July 2, 2014

Green Directions Vaughan Update Reveals Many Indicators Trending Upward

The City of Vaughan recently released its annual implementation update on Green Directions Vaughan, the City’s Community Sustainability and Environmental Master Plan. It reports on 24 core environmental baseline indicators designed to measure the progress and impact of the outcomes, and serves as a guide for achieving a sustainable environment, vibrant community and strong economy in Vaughan.

In 2013, 12 of the 24 Green Directions Vaughan indicators showed marked progress, with the most significant improvements in the following six areas:

• The daily volume of water used per person in Vaughan decreased by 25 per cent between 2009 and 2013.
• The total residential energy use per capita decreased by 10.5 per cent since 2013.
• The volume of building floor area certified under recognized green building programs increased by 78 per cent from 2011 to 2013.
• Active community engagement, measured by the total number of participant hours in recreation programs, increased by 25 per cent from 2011 to 2013.
• Economic activity, measured by the number of jobs provided by Vaughan-based businesses, increased by 17 per cent from 2011 to 2013.
• The number of transit trips per person in Vaughan increased by 10.5 per cent from 2011 to 2013 (a York Region-wide statistic).

As of March 2014, 98 per cent of the 85 action items outlined in Green Directions Vaughan had been initiated. The implementation update report is available on vaughan.ca. For more information on Green Directions Vaughan, visit www.vaughan.ca/environment.