Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI) at George Brown College (GBC) is a new initiative aimed at helping companies, municipalities and other institutions develop applied solutions to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. BSI is located at Limberlost Place, a sustainable, mass timber building on Toronto’s waterfront, and its global solutions studio will offer support and training to students and professionals who want to tackle real-world challenges in the fight against climate change.
“Changing how we build and design our homes and offices is one of the best tools Canada can wield against climate change,” John Stackhouse, senior vice-president, Office of the CEO at the Royal Bank Canada, said in a statement. “To address affordability and population growth, Canada will need nearly six million homes by 2030. But building those homes the way we do now, risks adding to an emissions footprint that’s already too large. But by changing the way we build, we can turn buildings into powerful drivers of the green transition. It’s a generational opportunity for Canada and we haven’t a moment to lose.”
BSI will offer “up-skilling” opportunities to professionals and college and university graduates who want to work in sectors developing smart and sustainable solutions to climate change. BSI also collaborates with experts from various fields to develop best practices and projects aimed at contributing to tangible solutions that can be prototyped and tested with municipal and private sector partners.