On the morning of June 5th, over twenty community members and members in the housing sector gathered in Beaver Barracks for a conversation on how housing developers are building affordable housing in environmentally sustainable ways. The event was the last in a series of affordable housing discussion panels bringing together community partners and knowledge experts interested in networking and exploring timely topics. This event was co-organized by The Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, Cahdco, and the Ottawa Community Land Trust. Our knowledge experts were Brad Rodgers of Dream Unlimited and Sarah Button of Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation.
Rodgers shared a high-level overview of Dream’s Zibi Development (34-Acre Waterfront Community) and Dream’s Lebreton Flats Library Parcel development and what Dream has done innovatively regarding green infrastructure. Rodgers first spoke to the Zibi’s focus on a One Planet Living framework and their Community Utility District Energy System (DES) that uses energy recovered from post-industrial effluent from neighbouring Kruger operations. Next, Rodgers emphasized Dream’s efforts related to an energy project on the LeBreton Library parcel. Specifically, this project generates power from the sewage system using conductive heat flow through heat exchangers. Rodgers noted that this project represents the “first of its kind in Ottawa” and that City of Ottawa officials are “encouraged by its progress”.
Button, who is boldly leading the CCOC towards the goal of decreasing CCOCs portfolio’s emissions by at least 25% by 2027, was asked what it takes to plan, resource, and implement such a massive energy efficiency project. Button and CCOC’s retrofit team are well into the planning and logistics phase of this 1200 unit retrofit. Button emphasized the importance of hiring a civil engineer, given staff capacity limitations. Additionally, she highlighted the significance of good asset management planning.
Next, the moderators outlined some basic terminology: embodied carbon and operational carbon. According to the Canada Green Building Council, “[e]mbodied carbon refers to the carbon emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout a building’s life cycle” while operating carbon refers to the emissions generated through building operations (ie. cooling, lighting etc). In the green design process, Rodgers indicated how the Dream staff must “engage a number of different consultants” and how Dream considers the future “impact of operational carbon” in the initial planning phases.
The CCOC strives to surpass sustainability standards. When asked about their motivation, Button emphasizes that it’s deeply rooted in their organizational values. They aim to create healthy and comfortable homes while also achieving lower energy bills for CCOC and tenants. Button criticizes accreditation systems for falling short, asserting that they don’t pay for mere stickers—they exceed standards significantly. Additionally, this ethos opens doors to excellent funding sources. Rodgers echoes this commitment, emphasizing that their team takes pride in exceeding standards beyond the NCC’s RFP requirements.
The moderators posed a more complex question: How does green building impact the bottom line and, in turn, affect tenants’ rents? The panelists acknowledged that there is no simple answer to this question. While Button asserted that green building does indeed cost more, it remains challenging to quantify the precise impact of green building decisions on rental rates. Paige, the Toolbox+ Director at Cahdco (and one of the moderators), emphasized the availability of funding for green building. These funding sources help mitigate the heavy upfront capital costs associated with green building, ultimately promoting long-term energy efficiency.
The conversation then shifted toward affordability, with audience attitudes regarding the affordability crisis taking precedence over environmental sustainability. However, Button left us with an important closing thought. When discussing ‘green’ affordable housing, we must not overlook the role of acquisition. Examining what already exists is crucial, as the mere fact that these buildings have already been constructed “makes them more green”. Button also urged us to consider broader systems beyond individual building efficiency, reminding the audience to consider factors such as neighborhood density and access to public and active transportation.
Cahdco would like to thank Sarah Button and Brad Rodgers for sharing their knowledge to the discussion panel. Although this was the last event in the series, we are aiming to launch monthly discussion panels again in the fall. If you would like to attend future discussion panels sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date!
To learn more about green building we recommend: