How South point is considered the greenest community in Airdrie, Calgary

The province of Alberta has set a high bar with its commitments to green initiatives and a strong push to innovate new technologies to provide clean environmentally friendly energy to combat the effects of climate change.

Alberta’s Green Initiative, Too Good To Waste, has had a significant impact on diverting much of the province’s waste away from landfills. The City of Calgary has consistently ranked as the one of the world’s cleanest cities (took top spot in 2014) and has set a goal of 70 per cent reduction in its landfill waste. It is against this backdrop that Airdrie, a small city within the Calgary region, has enacted a sustainability plan to make Airdrie communities some of the greenest in the Country.

The AirdrieONE Sustainability Plan for New Communities

The AirdrieONE Sustainability Plan included a reflection of what the citizens feel is important in propelling responsible development forward. This is to ensure Airdrie’s new communities would have a template that outlines expectations and commitments to responsible and environmentally friendly growth.

A decade ago the city was projected to exceed 90,000 residents by 2040 but recent census data indicates that Airdrie is already rapidly approaching that number which has some residents questioning if Airdrie is growing too fast and might be in danger of losing its small town feel. If this growth goes unchecked it can also contribute to unnecessary expansion that promotes an unsustainable car culture, spewing even more carbon into the atmosphere.

The City council recently adopted a number of guiding principles when approving developments that considered environmental stewardship and sustainability, walkable neighbourhoods with a variety of transportation choices, but most importantly a commitment to well managed growth.

The Greenest Community in Airdrie Award Goes To…

The city’s residents consistently put green initiatives at the top of their recommendation lists.

Curbside recycling programs, increased green spaces, and a commitment to protecting Nose Creek were all initiatives started by individual neighbourhoods all competing to be the greenest community in Airdrie. From the province down to Airdrie’s to individual communities, there is a strong commitment in Alberta to implementing development and construction methods that conserve energy and promote green alternatives.

One neighbourhood in particular has adopted some of the recommendations from the AirdrieONE sustainability plan that focuses on creating ecosystems that are healthy, connected, and diverse. The land within the town borders of Airdrie had been extensively used for farming which had a detrimental effect on the watershed. Around Airdrie, many new communities have been designed with innovative stormwater management practices that are preventing erosion. Additionally the planting of native plants in the wetlands area has improved the natural environment immensely. When small neighbourhoods like South Point start with a recycling program these ideas spread and soon another Airdrie community implements a clean up day along the river, a town council implements a plan, and slowly real change begins.

For more information about Airdrie’s family friendly South point community, be sure to contact us today.