Celebrated annually, Earth Day provides an opportunity to reflect on what we as individuals and organizations can do to restore and care for our planet. At Terra View Homes, it is something we think about and take into consideration each and every day.
The building sector is widely recognized — both here in Canada and on a global scale — for the pronounced and far-reaching impact it has on both the environment and the people who inhabit it.
The green building movement we have adopted today arose out of the need and desire for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly building practices. At the core of the movement is the understanding that we must mitigate and, where possible, eliminate any negative impacts involved as we move the sector forward.
The benefits of green building can be grouped within three categories: environmental, economic and social. Implementing these practices is one of the most effective means to achieving a range of global goals, such as addressing climate change, creating sustainable, resilient and thriving communities, and driving economic growth.
As we as a society continue to grapple with the perils of climate change, future-proofing Canada’s building stock with Net Zero and Net Zero Ready homes will be one aspect of the green building movement that will be essential in embedding resilience into our urban environments.
As leaders in green building, we believe it is our responsibility to practice environmentally-conscious building to lessen our impact on the environment and greatly diminish the carbon footprint of our homeowners. We are proud to be bringing the first complete Net Zero Ready single family home communities to Guelph in our Hart Village and NiMa Trails developments. With homeowners becoming increasingly concerned about human impact on their local environment and the planet at large, our Net Zero and Net Zero Ready single family homes offer a solution for those looking to reduce their environmental footprint through the design and construction of their home.
How we live starts with what we live in. So if our goal is to be environmentally conscious, why not start by choosing an environmentally conscious home?
The industry is seeing a permanent, structural shift towards green building and healthier homes. In our own city of Guelph, the City’s Community Energy Initiative (CEI) has outlined a main goal to become a Net Zero Carbon community by 2050.
This must become the norm. In order to achieve this, we must consider not just the design and construction of new buildings, but existing ones through deep energy retrofits at scale. To meet the demand to achieve these efforts, the green building sector will need to grow its workforce. We must build jobs around the low carbon economy.
There is still time to solve the climate crisis and restore nature. There is still time to create a prosperous and sustainable future for our planet, our children and their children. But time is of the essence.
The Earth Day 2022 Theme is Invest In Our Planet. Across the world, businesses, governments and citizens are being held accountable to act boldly, innovate broadly and implement equitably to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods and our Earth.
Beyond continuing to implement our innovative and forward thinking leadership within the green building sector, there are a few things we are doing to celebrate Earth Day this year:
- Earth Day Clean Ups: Every Friday throughout the month of April, we have been encouraging our trade partners to work with us to complete regular site cleanups around our projects, on adjoining trails, wetlands or storm ponds.
- Participating in the City of Guelph 2022 Clean and Green: Terra View Homes is proud to have been one of the founding members of the City of Guelph’s Clean and Green annual spring clean up. We will be encouraging our team and our community to participate on April 30 — register here!
- Continuing to educate current and prospective homeowners about what to look for in a “green” home builder and how to better operate their “green” homes.
What will you do? #InvestInOurPlanet
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For more information on Terra View Homes and our commitment to environmentally conscious building, check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin or visit our website.