
a stage with music and dance performances and a huge parade. Over 60,000 attended and the response was
extremely positive, so positive that the City of Surrey has committed to funding the Fusion Festival for future
years. The event allowed community members to explore other cultures in a safe setting that was very child
and senior friendly thus contributing substantially to attaining the Charter’s goal of accessibility for all. This festival supports the vision of a sustainable Surrey that includes “embrac[ing] its cultural diversity, and promotes
tolerance, social connections and a sense of belonging.” (SSC, 2008, p8).
A large challenge that Surrey faces in achieving the Charter goals is the lack of arts centres; there is currently
only one Arts Centre that must serve the needs of all communities and all ages. Considering that socio-cultural
goal number twelve is to “establish major arts and cultural facilities in central locations and a range of local
cultural and entertainment opportunities at locations throughout the City” (SSC, 2008, p23) a recommendation for the City of Surrey is to construct an arts and culture centre for each of the 6 respective communities,
therefore expanding services and accessibility. To minimize costs associated with expansion McKinnon suggests each centre could have its own “focus”, such as pottery or woodworking, therefore creating specialized
spaces.
The City of Surrey is actively embracing and encouraging cultural connections and so are its citizens. Here is a
list of ideas to help YOU, as an individual, create a socially and culturally sustainable city, offered by the Creative City News (Duxbury et al., 2006, p8):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
28
Buy one piece of local art a year, every year, no matter what
Learn one new thing each year (ie. Tap class)
Expose yourself to artistic expression
Give the gift of your community’s artists
Pass it around – take a friend with you!
Challenge yourself to find and do as many art related things as possible in one day. Challenge 6 others to do the same.
Sing. Learn a song composed by a local musician and sing it and then
teach it
Volunteer: for your local cultural event, for the theatre production, for
your arts organization
Join up: there’s an arts organization out there for you
Pass this list to as many people as you can
7
Sustainable Business: PB Copy
A
n important aspect of the Surrey Sustainable Charter is economic sustainability; doing profitable business
in a way that respects the two other pillars of the charter (environment and socio-cultural). When considering economic sustainability two aspects immediately arise: business practices and sustainable product. In
this section, we focus on the latter.
Many people often think that economic productivity and environmental consideration contradict each other.
This apparent opposition can only be short term. In the long run, extracting and protecting natural resources
are actually complementary in the process of building a sustainable future.
While challenging, creating a sustainable economy is possible in Edge cities. One such enterprise is PB Copy, a
digital printing shop located in Surrey, BC. PB Copy provides on-demand printing services for their customers,
but a unique feature is that all the paper used is 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The main focus of economic sustainability is looking at economic performances with social and environmental considerations, also
known as Triple Bottom Line accounting.
Triple Bottom Line includes measuring organisational success through economic, social and environmental
indicators. Economic indicators are fairly well known and established and often focus on profit. However,
measuring environmental and social performance represents a bigger challenge. The main problem comes not
from lack of indicators, but from lack of standards and definitions of social and environmental performance.
Social indicators measure such things as quality of working conditions and absenteeism. Environmental indicators can be CO2 emissions and the company’s carbon footprint. A challenge in measuring CO2 emissions is the
decision to measure the activities that take place outside of the office. For example, should the CO2 emissions
of employees coming to work be included?
To be objective, measuring social, environmental, and economic performance needs to be done by outside
consulting firms through an audit process. Even if objective measures can be created, the lack of standards
remains. Different institutions often measures triple bottom line metrics in different ways and obviously come
to different conclusions.
The paper and printing industry often recycle ends of paper rolls, misprints, scraps, and other leftovers. While
this is often branded “recycled paper” the paper industry would generally label this “pre-consumer recycled
paper”. In contrast, “post-consumer recycled paper” comes from used newspapers, old phone books, etc.
Using pre-consumer recycled paper presents no great challenge to the paper industry; in contrast, using postconsumer recycled paper does present significant challenges.
PB Copy uses paper made by Grays Harbor Paper, a company located near Aberdeen in Washington State. Grays Harbor Paper makes paper from pulp the conventional way, however they use only post-consumer materials. The process of
obtaining recycled material is more expensive than obtaining freshly cut wood. As
a result, post-consumer recycled paper is approximately 80% more expensive. PB
Copy is able to absorb the costs of pricier paper with three main strategies.
