Future Economy Series:
Built Environment Webinar Recap

Article

October 9, 2020

Experts from the built environment sector, Michaela Neuberger, Dale Littlejohn, Jamie Gray-Donald and George Benson joined our weekly webinar on July 7, 2020 to discuss recommendations for The Road to 2050 - Bridging the Gap Between Challenges & Solutions in the Built Environment report. The document provides a snapshot of roadmaps and approaches in use in the built environment sector in BC in relation to meeting CleanBC climate targets for 2030-2050.

The panelists agreed that while there is a lot of enthusiasm, interest and opportunities in the built environment sector in BC, there is still a long road ahead to achieve the 2050 CleanBC climate target goals.

They see the CORE Cleantech Cluster as playing a key role as an interface between the variety of initiatives that are ongoing (e.g. electrification, decarbonization, etc) across the industry. In addition, the CORE Cleantech Cluster can trumpet a bold message for innovation (“Think Big and Go Bold”).

Capacity building in the industry was also discussed, as the CORE Cleantech Cluster could have a significant role to play in accelerating knowledge exchanges, broadcasting investment opportunities, and amping up regional engagement.

The panelists agreed that the recommendations were ambitious enough, but that reaching the CleanBC goals in this sector requires immediate action on those recommendations.

Everything depends on the speed in which we move - to achieve the ambitious goals set out in the CleanBC plan requires a level of retrofit programs like we have never seen before. At the current rate of building retrofits, we are not even close. We have to amplify the recommendations and move into action on priority programs.

Success will depend on how quickly we can scale to the solutions, and if we can deploy and move fast. The pathway is achievable through the use of heat recovery, heat pumps and energy efficiency measures, but the fuse to get this to happen has not been lit.

Special thanks to our guest speakers Michaela Neuberger from ZebX, Dale Littlejohn from the Community Energy Association, Jamie Gray-Donald from Quadreal and George Benson from the Vancouver Economic Forum.

About the Roadmap Landscape Series

CORE Cleantech Cluster and Foresight are producing a series of roadmap landscapes in the six sectors of CORE’s focus. The intent is to provide a snapshot of the roadmaps that exist in each, and how they are being used.

This will help identify gaps in the required elements, as well as places where roadmaps either don’t exist or are insufficient to achieve the government’s targets.