BOB Business and Social Enterprise Developer, Brian Smith,  has been asked to participate in the City of Vancouver’s Greenest City Working Group on the Green Economy.   The Group is being convened by the Vancouver Economic Development Commission (VEDC).

At the first meeting of the group, there were six identified priority areas for which the group agreed to establish sub-committees.  Each sub-committee’s first objective was to prepare a short document on the priority area for the next meeting on July 14th. This draft document is to outline the main opportunity in the specific area, along with 3-5 actions that could lead to green job growth. The Working Group will then research these recommendations and incorporate them into a draft implementation plan for the Greenest City initiative, which will be open for further comment by the entire External Advisory Committee.

The sub-committee that Brian has proposed and is interested in helping to steer concerns Community Economic Development.  This applies directly to the inner-city and people who have barriers to employment, but has positive implications in other neighbourhoods too.

In Brian’s words:

…CED is applicable across the City and, in turn, could benefit a variety of neighbourhoods, small businesses, social enterprises, co-ops and people. Given the City’s apparent commitment to the Greenest City initiative, I feel there is a good opportunity to advance some CED in Vancouver.  BUT, I need your help! So, please reply to BOB with your respective interest and time availability in helping to shape a CED strategy that can be included in the Greenest City Implementation Plan.

Cheers,

Brian

Please read Brian’s overview of the CED Sub-committee below:

Community Economic Development (CED) for the Greenest City

CED is a holistic approach to economic development involving the mobilization of resources from various economic and non-economic sectors in the community with the intention of building local capacity and local solutions.  It is particularly relevant to the world’s greenest city as it uses local resources, which generally are lower in carbon intensity, to find local and more sustainable solutions to local problems.  Integrating CED into the green economy strategies for Vancouver’s Greenest City ambitions compliments the more traditional macro-economic development strategies by integrating localized approaches with broader global outreach strategies. The benefits of a CED approach include:  local employment, local investment, increased local capacity and commitment, local spending in the local economy, and appropriate sustainable solutions to local challenges.

Goal: Foster green business development and associated job creation for Vancouver’s marginalized inner-city residents

Action 1: Apply a CED Lens to all programs and policies of the City, where each department, program, grant, expenditure from parks and social development to legal services and planning would eventually be able to articulate the social, economic and environmental impact of their work/business/purchasing.

Action 1a: Establish a City of Vancouver funded Community Economic Development Commission that would:

• work internally applying the CED Lens and externally facilitating CED on the ground;
• develop and implement procurement policy that directly benefits co-operatives, social enterprises and small businesses that are committed to hiring people with barriers to employment; and,
• educate community (NGOs, workers, and businesses) about realistic opportunities for green job and green business development

Action 1b: Institutionalize – as part of any development permit process, require  a Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) as a necessary component of all new developments (for local jobs, procurement, and/or training).

Action 2: Establish a green zone (may need an incentive attached) in the DTES for piloting green enterprise development projects.

Action 2a: Develop employment agreements with incentives for medium to large size green businesses to hire people with barriers to employment.

Action 2b: Establish and administer a green CED fund to facilitate green employment or business development projects in the inner-city;

Action 2c: By way of an immediate pilot project, establish, through the allocation of City-owned land, an Urban Farm Network that trains and hires people with barriers to employment

Action 3: Develop and direct education and training in green collar vocations to people with barriers to employment.

Please comment below or contact Brian directly at brian.smith@bobics.org to share your thoughts and ideas.

BOB is excited to participate once again in the Gaining Ground Summit taking place this October 4th to 7th here in Vancouver. The summit will explore the green economy, sustainability, building capacity, emerging theories of governance and industry collaboration, greentech/cleantech and other fascinating issues.

This year’s speakers include Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson, Deputy City Manager for the City of Vancouver, Sadhu Johnston (who has contributed to leading sustainability policies in Chicago, Portland and now here) and Carol Sanford, an acclaimed speaker considered a leader of leaders. Her consulting clients include Fortune 500 businesses and emerging ventures such as Seventh Generation.

The Keynote speaker will be Jared Blumenfeld, currently the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9.

About Jared Blumenfeld:

Jared Blumenfeld is the Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9—which includes California, much of the U.S. Southwest and Hawaii. With a background in international environmental law and an active career with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Jared was appointed in 2002 by San Francisco to build and lead its Department of Environment.

Under his leadership, San Francisco initiated landmark policy and laws, starting with precautionary principles and reaching into every area of urban practice. He believes that international and other broad-based frameworks are well-intentioned but produce limited on-the-ground results. During his tenure, San Francisco convened World Environment Day that brought 80 of the world’s largest cities together to define urban
sustainability and map strategies.

EPA Region 9 includes 47 million people, 4 of the 10 largest cities in the U.S., and 24 of the hundred largest.

Blumenfeld comes to Gaining Ground on Tuesday, October 4th to speak about the adoption of new technologies, measuring what’s happening, and the sweet spot where policy and stakeholder engagement merge. He will also lead a policy salon during the afternoon workshop portion of the program.

