Green Buildings 38.2

Green Buildings 38.2

Is it better to retrofit existing buildings, or start with a clean slate? Our issue on Green Buildings looks at examples of each. Documentarian Stephen Svenson asks if Brad Pitt is truly “Making it Right” in New Orleans, while Alternatives photographer Brian St. Denis captures the new LEED-Platinum targeted Environment building at University of Waterloo. Colleen Kimmet, Peter Love and Chris Magwood tackle energy efficiency, Mark Brooks interviews Stephen Carpenter on LEED certification, and other contributors look at bicycle parking, community building, tribunals and more.

Is it better to retrofit existing buildings, or start with a clean slate? Our issue on Green Buildings looks at examples of each. Documentarian Stephen Svenson asks if Brad Pitt is truly “Making it Right” in New Orleans, while Alternatives photographer Brian St. Denis captures the new LEED-Platinum targeted Environment building at University of Waterloo. Colleen Kimmet, Peter Love and Chris Magwood tackle energy efficiency, Mark Brooks interviews Stephen Carpenter on LEED certification, and other contributors look at bicycle parking, community building, tribunals and more.

 Read selected articles and web extras from this issue

Here’s what else you get when you buy the issue:

Letters to the Editor

In Brief: Buzz Killer, Three Renewable Gains + One Groaner Arsenal, Double Standard Procedure

Occupy the System – Anjali Appadurai
Despite the behaviour at COP17, childhood lessons are valid and vital, even in the halls of power.

In With The Old – Kayla Jones, Lindsay Benjamin
It turns out your wood windows stack up well against new vinyl.

Two-Wheeled No-Brainer – John Luton
Sustainable design makes room for bicycles too

Why Regulation Matters – Deborah Curran
The private sector has led Canada’s green construction efforts. Now it’s time for government to catch up.

Little Passivhaus on the Prairie – Monte Paulson
Canadians helped invent the house you could heat with a hair dryer – then forgot all about it.

Get More Mileage from Your Home – Colleen Kimmett
New strategy makes it easier to increase your energy efficiency and reduce your utility bill.

The Unplugged Futurist – Andrew Nikiforuk
With his non-electrical inventions, Japan’s Yasuyuki Fujimura hopes to prevent the spread of Western society’s push-button sickness.

Hold Your Ground – Toby Vigod
Canadians helped invent the house you could heat with a hair dryer – then forgot all about it.

In Review: How to Walk the Talk – Reviewed by David B. Brooks and Joy Woolfrey
The Power of Sustainable Thinking: How to Create a Positive Future for the Climate, the Planet, Your Organization and Your Life by Bob Doppelt
Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing by Doug McKenzie-Mohr
Choosing a Sustainable Future: Ideas and Inspiration from Ithaca, NY by Liz Walker

In Review: Truth, Lies & Denial – Reviewed by Chris Lowry
Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology by Alexis Madrigal
Life Without Oil: Why We Must Shift to a New Energy Future by Steve Hallett and John Wright
The False Promise of Green Energy by Andrew Morriss, William Bogart, Roger Meiners and Andrew Dorchak

What’s the Big Idea? Mitigation – Robert Gibson
Less bad is no longer good enough.


We acknowledge the financial support of Canada’s International­ Development Research Centre (www.idrc.ca); EJLB Foundation; Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation; The McLean Foundation; Ontario Arts Council; Ontario Media Development Corporation; Ontario Work Study Plan and the Sustainability Network. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund for our publishing activities. The support of the Faculty of Envrionment at the University of Waterloo and the Waterloo Environmental Students Endowment Foundation is appreciated.

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