Vancouver Economic Commission

Yesterday was the greatest honour of my career: being named to Canada's Clean50. Joining the Clean16, as the 'top leader' in the cities category specifically, puts me in the incredible company of urban leaders like Don Iveson, ICD.D, Valérie Plante, Gregor Robertson, and Amanda Pitre-Hayes, and in a larger catchment of Canadian climate leaders I am both excited and intimidated to join. It is both an immense source of pride and deeply affirming, to have earned this award not only for the climate change work I have been privileged to do but for the work I have done in cities, specifically. Cities are a microcosm of the opportunities and the threats of the climate crisis: they can be beautiful, they can be ugly; they can be nimble, they can be sluggish; they can be bold, and they can be timid. Fundamentally, however, cities are systems made up of people - and like the whole of the 'pale blue dot' that we live on, humans are what make or break the success of the systems we live and work within, and must make radically better. It is through the innumerable partnerships, collaborations, mentorships, and, most importantly, friendships, that every single accomplishment I have achieved rests upon. The list I need to thank is literally endless, but a few stand out immediately: my team at the VEC, Vanessa Sun, Peter Sun, MEL PMP, and Andrew Williamson. The board of the Climate Displacement Planning Initiative: Anna Zhuo, Nicole Bates-Eamer, Angela Danyluk, Anna Marandi, and Kiera Schuller. The many dear friends and mentors and colleagues (often both or all at once) that I rely on constantly: Grace Nosek, Meredith Adler, Veronika Bylicki, Puninda Thind, Alyssa McDonald (she/her), Alan Shapiro, Ana F. Gonzalez Guerrero, Rita Steele, Liam Orme, Stephanie Dalo, Karen Tam Wu, Deborah Harford, Molly Henry, Robyn Fila, Dominique Souris, Arushi Raina, Robyn Seetal, CPA, CA, Ingrid Valou, Meg O'Shea, John McPherson, Juvarya Veltkamp GCB.D, SCR, Matt Horne, Bryan Buggey, Eleena, Tom Berkhout, Shayna Rector Bleeker, and many, many others. As the Executive Director of the Clean50, Gavin Pitchford, said “Canada needs to eliminate 730 MT of carbon pollution from our annual output – over the past year, Canada’s 2024 Clean50 have made a significant start on that target – with much more to come”. I will never know how many GHGs I have personally helped save, but I can promise that I will only work harder as time goes on not just to reduce carbon, but to support a world that truly works for the benefit of all life. I am not only honoured by this award, but am rejuvenated to support the work that will get us to that goal, and for that, I am grateful to both the committee and all of you - thank you.

To celebrate the global day on “Good Green Jobs”, declared by C40 Cities and promoted by the Vancouver Economic Commission, I’m thrilled to announce the release of the Green Jobs Toolkit published by the youth Climate Change Branch, supported by the BC Council for International Cooperation. It is designed to get green job information into the hands of youth, including high school students, so they can connect their environmental passion to their career. It includes a how-to guide for paving a green career path, information on the top five growing green sectors in BC, and additional resources such as a green jobs database, green jobs matching quiz, green job resources, and lesson plans for teachers.    Share it with the youth and educators you know and let’s accelerate a green jobs future! It's free to access here: https://lnkd.in/gg3_-P7D Thank you to all our youth volunteers (past and present) who made this happen! Ashley Winter Kelsey, Jackson Kemmis, Alison Delaney, Emme Dragon, Jane Piasecki, Hannah Romses, Savannah Tuck, Sinem Culhaoglu, Chloe Repka, Ella Kim Marriott, and the rest of the team. Thank you also to Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC) for supporting the development of the green jobs database. #greenjobsnow #greenjobsforyouth #goodgreenjobs Vanessa Sun George Patrick Richard Benson Mark Chapeskie R. Ian Shanahan Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky Tracey Wispinski Laura Dato Lauren Castelino

It's Global Green Jobs Day! Feel incredibly privileged to say I have one, and that I'm in a position to help create great jobs like this for others through our work (which have doubled since 2010 in Vancouver). But EVERY industry and every job can become greener, and we need transformation across the board so please join the movement however you can! C40 Cities #goodgreenjob

Among the critically urgent changes necessary to mitigate and adapt our cities and societies to climate change is the need to grow the number of good green jobs in all industries. Workers in all fields can make significant contributions to #climateaction: for example through strategic hiring; employee-led operational changes that reduce waste and save energy; implementing carbon accounting in annual reporting; educating customers on how to avoid wasting food; and so much more. Growing good green jobs supports workers that are transitioning out of extraction industries to find valuable employment in clean industries. Growing good green jobs means more people will find purpose in their work and know they are contributing to positive change. Growing good green jobs contributes to the economic, environmental, and social #wellbeing of our communities. I'm so lucky to have a #goodgreenjob in which I work to grow more green jobs in Vancouver. What about you? Do you have a #greenjob? And how can you make your job and other jobs around you more green? C40 Cities #goodgreenjobs #greenjobsnow Vancouver Economic Commission City of Vancouver