Raincoast

The city of Vancouver has pledged to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. To accomplish this goal, the city has identified three areas of focus, concentrating efforts on issues relating to carbon, waste, and ecosystems.

Food is one aspect of any city that relates to all three of these areas. Carbon from the processing and transportation of food, and emissions from livestock and the subsequent release of gasses from the decomposition of food waste are heavy contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. Vancouver has vowed to increase city-wide food assets by 50% from 2010 levels, reducing dependance on foreign imports and Vancouver’s carbon footprint. To increase our food independence, vancouver is developing a municipal food strategy that incorporates all aspects of our food system. The strategy includes creating six new community gardens, three new urban farms, encouraging new farmers markets, and developing a Vancouver Food Hub.

The “Green Bin” program is also part of this strategy, addressing the issue of food waste, and realizing its position as an important part of the food system. The food we put in the Green Bin is turned into compost and can be purchased from the Vancouver landfill for a nominal $20 per tonne.

Vancouver’s food system is just one of the areas being targeted for reform by the city. The complete 2020 Vancouver Green Action Plan can be found here.

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