Shane Fortune and Kevin LaHay,
The two co-owners of PB Copy
First, PB Copy is a two-man operation. With just one part-time employee, the two co-owners are able to process all that is required for the company by working longer hours and manually processing many operations
that might be mechanized in other shops. Second, PB Copy cuts its energy bill by turning off machines that are
not needed, turning off all equipment and lights (except lighting required by municipal by-law) at night, and
using two solar panels when weather permits. These measures, and others, enable PB Copy to cut its energy
bill by approximately 40%. Third, the owners integrate innovative business practices such as moving business
hours earlier in order to coordinate pick-up and delivery with their morning and evening commute. There are
limits to providing economic activities in a sustainable manner in Surrey. For financial reasons, many companies are located in industrial parks that are inefficiently served by public transit. PB Copy is no exception; with
a bus running only every 30 minutes and the stop located about 500m away it can be a challenge to travel via
transit. No sidewalks can be found anywhere on the cul-de-sac street that leads to BC Copy. In addition, while
paper is produced in an environmentally friendly manner, there is a clear lack of rail infrastructure between BC
and Washington State and therefore the paper made in Washington State must be shipped by trucks.
There are no sidewalks in the industrial
park where PB Copy is located
The latest issue, lack of green infrastructure, does not just affect
transportation. Lack of mass-production means that energy savvy
copier machines, LED lights, solar panels, and other sustainable
technologies are more expensive. The same principle applies to the
paper itself; post-consumer recycled paper is more expensive because there are fewer facilities for companies to provide such paper.
Unfortunately, obtaining post-consumer paper is more expensive
than new pulp wood. The benefits of alleviated municipal landfills is
not transferred to the manufacturing of recycled paper.
PB Copy is, very effectively, in the recycle business. However, the
famous environmental paradigm calls for “reduce, reuse, recycle”,
in that order. “Reduce, Reuse” challenge the economic model and our current lifestyles, yet “recycle” only
perpetuates it. With an economic model that focuses on growth, it is still very hard for entrepreneurs to make
a profit while reducing their economic output.
The efforts that Shane Fortune and Kevin LaHay have put into improving the environmental record of their
enterprise, and consequently, of the city of Surrey itself, are remarkable. However, at the end of the day, PB
Copy must make a profit or go out of business. If infrastructure is not there to transport paper in an environmentally responsible way, PB Copy will not be able to improve their record in that domain. Change is not just
technical, but also social. If consumers are not willing to pay more for 100% post-consumer recycled paper, PB
Copy must absorb the costs and therefore slow down their greening process.
There is hope for a sustainable Surrey. By being aware, personal initiatives and imagination can significantly
improve the society we live in. There is no doubt that PB Copy contributes to a sustainable and plain better
Surrey. Sustainable economic practices provide employment in Surrey while respecting our environment and
improving our quality of life.
30
8
Green
Products for Green Business Processes
Background & Initiative
This case study covers a two part approach to
sustainability. It starts with a green construction
trade company. A local Surrey electrical contractor
installs green products so other businesses,
institutions and not-for-profit groups can run their
businesses more sustainably.
Energy efficient lighting contributes through all
three Sustainability Pillars, including SocialCultural, Economic, and Environmental.
Completing new installations and retrofitting older
building contribute with compact fluorescent lamps,
light-emitting-diode exit signs, electronic
fluorescent lamp ballasts, and occupancy sensors
benefit both the green businesses in the
transaction – seller and purchaser.
Fluorescent Lamps
Compact
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) use approximately one-third of the energy for the same amount of light.
They also save on the cost of maintenance because they last 10 times as long. Although purchased at a marginally higher cost, CFLs pay for themselves through energy savings. This can be in as little as one year (when
used 8 hours per day).
LED Exit Signs
Exit signs are lit up continuously, and make up a large percentage of background energy costs. By installing
one energy-efficient light-emitting-diode (LED) exit sign, a lifetime savings of up to $300 will occur. This includes a reduction in energy use, materials, and labor costs.
Fluorescent Ballasts
Ballasts are the electrical devices that convert electricity to the proper voltage to operate fluorescent tubes
(used in most non-home lighting). Newer electronic ballasts are about 10% more efficient than conventional
magnetic ballasts. They eliminate flickering lights, background humming sound, and are extremely cost-effective.
Occupancy sensors
Occupancy sensors detect the presence of people, and turn lights on and off accordingly. They are a cost-effective tool for reducing output of lighting systems. They may reduce lighting energy consumption by 50% or
more, when installed in offices, warehouses, storerooms, restrooms, corridors, stairwells, office lounges and
conference rooms.
Green Business Products
Local Electrical Contractor
•
•
On-site installation throughout
Metro Vancouver, but based in
Surrey
Install:
o
Incandescent bulbs 
CFL’s
o
Exit signs  LED exit signs
o
Fluorescent magnetic
ballasts
 electronic ballasts
o
New occupancy sensors
Green Business Process: Case A
Chain of Family Restaurants
•
•
•
•
•
•
Four busy locations in Surrey
300 CFL blubs replaced (per
location)
Up-front equipment purchase
Return on investment < 1 yr
Save $5,000/yr + air conditioning
savings
Bonus: customers enjoy improved
dining & lounge lighting atmosphere
Green Business Process: Case B
Local Hospital Thrift Shop
•
•
•
•
•
•
32
One location in Surrey
60 CFL blubs replaced
Donated by electrician
Save $1,100/yr electricity
Reduced environmental impacts
Bonus: customers like additional
lighting and the brighter store
Energy Efficiency (Lighting) & the Charter’s Three Pillars
The Socio-Cultural Pillar
•
SC3: Sustainable Procurement Policies
•
The City will give priority to purchasing products
and services from social enterprises or suppliers
who blend business and social and environmentally
sustainable values, provided that these products
and services are also fiscally responsible.
