Courtesy of Flickr User That Angela
I’ve got to admit that I live in the middle of a city fueled by oil. Make no mistake about it, Calgary is definitely an oil town. We’ve got a terrible reputation as red necks with out Stampede and a myriad corporate offices full of planet polluting, pipe line building, suit wearing “cowboys”. However, there really is room in this city for even a major tree hugger like myself. Even the never ending construction boom builders are beginning to realize it. Us greenies are here to stay!
There are now starting to be more and more Calgary apartments for rent that take eco-living and social responsibility into account. The Calgary Homeless Foundation movement is finishing renovation construction on 16 apartments downtown that will welcome homeless veterans an affordable housing option. These apartments will be provided with minimal rent to veterans who have served our country bravely and have suffered from long term problems of homelessness. Although I couldn’t seem to find any articles about it online, there were clearly energy star appliances in these renovated apartments.
Green building technologies have soared in the last few years and this oil town has embraced them with both arms. Everything from dual flush toilet kits, low flow shower heads, energy efficient furnaces, solar panel technologies, composters, rain water barrels and even gray water systems are extremely popular both in new builds as well as renovations on existing apartments and homes throughout the city. We may have been one of the last cities in Canada to have gotten curbside recycling programs in place but they are finally there and being utilized.
