The City of Vancouver has been recognized by the World Green Building Council for its Greenest City 2020 Action Plan.

On November 20, the city was given the Government Leadership Award for Best Green Building Policy at the UN Climate Change Convention in Warsaw, Poland.

Vancouver was lauded for its plan to require all new buildings constructed from 2020 onward to be carbon neutral, and its second target to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in existing buildings by 20 per cent over 2007 levels by 2020.

Vancouver’s building bylaw and energy efficiency retrofit requirements will be the two key tools used to achieve these targets.