For our infographic for Sustainability Month, we wanted to stimulate some conversation about what the home building industry could do differently when it comes to energy sources. We took a look at what forms of energy powered Ontario as of 2012. We were quite surprised at the numbers! Take a look for yourself, and let us know how our industry can make a difference.

With Great Power...

You know the saying, and the immortalized words of Uncle Ben (Spider-man reference) have never held more true than today: We live in an increasingly crowded, ever-evolving urban landscape of incredible complexity that relies on a variety of painfully finite resources. To power the development and ongoing livability of our homes and cities, we use a mixture of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and hydro-electric generation to put juice in the grid. Unfortunately, the strain on the environment is severe and the long term feasibility of these forms of power are limited at best. It’s the same old story, but the older the story gets, the closer we come to being in dire straits.

To the city folk: It’s our responsibility as dwellers of a major urban centre to educate ourselves about alternative, clean, sustainable energy. There’s no other place that could benefit more from cleaner air and cost-effective, renewable options to help our massive energy requirements. Do we invest in photovoltaics? Perhaps a more focused effort to build more extensive and unobtrusive wind farms is the key. What areas of renewable energy need our support the most? And what steps would you like to see builders and developers take to help lighten the load and ease the strain?

Please comment below!