Green Options » Victoria http://greenoptions.com/tag/victoria Posts tagged 'Victoria' Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:25:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Famous Koala, Sam, Dies http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/19/famous-koala-sam-dies/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/19/famous-koala-sam-dies/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:25:02 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/19/famous-koala-sam-dies/ Sam, the koala who became famous when it was saved from forest fires in Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires and drank water from its savior while holding his hand, died this month.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/19/famous-koala-sam-dies/feed/ What’s the Secret Behind Bentley’s Ethanol Supercar? I Think I Know, and I’m Telling Everyone. http://gas2.org/2009/02/11/whats-the-secret-behind-bentleys-ethanol-supercar-i-think-i-know-and-im-telling-everyone/ http://gas2.org/2009/02/11/whats-the-secret-behind-bentleys-ethanol-supercar-i-think-i-know-and-im-telling-everyone/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:53:00 +0000 Jo Borras http://gas2.org/2009/02/11/whats-the-secret-behind-bentleys-ethanol-supercar-i-think-i-know-and-im-telling-everyone/

Several weeks ago, I filled you in on Bentley’s upcoming ethanol supercar, promised to be the fastest, most powerful Bentley ever offered.

In the days since, Bentley has kept the world’s journalists hungry for more details, releasing only this “Project Victoria” teaser video, a March reveal date, and precious little else… but has one of Volkswagen’s lesser-known suppliers inadvertently given away Project Victoria’s horsepower secrets?

You bet! Read it here first, after the jump.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/02/11/whats-the-secret-behind-bentleys-ethanol-supercar-i-think-i-know-and-im-telling-everyone/feed/ Australia To Restrict Coastal Development Due to Global Warming http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/13/australia-to-restrict-coastal-development-due-to-global-warming/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/13/australia-to-restrict-coastal-development-due-to-global-warming/#comments Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:25:17 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/13/australia-to-restrict-coastal-development-due-to-global-warming/

Climate change must be factored into all new planning to safeguard coastal developments against sea level rise, flood and other disasters or effects on the environment, the State Government of Victoria in Australia has decided.

Earlier this year, significant coastal property was found to be exposed to risk. Now, housing sprawl along coastal strips must be curtailed and new residential developments along canals banned under the State Government’s new coastal planning strategy. In September The Sydney Moring Herald had noted that:

“One general insurer has estimated that the value of coastal property in Australia at risk to rising sea levels and erosion is between $50 billion and $150 billion.”

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/12/13/australia-to-restrict-coastal-development-due-to-global-warming/feed/ Building Tours Showcase Green Building Techniques http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/16/building-tours-showcase-green-building-techniques/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/16/building-tours-showcase-green-building-techniques/#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:49:36 +0000 Kristin Dispenza http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/16/building-tours-showcase-green-building-techniques/ Green building tours are becoming popular in many cities, and are an excellent means of introducing green construction options to professionals and laypeople alike.

The Cascadia Region Green Building Council will host a tour of green buildings on September 25th, 26th, and 28th in the Victoria, Vancouver, and Okanagan regions of British Columbia. British Columbia is the Canadian province with the most LEED-certified buildings per capita, and Cascadia’s Green Skyline tour will include over 25 green buildings. Both residential and commercial tours will be included. They will emphasize what constitutes green design and offer ways to incorporate it into a project, as well as detailing the costs and benefits of building green.

The tours are designed to be walkable, bikeable, and accessible by public transit. Several organized bike tours will also be offered. See the CRGBC website to register.

Photo: The University of Victoria Medical Sciences Building; provided by the University of Victoria

To read about green tours which will come to you, see:

 

 

 

]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/09/16/building-tours-showcase-green-building-techniques/feed/ Dockside Green is the Highest Rated LEED Platinum Project in the World http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/08/05/dockside-green-is-the-highest-rated-leed-platinum-project-in-the-world/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/08/05/dockside-green-is-the-highest-rated-leed-platinum-project-in-the-world/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:05:40 +0000 Kristin Dispenza http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/08/05/dockside-green-is-the-highest-rated-leed-platinum-project-in-the-world/ \The LEED for New Construction rating system awards a total of 69 points in 6 categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation and Design.

The project obtaining the most LEED points (for new construction) has, until recently, been the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Wisconsin, which received 61 points. But last week, Phase I of the Dockside Green development in Victoria, British Columbia, set a new point record. (Green Building Elements first covered the Dockside Green project in February.)

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]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/08/05/dockside-green-is-the-highest-rated-leed-platinum-project-in-the-world/feed/ The Australian Disaster Novel; aka, our Climate Report http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/06/the-australian-disaster-novel-aka-our-climate-report/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/06/the-australian-disaster-novel-aka-our-climate-report/#comments Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:50:48 +0000 Joshua S Hill http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/06/the-australian-disaster-novel-aka-our-climate-report/ 382020681_79c0272327 A report released by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, has showcased facts that suggest Australia will suffer more extreme temperatures in the years to come, thanks all to climate change.

The report forecasted heat waves, less rain and a subsequent increased drought. It predicted that exceptionally hot years, which had originally only occurred every 20 to 25 years, were now more likely to hit every one or two years. And the report noted that all of this could start as soon as 2010.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/07/06/the-australian-disaster-novel-aka-our-climate-report/feed/ Australian Drought Eases, But Not Over http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/02/australian-drought-eases-but-not-over/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/02/australian-drought-eases-but-not-over/#comments Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:41:28 +0000 Joshua S Hill http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/02/australian-drought-eases-but-not-over/ Lake Hume to Tallangatta_6511Speaking to a friend the other day, our conversation wound its way to the Australian drought. My side of the conversation consisted of imparting facts regarding the Indian Ocean Dipole’s effect on the La Nina, subsequently creating or worsening Australian drought conditions. Dave’s side of the conversation was to inform me that there are kids throughout the country – particularly on the eastern seaboard – that are for the first time in their lives seeing rain.

And these just aren’t 8-month old babies. Kids as old as 16 years old are witnessing rain fall on their very heads.

That rain, according to the National Climate Center (NCC), is an indicator of what might be called the end of our drought. And for this, the entire nation is beyond thankful. We’ve moved all the way through in to … well, whatever is past thankful!

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/03/02/australian-drought-eases-but-not-over/feed/ The Triple Bottom Line: A New Paradigm for Developers http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/02/19/the-triple-bottom-line-a-new-paradigm-for-developers/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/02/19/the-triple-bottom-line-a-new-paradigm-for-developers/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:35:28 +0000 Kristin Dispenza http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/02/19/the-triple-bottom-line-a-new-paradigm-for-developers/ A view of Dockside Green from the water.Sustainability Victoria, in partnership with ICLEI/Local Governments for Sustainability Oceania, has been encouraging developers to work in accordance with the ICLEI’s Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Capacity Building Program. This program promotes a ‘bottom line’ that incorporates three measures for success: environmental, social, and financial. In 2004, the City of Victoria requested proposals to redevelop a 15-acre harborfront site using the Triple Bottom Line criteria. Windmill Development Group, partnered with Vancity (Canada’s largest credit union), produced the winning proposal, and the partnership began work on the development of a new-urbanist style community called Dockside Green.

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