•
Improve lighting quality for
employees’ & customers’ eye
health
Free-up not-for-profits’ to offer more
programs/services with the funds
saved through energy conservation
Protect the public from danger of
electrical fires, which are often
caused by over-heating of lighting
systems
The Economic Pillar
EC7: Sustainable Building & Development Practices
#2. Work with building owners to promote the
retrofit of existing buildings to improve energy
efficiency and reduce resource consumption
and waste;
•
•
•
EC8: Energy Security
There are increased concerns about significant
increases in energy costs and the potential for
supply disruptions that may have major economic
and social impacts.
Use less electricity and save money
through lower monthly energy bills
Reduce maintenance contracts by
requiring less frequent changing of
bulb and lighting fixtures
Lower air-conditioning costs with
higher efficiency lighting systems
such as fluorescent and LED
options which produce significantly
less heat
#2. Minimize energy requirements;
The Environmental Pillar
•
EN10: Integrated Community Energy Master Plans
The City will achieve energy efficiency and reduce
the production of greenhouse gases by:
#3. Working with private property owners to
promote upgrades and retrofits that increase
building energy efficiency.
•
•
Retrofit businesses, institutional
and industrial buildings, and private
homes
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
produced by non-renewable
electrical energy sources
Enhance environmental protection
through conservation of electricity
Challenges and Opportunities for the Initiative
Challenges
•
•
Educate the public on available lighting options, and their triple efficiency
Help businesses navigate new technologies to find the best combination of
sustainability (pillars)
Opportunities
•
Reduce costs for businesses, in turn offering the ability to contribute to charitable
causes
Don’t forget CFL’s can be recycled at Home Depot & London Drugs!
Recommendations:
A
s our group conducted the various case studies and went through the research process of creating our
social marketing tool, we became very acquainted with Surrey's goals and future plans for accommodating growth in a sustainable fashion. Our group has compiled a list of suggestions that we feel may aid Surrey in
staying on track with the goals outlined in the Sustainability Charter. We are hoping that the final recommendations outlined in this section Surrey's ability to respond and adapt to changing circumstances will be paramount over the long run as it attempts to stay on track with the Sustainability Charter.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
34
It is important that sustainable organizations not only receive recognition but that they also continue to
receive support and publicity from the City of Surrey so that they can thrive as role models.
Keep in mind the importance of advertising that a particular event/organization was supported because it
meets the goals of Surrey’s Sustainable Charter. This would promote community attachment to and ownership of the charter.
Use social media and community participation to facilitate building connections and networks to move the
charter forward. ie creating a Surrey Sustainability Charter Facebook page, in which SLYC had expressed an
interest in participating.
Provide examples of how citizens can contribute to the pillar's and the charter goals.
Recognize the potential for youth and children to become advocates of sustainability in the community.
Foster ownership of the charter through engagement in schools.
Make Surrey’s Sustainability Charter available in other languages.
Address the knowledge gap for business and institutions that want to become sustainable but do not know
how. If the city has the capacity to do so, it would be great to have free consultations.
Track progress of the charter through progress reports in a publicly accessible database. This could include
a directory of sustainable business and organizations.
Incorporate goals of the Charter into existing policy documents such as the Official Community Plan and
Neighbourhood Community Plans, to ensure compliance and provide clear direction for those engaged in
the process.
Conclusion
A
s the Metro Vancouver region continues to grow, so too will Surrey. More than a quarter of the region’s
projected population growth over the next 30 years will occur within Surrey. As the region moves forward,
Surrey’s role will shift from that of a sprawling unsustainable suburb to a bright vibrant metropolitan hub. It
will become the downtown of the Fraser Valley and will have a population to match Vancouver’s, with a much
larger land area encompassing a significant proportion of the region’s agriculture and industrial lands. Surrey
has recognized its role and importance in the region’s future and has adopted a Sustainability Charter. The
Charter is a three-tiered policy approach that incorporates Socio-Cultural, Economic, and Environmental principles to help guide decision-making. The adoption of the Charter is a revolutionary step for a suburb to take,
and one that this group strongly supports and applauds. Through our report we have highlighted several case
studies of sustainability initiatives within Surrey. These case studies have demonstrated how everyday residents and businesses in Surrey are making positive changes to reverse the negative images and connotations
associated with the area. Surrey is well positioned to make further moves towards a sustainable future.
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