The City of Nelson has received the Public Sector Leadership Award at the 2026 Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) B.C. Embodied Carbon Awards in recognition of its work to reduce embodied carbon in building construction.
The award recognizes B.C.-based local governments, public sector organizations and not-for-profit organizations that demonstrate leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with building materials and construction.
Carbon Leadership Forum B.C., which presents the awards, is a network of industry professionals, governments and researchers working to reduce the climate impact of buildings through research, education and collaboration.
Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the extraction, manufacturing, transportation and installation of building materials, including concrete, steel and wood. These emissions can account for a significant share of a building’s overall climate impact.
Nelson was recognized for integrating life-cycle carbon considerations into municipal policy, procurement and development processes while supporting builders, designers and community partners in adopting lower-carbon construction practices.
“This recognition shows the hard work our community is doing to support practical climate action and more responsible building practices,” said Mayor Janice Morrison. “It’s great to see the teamwork between City staff, local partners, and the community being recognized, and it shows Nelson’s commitment to making a real difference.”
The city said its approach combines policy, education and collaboration to make lower-carbon building practices more practical and accessible. Through the Nelson Embodied Carbon Advisory Group, municipal staff work with builders, designers and other industry professionals to build local expertise and encourage the adoption of lower-carbon construction methods.
The city has also invested in training and certification in whole-building life-cycle assessment, helping develop local expertise that can support future projects.
Nelson’s material and design guides identify lower-emission building materials and practical design strategies intended to help project teams make informed decisions early in the design process. The city said it has shared its research and tools with other municipalities and rural communities to support similar initiatives.
“We’re working with customers and local governments to advance practical, lower carbon energy solutions. We congratulate the City of Nelson on taking steps to lower emissions from building construction, an area where collaboration and innovation will be key to supporting B.C.’s climate action goals,” said Jason Wolfe, director of energy solutions at FortisBC.
The city was previously recognized at the 2023 CLF B.C. Awards for its work in embodied emissions benchmarking and industry consultation. It said that since then it has expanded its efforts through policy integration, incentives, staff training, research partnerships and publicly available resources.
According to the city, Nelson became the second municipality in Canada in 2025 to require whole-building life-cycle assessments for Part 3 developments through its Official Community Plan.
More information and the city’s building guides are available at nelson.ca/lowcarbonhomes.