To register and for more information please visit: www.gaininggroundsummit.com

Building Opportunities with Business is pleased to announce our new Consultant Fees Program, designed to help businesses and social enterprises gain access to top quality business consulting. If you need advice on building your business plan, marketing plan, project management, sustainability or other key areas BOB has $36,000 to go towards future ventures in the inner-city. Read below for further details.

The purpose of the Consultant Fees Program is to pay for consultant fees on behalf of local businesses and social enterprises to enable a timely response to business opportunities or issues.

Objectives of Business Project Consultant Fees Program:

The funds must be used to hire a qualified external consultant for a project that will strengthen the local business and result in community benefits from business operations in the inner-city, including: employment, procurement, environmental performance, smart growth strategies, increased sales and business viability.
Proposed Program Guidelines

Eligibility

Characteristics of target business and/or social enterprise applicants for the Consultant Fees Program:

• Must be located in one of Vancouver’s inner-city neighbourhoods.
• Existing businesses, start ups or ventures including non-profit owned social enterprises are all eligible.
• The business illustrates market viability including customer contracts, track record of sales and profitability of financial results and/ or funding in place.
• Business and respective principals are in good standing – i.e. legally and financially.
• Business management team has required industry and business expertise and has made a financial and time commitment to the project being considered for funding.
Local businesses and social enterprises should aim for community benefits accruing to Vancouver’s inner-city neighbourhoods, such as:
Procurement and Business Development
o Procures goods and services from inner-city suppliers.
o Currently, or willing to become, a member of BOB Business Directory.
o Implements policy and practices that reduce waste/energy use, increase recycling and re-use materials.
o Produce or provide “green” products or services that are relevant to inner-city residents and neighbourhoods.
Employment of inner-city residents
o Employs and accommodates people with barriers to employment, especially residents of the inner-city.
o A partner of BOB’s HR Services – e.g. SEP, Job Postings, Industry Nights, Business Links, etc.
o HR policy encourages and funds transferrable training of low-income residents.
o Pays a “living wage” – i.e. higher than minimum wage – to all employees.
Investment in inner-city business and community
o Located in the inner-city (e.g. Gastown; Chinatown; Strathcona; Mount Pleasant; False Creek Flats; Downtown South; DTES).
o Donates time and/or money to inner-city community development causes.
o Has displayed a strong track record of corporate environmental and/or social responsibility within the community.
o Invests in the business’ premises – e.g. green building upgrades and/or retrofits.
o Participates in BOB’s industry clusters.

Application and disbursement process

Submission of a Letter of Interest which should be no more than 1-3 pages to:

brian.smith@bobics.org

In your letter of interest please include:

1. A brief overview of the business: the stage of growth, target clients, # of employees, product and service offering, etc.
• Explain how the funds will be used, why this is necessary for business development, what the impact will be, and what the timeline for completion of each activity will be. Project must be completed by September 15th, 2010.
• Provide success measures indicate willingness to report on outcomes.
• Explain link between the proposed project and community benefits in the inner-city– i.e. jobs for local residents, procurement from local businesses, location in the DTES, etc.
• Explain consultant selection process: criteria used, etc. Or if the applicant has already selected a consultant justify the decision and consultant qualifications. Attach bios and/or CVs.
• Provide a project budget, total cost, amount requested from BOB, applicant contribution including in-kind and/or cash.
• Add any other considerations the applicant feels BOB needs to take into account to render a decision.
2. The completed Letter of Interest will be forwarded to BOB’s Review Committee for consideration among other proposals received.
3. The Committee may ask for more information or make a decision based on the information at hand and/or instruct the Business and Social Enterprise Developer to proceed accordingly.
4. The Business and Social Enterprise Developer will notify the approved applicants of the decision and prepare the contract between BOB, the applicant, and the consultant, as appropriate.
Other parameters of this Consultant Fees Program:
• Seminar/information session on the local green economy: June 22nd, 10:30-11:30am, at BOB (163 East Pender), attendance is recommended but not required.
• Application Deadline: June 25th, 2010, 5pm.
• Please submit your Letter of Interest, by email, to BOB’s Social Enterprise Developer <brian.smith@bobics.org>
• Maximum amount is $10,000 per client, although BOB is looking to contribute to 5-8 applicants, from a total of $36,000 available.
• Preference will be given to projects that will help Vancouver achieve its goal of being the Greenest City.

For more information regarding this program contact: brian.smith@bobics.org

For more information on starting a business or social enterprise in Vancouver’s historic inner-city visit www.buildingopportunities.org

This post originally appeared in the Greening the Inner-City Blog.

Man oh man, I told myself I wouldn’t leave the office today without posting to the Greening the Inner-City Blog but it has been busy at BOB! So without further delay I will recount some awesome green initiatives in five North-American cities that I think should inspire anyone this Earth Day. And because people love searching for top tens and top fives and bests and worsts on the internet I’ll even present them as a completely arbitrary top 5, as the title clearly states. Though there are many other fascinating and awesome programs in several other cities that could easily make the list. And because I’m in a massive hurry to get home I’m going to blatantly copy and paste a lot of the wording right from their own websites!

5) Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx) (Bronx, New York) is a community organization    dedicated to Environmental Justice solutions through innovative, economically sustainable projects that are informed by community needs. One of the many awesome programs bridging sustainable community economic development, urban renewal and workforce development is the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training Academy (BEST) which trains residents in bioremediation, wetland restoration, horticulture, water and soil quality testing and numerous other green job skills. The BEST Academy links environmental clean-up and restoration in the community to the career development and economic needs of local people.

4) Chicago Climate Action Plan. (Chicago) Chicago Mayor Richard Daley got inspired on a trip to Germany a few years back, which is hard not to do if you find sustainability and green technology particularly exciting. After coming home he decided to one up those Germans by making Chicago a global leader in environmentally sustainable urban planning. The CCAP includes best practices for ensuring Chicago is full of:

• Energy Efficient Buildings
• Clean & Renewable Energy Sources
• Improved Transportation Options
• Reduced Waste & Industrial Pollution
• Adaptation

Other initiatives are also being developed such as a global building energy monitoring system which would enable the City to control the temperature at more than 500 city-owned facilities, reducing energy costs by as much as 30-40 percent, and a green collar workforce development program aimed at empowering Chicagoans with the skill sets needed for building retrofits, renewable energy and other green economic activities.

3) Growing Power. (Milwaukee/Chicago) Will Allen, CEO of growing power, has helped to raise the profile of urban agriculture to great heights and his work has inspired cities around North America (including Vancouver) to join the urban farming revolution. Growing Power transforms communities by supporting people from diverse backgrounds and the environments in which they live through the development of Community Food Systems.  His urban farming initiatives, which recently won him a MacArthur Genius Grant, have spread innovative approaches to urban agriculture, aquaculture and even beekeeping, from Milwaukee to Chicago. Empower communities and increasing food security.

2) The Portland Metro EcoDistricts Initiative (Portland Oregon)

Integrating Environmental Performance and District Scale Development and spearheaded by the Portland Sustainability Institute, the EcoDistricts Initative is a large-scale and diverse public private partnership currently underway which includes the City of Portland, Portland Development Commission, Metro, Portland State University and Oregon University System, Oregon BEST, Real estate, design, and construction industry leaders and leading urban environmental organizations who have collaborated on a framework for the development of 5 pilot projects throughout the city.

The objective of the program is to test, accelerate and eventually codify the next generation of best practices in green development and civic infrastructure that can be scaled to create neighborhoods with the lowest environmental impact and highest economic and social resiliency in the United States.

EcoDISTRICTS is a strategy to build “triple bottom line” neighborhoods with the lowest possible environmental impact and highest long‐term economic and community returns.

So basically, just when you thought Portland couldn’t get any more awesome they go and put this thing together.

1) Greenest City Action Team and Vancouver 2020 a Bright Green Future (Vancouver BC).

Surprised? Well I can say with confidence that I don’t give top placement to our Mayor’s vision and the team behind it simply out of hometown pride. The objective is clear, to be the world’s leader in sustainability and the healthiest, cleantech-savvy, robust, gorgeous, green economy powerhouse on the planet. Hard not to give top placement to an initiative like that!  Here are some of the hard targets from the GCAT recommendations and Bright Green Future 10 year plan.

Secure Vancouver’s international reputation as a mecca of green enterprise

2020 Target: Create 20,000 new green jobs

Eliminate Vancouver’s dependence on fossil fuels

2020 Target: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 33 per cent from 2007 levels

Lead the world in green building design and construction

2020 Targets: All new construction carbon neutral; improve efficiency of existing buildings by 20 per cent

Make walking, cycling, and public transit preferred transportation options

2020 Target: Make the majority of trips (over 50 per cent) on foot, bicycle, and public transit

Create zero waste

2020 Target: Reduce solid waste per capita going to landfill or incinerator by 40 per cent

Provide incomparable access to green spaces, including the world’s most spectacular urban forest

2020 Targets: Every person lives within a five-minute walk of a park, beach, greenway, or other natural space; plant 150,000 additional trees in the city

Achieve a one-planet ecological footprint

2020 Target: Reduce per capita ecological footprint by 33 per cent

Enjoy the best drinking water of any major city in the world

2020 Target: Always meet or beat the strongest of B.C., Canada, and World Health Organization drinking water standards; reduce per capita water consumption by 33 per cent

Breathe the cleanest air of any major city in the world

2020 Target: Always meet or beat World Health Organization air quality guidelines, which are stronger than Canadian guidelines

Become a global leader in urban food systems

2020 Targets: Reduce the carbon footprint of our food by 33 per cent

So happy earth day everyone! There’s lots to be excited about, now get involved in the greening of your inner-city and surrouding urban spaces.