Green & Clean

Something visitors often comment on is the cleanliness and purity of the environment. Due to the meteorology, geography, and lack of polluting industries, Greater Victoria is a very clean region with a green natural environment. The region has the lowest pollution measures for a major Canadian city over 250,000 in population. But Greater Victoria's clean and green status is not just an accident of location: this region is at the forefront of the green movement. Greater Victoria is home of Dockside Green, the world's highest scored Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Development. Other major green developments are also currently under construction in several neighborhoods.

Strong evidence of the region's belief in a green future is the city of Victoria's endorsement of LEED standards for municipal buildings. The city of Victoria has also legislated that new buildings and additions of more than 500 square metres meet LEED silver standards. Currently, Greater Victoria is ranked No. 1 for LEED-standard buildings per capital and had 49 LEEDs projects registered in mid 2010.

The quality of Greater Victoria's recycling programs and the commitment of residents to those programs are another clear indication of a region-wide dedication to a green future. Of Greater Victoria households, 99 per cent recycle, outranking every other census metropolitan area in Canada.

Furthermore, Greater Victoria had the lowest annual greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks of 10 cities studied by Transport Canada. According to Statistics Canada, Greater Victoria has the lowest percentage (64.9 per cent) of workers using a car to get to work in Canada and the highest percentage of workers using sustainable transportation by age group in B.C. The mild year-round climate and the most bike trails per capita in Canada has encouraged sustainable transportation and contributed to the status as the Cycling Capital of Canada.

See more information in our latest newsletter.