Green Communities

Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

Green Communities News

• 9 March, 2010
  What is Transition Town law?
• 15 February, 2010
  Local Governments and Clean Air
• 2 February, 2010
  West Coast Serves on Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Management Reference Panel

Our Green Communities program is focused on reducing urban impacts, strengthening local government environmental policies and practices, and advancing community liveability and sustainability through strategic use of the law and law reform.

West Coast Environmental Law has been providing leadership on urban environmental issues since approximately 2001 when we first published our Smart Growth Guide to Local Government Law and Advocacy. This guide provides citizens with an overview of smart growth strategies as well as key opportunities for public involvement in the local government decision-making process.

Our research, innovative publications and outreach on local government issues have helped to inspire and support local governments and citizens to take action. Our Smart Bylaws Guide, a web-based resource first published in 2004 and updated in 2008, provides a comprehensive overview of important concepts and strategies in smart growth, and links readers to best practices and case studies. It remains one of our most popular resources.

Our current projects are:

• Community climate action One of the biggest issues now facing local governments is climate change. This project aims to provide innovative direction for local governments to respond effectively to the global climate crisis.
• Pesticides - West Coast Environmental Law has a long history of working on pesticides, from pressing the government to enact laws controlling pesticides, to working with members of the public concerned about pesticides to limit their use.
• Sustainable Decisions - BC municipalities and regional districts have a range of law and policy tools available for advancing green community goals. This project is focused on some of the latest challenges and developments in this area of the law.
  
• Water and Infrastructure - This project looks at the connections between the way we build our communities and watershed health.

And, for a list of all of our Green Communities publications, please click here.