Comments on: Are We Getting Any Greener?

By: Harvey Kirkpatrick

Harvey Kirkpatrick — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:37:40 +0000

@Renee Agree with you on the new home builds issue. I think that the city is afraid that new home prices would increase if greener practices were enforced, and then we would essentially be looked at as a place that’s too difficult to develop. Closed for business? Still though, I would rather spend a bit extra to buy a green home, than have to retrofit through gov’t programs. Don’t get me started on the limitations of the programs…too late. My uncle and aunt recently built a new home in the area and were denied subsidies towards a geo-thermal heating system because it was a new build. Their contractor explained that it would be cheaper for them to build and install baseboard heaters, then tear them out after a month, apply for the gov’t credit and go geo thermal. Ridiculous.

I should point out that a friend of mine did her masters thesis on how the Kingston Centre should be developed. She now refuses to drive by the place…it is so wrong for so many reasons. Hardly accessible, let alone sustainable. I wonder what genius plan they have for transforming the south west corner?

@4jeg Thanks for the links. Very good stuff there.

@Danielle Police are immune to idling laws, speed limits and rules of the road in general. Forget driving and talking on a cell phone, our police are surfing the Internet from laptops while they’re driving.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:26:13 +0000

Leadership is an important part of this too. Just in the last week or two I’ve seen many police cars and City of Kingston vehicles idling for more than the 3 minute allotted period. It’s also hard to miss the fact that there are still very, very few recycling bins downtown. I think there is one on Wellington St. next to the parking garage and maybe a few at Confederation Basin. These two things seem so basic, it’s kind of embarrassing.

By: 4jeg

4jeg — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:52:52 +0000

I think Kingston and Kingston-ites need to have a serious discussion related to urban planning. Many cities (Portland, Oregon, and many others) have started to bring back the ideas of dense urban centres that are both bicycle friendly and served by either Trolley-Buses (read: electric buses) or Trams (or Fuel Cell buses as in Vancouver). Personally the new developments near the highway are just more sprawl, a cookie-cutter car-intensive development. If we really want to be green, it needs to start in the Planning Office. Also, please see: Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition, Ontario Smart Growth Network, and this article on combating urban sprawl.

By: Renee

Renee — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:53:15 +0000

Oh, indeed. Hear hear, etc. There’s no way that Kingston is “sustainable,” and if it’s the greenest in some categories, it only means that everywhere else should be really worried. Our transit is abysmal, urban sprawl continuing apace, building standards (not a municipal thing, to be sure, but) aren’t nearly strict enough – simple things like hot water recycling and gray water reusage, to name a few. New homes are cheap cheap cheap and leak heat like sieves. New subdivision design doesn’t include things like bike shelters, central recycling facilities, etc. The green bin program was a fabulous START, but we’re certainly not ahead of anywhere else in that regard. The waterfront is a joke, and you only have to look at the new Kingston Center to see the commitment to accessible pedestrian-friendly construction (none of the handicapped curbs they promised were ever implemented, for example.)

Oh, I do go on… :)