The City of Nelson has won a 2024 Climate & Energy Action award for it’s ‘Low Carbon Homes Pilot’.
Mayor Janice Morrison was presented with the award during a ceremony at the Union of BC Municipalities convention in Vancouver last week.
The judges were impressed with the City of Nelson’s efforts to address the embodied emissions associated with construction materials, suggest low-carbon alternatives, and provide training for the local construction sector. Here are some comments they provided after selecting the nomination for an award.
“As a small, rural municipality, the City of Nelson displayed how local governments of all sizes can implement replicable embodied carbon solutions with co-benefits for the economy, society, and environment.” said the judges.
Low Carbon Homes Project
The City of Nelson developed the Low Carbon Homes Pilot to address the embodied carbon in construction materials—emissions associated with the manufacturing, transportation, and disposal of building materials and products, contributing approximately half of a building’s total lifetime emissions.
Active since 2021, the Low Carbon Homes Pilot has established Nelson as a leader in embodied carbon research, policy, advocacy, and education.
To launch the pilot, Nelson established baselines for achievable low embodied and operational emissions construction (based on 34 homes) and formed an Embodied Carbon Advisory Group to foster industry collaboration and produced numerous research and educational resources.
In 2023, the Low Carbon Homes Pilot focused on advocacy and education by engaging the builder community with case studies, tool kits, and workshops delivered in partnership with BCIT. The Low Carbon Homes Pilot website lists educational fact sheets on low-carbon concrete, reducing embodied emissions in retrofits, and case studies like a profile of Rokform Solutions, a local concrete supplier.
“Building Better in the Kootenays” shares key findings from a series of free embodied carbon analyses and consultations offered for for local building projects.
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