Nancy Weigel presents the community scale sustainable development features of Okotoks Alberta at GBF 2007

1. Sustainable Okotoks
“Leave a Legacy”
Green Building Festival
Toronto
October 25, 2007
Presented by: Nancy Weigel, MA,
CHRP
Communications
Manager
Town of Okotoks

2. SHEEP RIVER
“Heart of Okotoks”

3. A VIEW FROM ABOVE

4. A COMMUNITY FOR
FUTURE GENERATIONS
Planned Growth Without Limits
Traditional By Intent - Regional Utilities
Continuous Boundary Adjustments
Planning Continuous Annexation as Required
OR
Planned Destiny
Live Within the Carrying Capacity of the
Choosing for Sheep River
Minor Boundary Adjustments
Ourselves Self Reliance
Long Term Watershed Management

5. WHY BE A
SUSTAINABLE
COMMUNITY?
Necessity
Desire
Willingness
Commitment

6. NECESSITY
Municipal
Development Plan
Inter-municipal
Development Plan
Land Use Bylaw

7. DESIRE
“In the year 2030, Okotoks is a leader in
sustainability, driven by an involved, connected and
creative community.
Through visionary leadership, citizens are engaged
in maintaining a safe, caring and vital community
that honours our culture, heritage and
environment.”
Town of Okotoks Vision - 2006

8. WILLINGNESS
Take the challenge of
creating a sustainable
future.
Listen to and analyze
ideas “outside the box”.
Consult with residents,
as to their wants and
needs.

9. COMMITMENT
89% of residents are somewhat or very supportive of
the Town’s move towards sustainability.
90% of residents are somewhat or very aware of the
Town’s sustainable community activities.
The areas most important to residents are:
82% Water Conservation
82% Recycling
78% Population limit (25,000 – 30,000)
74% Community development
73% Living within the natural carrying capacity of the
Sheep River
2006 Community Survey Results

10. FOUR FOUNDATIONS
Environmental Stewardship
Economic Opportunity
Social Conscience
Fiscal Responsibility

11. SELECTED TARGETS
Build Out Population of 25,000 – 30,000.
Downtown as geographic centre, with 50% of
the population north & 50% south of the river.
22% non residential assessment base.
20% of total land area as open space.
100% river valley lands owned by the Town.
11.5 residential units per gross hectare.
318 liters (70 gallons) per capita water use
per day.
20% reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions.

12. THE REACTION
Can It Be Done?

13. STRATEGIC GROWTH
Clear targets negotiated well in
advance
Gradual, managed evolution of
land use
15-20 year build out
No significant annexation
Density targets for new
development
Sustainable neighborhood design
Comprehensive community plans

14. SUSTAINABLE
NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN
“A Community Within a Community”

15. GOOD GOVERNANCE
Engagement in
residents’ hearts and
minds
Participative
Grass roots support
Nurturing a safe and
caring social fabric Okotoks Town Council
October 2006

16. CORPORATE COMMITMENT
Sustainable Okotoks is not a
“project” or “department of”, it’s
a way of doing business.
Twenty two Business Centres
Big Bike Challenge have well defined tactical plans
Calgary Corporate Challenge 2006
& benchmarks, evaluated
annually and aligned with
Council objectives.
Staff awareness and
commitment with recognition of
innovation & risk-taking.
Silver Medal Winning Tug of War Team
Calgary Corporate Challenge 2006

17. NETWORKING FOR SUCCESS
Calgary Regional Partnership
Regional Servicing & Planning Framework
University of Calgary
Sustainable Neighborhood Design
Alberta Urban Municipality Association
Building Eco-Efficiency
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Sustainable Community Initiatives
PFRA, Natural Resources Canada,
Alberta Environment, Private Sector
Watershed initiatives
Natural Resources Canada
Climate Change Central
Seasonal solar storage neighborhood Rick Quail & Ed Sands
LivCom Awards
Alberta Water Council LaCoruna, Spain
Water for Life Alberta’s Sustainability Strategy November 2005
Pembina Institute
Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction targets

18. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Annual River Clean Up
Three Bag Garbage Limit
Water Conservation Initiatives
Community Composting
Award Winning Recycling
Program
Integrated Pest Management
Program

19. WATER MANAGEMENT
TOWN OF OKOTOKS
PER CAPITA WATER CONSUMPTION
560
538
502 519 508 510
Liters per person per
460 478
467 456 465
418 419 437 401 374
360 368
Day
326
260
160
60
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006

20. WATER CONSERVATION IN
RESIDENTIAL AREAS
Density bonus above
MDP unit allocation
Where a minimum 20%
reduction in per capita
water consumption
Six communities with
over 3000 households
are involved.

21. WASTE WATER
MANAGEMENT
TOWN OF OKOTOKS
PER CAPITA SEWER PRODUCTION
450
400
403 393
385
Liters per person
350 382 357 365 372 367
348 347
per Day
300 320 322 326
303 309
250 278
200
150
100
50
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006

22. SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
TOWN OF OKOTOKS
LOCAL PER CAPITA GARBAGE PRODUCTION
1
0.9
Kilograms per
0.8 0.90 0.91
0.7 0.82 0.80
0.6 0.70
0.64
Day
0.62
0.5 0.57
0.52 0.53 0.51 0.53 0.54 0.55 0.55 0.55
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006

23. SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
TOWN OF OKOTOKS vs. TOWN OF HIGH RIVER
RECYCLING TONNAGE PROCESSED
2,060
1,860
370
1,660
267 1,460
290
TONNES
233 1,260
253
247 1,060
193
244 1,542 860
156 1,305 660
129 1,176
54 918 1,020 1,073
782 460
571 686
511 260
271 337 316 357
140 60
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Okotoks Tonnage High River Tonnage

24. SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
TOWN OF OKOTOKS
LANDFILL TONNAGE COMPARISON
Actual Tonnage
with recycling & 9,000
Composting 8,000
7,000
6,000
TONNES
5,000
4,000
3,000
Tonnage without
2,000
Recycling & 1,000
Composting 0
2003
2005
1999
2001
1997
1993
1995
1991
(Calculated)

25. ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Aquatic Centre
Solar Water Heating System
Arenas
Solar Ice Resurfacing System
Recycling Depot
Cardboard Bailing Building Solar Heating
System
Operations Centre
Solar Wall Heating System

26. ENERGY EFFICIENCY
ENERGY USE COMPARISON 1998 - 2006
Town of Okotoks
34,000
Gigajoules - Natural Gas
10,000,000
33,000
KWHrs - Power
8,000,000 32,000
6,000,000 31,000
30,000
4,000,000
29,000
2,000,000 28,000
0 27,000
1998 2006
Power Natural Gas

27. GREENHOUSE GAS
EMISSION REDUCTION
GREENHOUSE GAS COMPARISON 1998 - 2006
Town of Okotoks
Kg of Greenhouse gas generated
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
1998 Total GHG Power GHG N Gas - GHG 2006

28. DRAKE LANDING -
A NORTH AMERICAN FIRST
Natural Resources Canada R-2000 Certified
“Built Green” Alberta Gold Standard

29. SOLAR PANELS ON
REAR GARAGES

30. THERMAL STORAGE FACILITY

31. CREATING GROWTH
MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES
THAT MAKE SENSE!
All
municipal
services
Planning a system
of intentionally
connected parts
Utilities
Ecological
Infrastructure

32. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Leap “Outside the Box”
Create a clear vision
Make your goals tangible and deliverable
Find & Form Partnerships
Ask “Who Needs to be at the Table”?
(administration, public, council, developers, provincial departments, etc.)
Make sustainability the
“business that you’re in” – not a
“program”
Adapt and Adopt from others

33. “We didn’t inherit the
Earth from our parents.
We’re borrowing it from
our children.”
Chief Seattle (1788-1866)