The members of Squamish Council and a group of district employees sat through two very interesting and educational presentations on Tuesday (June 8).
One was on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designs (LEED) standards and the other was on surface water management.
LEED is a set of building standards that are popular with some of the select committees. Before endorsing the LEED standards, council wanted to know more about the program. To that end, the presentation was set up.
One of the initial hesitations about LEED came from Coun. Corinne Lonsdale. She pointed out to council that by using the LEED standards Squamish might be discouraging the use of local forest products.
Through the presentation, it was learned that the concern is unfounded.
Lonsdale was pleased to find out that, in fact, LEED encourages the use of materials that are created within an 800-km radius of a development. LEED also encourages the use of forestry products that carry sustainability certification possessed by few Canadian forest products companies. By using products that don't have the rare certification, developers are not penalized in any way.
At the end of the presentation, Lonsdale said she felt more comfortable with LEED.
Mayor Ian Sutherland also liked what he heard, not just about LEED but also on the topic of surface water management.
Wal-Mart agreed that Squamish will have one of the best stores in Canada and Sutherland seems intent on making sure the largest retailer in the world lives up to that. He asked a bunch of questions of the water management expert that directly related to Wal-Mart.
The rainwater concepts presented were new and cutting edge. One key concept is to reduce the amount of impervious surfaces within developments. Acres of blacktop have huge impacts on streams, lakes and oceans. Experts believe that rain water is best dealt with by getting it into the ground as quickly as possible. In the future, we're likely going to see more so-called rain gardens filled with vegetation that soaks up rain water and more parking lots are going to feature surfaces that are more porous than asphalt.
In a town that is well known for its great natural beauty the information presented on Tuesday will prove very helpful in maintaining that reputation.
Let's hope council was listening carefully and takes steps to ensure that developers move ahead with plans that take the greater good of the surrounding environment into consideration without over inflating the final cost of the project. Based on the information presented on Tuesday, apparently it can be done.
