Mark had the privilege of being on the ground floor of the rise of the sustainable cities movement in the 1990s. He was educated by some of the best in the field, including William Rees, the creator of the “Ecological Footprint” concept, and had the privilege of working for years under Larry Beasley O.C. on the Southeast False Creek / Olympic Village in Vancouver, which was one of the first high-profile, model sustainable urban neighbourhood projects in North America.
Mark was asked to create the City of Vancouver’s Sustainability Office in 2003 and he managed it for nearly two years before returning to consulting full time. In that time, the office went from 1 FTE to a team of 7 with a budget of over $2 million/yr. He subsequently served on the Greenest City Action Team for Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robinson and other roles in the community.
He went on to be a high-profile leader in Canada on urban sustainability during the 2000s, creating frameworks that allowed the abstract and diverse discussion on sustainability issues to be pragmatically applied to real projects.
He was awarded BC’s Planner of the Year in 2010 and the National Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for his work in this field, and the US Green Building Council named Southeast False Creek / Olympic Village the most sustainable neighbourhood in the world.
Innovations In Sustainability
The Current Evolution of Sustainability
Between the early 1990s and the late 2000s, sustainability grew into a global movement. However, much of that momentum stopped with the occurrence of the Great Recession in 2008-2010 – and it has not returned since in the same way.
Progress around the world on most all sustainability issues and goals continues to be made, but under other names (climate change, etc…).
Two other key issues have now transformed the sustainability discussion:
In recognition of the low probability that humans will stop climate change, a new movement has arisen around building resilience to the incoming shocks of climate change and other issues.
The most current iteration of sustainability communities is showing up under the health banner, which recommends almost exactly the same things, but frames them under benefits to humans, rather than benefits to the global environment.
Mobile Compatible Version
Sustainable Development
Mark had the privilege of being on the ground floor of the rise of the sustainable cities movement in the 1990s. He was educated by some of the best in the field, including William Rees, the creator of the “Ecological Footprint” concept, and had the privilege of working for years under Larry Beasley O.C. on the Southeast False Creek / Olympic Village in Vancouver, which was one of the first high-profile, model sustainable urban neighbourhood projects in North America.
Mark was asked to create the City of Vancouver’s Sustainability Office in 2003 and he managed it for nearly two years before returning to consulting full time. In that time, the office went from 1 FTE to a team of 7 with a budget of over $2 million/yr. He subsequently served on the Greenest City Action Team for Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robinson and other roles in the community.
He went on to be a high-profile leader in Canada on urban sustainability during the 2000s, creating frameworks that allowed the abstract and diverse discussion on sustainability issues to be pragmatically applied to real projects.
He was awarded BC’s Planner of the Year in 2010 and the National Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for his work in this field, and the US Green Building Council named Southeast False Creek / Olympic Village the most sustainable neighbourhood in the world.
Innovations In Sustainability
The Current Evolution of Sustainability
Between the early 1990s and the late 2000s, sustainability grew into a global movement. However, much of that momentum stopped with the occurrence of the Great Recession in 2008-2010 – and it has not returned since in the same way.
Progress around the world on most all sustainability issues and goals continues to be made, but under other names (climate change, etc…).
Two other key issues have now transformed the sustainability discussion:
In recognition of the low probability that humans will stop climate change, a new movement has arisen around building resilience to the incoming shocks of climate change and other issues.
The most current iteration of sustainability communities is showing up under the health banner, which recommends almost exactly the same things, but frames them under benefits to humans, rather than benefits to the global environment.