Sustainability Now

With the Federal election coming this fall,  we hosted an industry event looking at what the various carbon tax/ cap and trade policies mean to the building industry. How do the mechanics of carbon taxing work in Canada? How much of an impact can the home building industry make?  What happens to the money collected and how will it affect housing prices?  These are just some of the questions that were addressed. Our Keynote Speaker Michael Bernstein, Executive Director of…

The annual Sustainable Housing Foundation Green Builder Challenge golf tournament was held on a beautiful, sunny Thursday June 6, 2019 at Flemingdon Golf Club. 38 golfers participated and enjoyed a BBQ lunch and post-game prize awards.  

Leadership drives change. Nothing happens in a vacuum and nothing great happens without great leadership. Over 85 people attended this dinner event which featured speakers highlighting the importance of local leadership and collaboration in getting innovative, sustainable housing built. This evening’s panel of speakers were: the Mayor of East Gwillimbury, Virginia Hackson, who has taken a leadership role in her community to ensure that new homes built are innovative and sustainable and are brought to market in the most direct…

Water conservation is becoming increasingly important, even in water-rich Canada. Through water efficiency, like the reuse of greywater, each home contributes to a water-efficient community while reducing infrastructure costs. A successful evening on September 20th for all involved! Over 80 people attended a dinner where we focused on a case study of one builder’s approach to achieving a total water solution.  Rosehaven Homes has been a leader in working with York Region and East Gwillimbury to exceed the sustainability checklist…

On August 30, 2018 The Sustainable Housing Foundation was pleased to co-sponsor the opening of the Rosehaven Discovery Home in East Gwillimbury. Over 40 people attended the grand opening including the Mayor of East Gwillimbury Virginia Hackson. Rosehaven Homes, in partnership with Enbridge’s Savings by Design and the municipality of East Gwillimbury, is taking a leading role in creating energy and water efficient homes that are Better Than Code.

The sixth annual Green Builder Challenge™ Golf Tournament was held June 7 at Flemingdon Golf Club. Thirty golfers participated in a great tournament with a delicious BBQ lunch and plenty of fun prizes for all. The 2018 annual Sustainable Housing Foundation Green Builder Challenge™ Golf Tournament was held at the nine-hole Flemingdon Park Golf Club on a beautiful sunny day in early June.  Eight foursomes set out after a lovely BBQ lunch on the outdoor patio and returned to the…

Look beyond the prescriptive and restrictive trending “brands” of energy efficient housing like net zero. Discover how you can build low carbon, high performance houses that are not only attractive and comfortable but sustainable as well — built better than code. Ninety housing industry experts enjoyed a dinner and presentation on how to build low carbon homes that are better than code and are marketable to consumers as stylish and comfortable.  Keynote speaker Bruce Manwaring of Enbridge kicked off the…

The Sustainable Housing Foundation Board undertook a review of its strategic plan during the fall of 2017 with the assistance of experienced business consultant Fred Pidsadny. The process resulted in a refocused mission and vision statement. The process of developing a new, focused strategic plan involved several working sessions during which the Board took a hard look at what the Foundation had accomplished in the past and the vision for the Foundation’s future. After the visioning process, the Board looked…

The Sustainable Housing Foundation Board, in conjunction with board members from CRESNET (Canadian Residential Energy Services Network) undertook a campaign to lobby opposition MPPs at Queen’s Park about the Liberal government’s move to bring in compulsory Home Energy Rating and Disclosure (HER&D). In the spring/summer of 2016, a select group of board members from SHF and CRESNET developed a campaign to lobby some of the Conservative critics about the compulsory Home Energy Rating and Disclosure (HER&D) program the Liberal government…