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$200 million in savings in two easy steps- Funding for Leaside rink takes centre ice
A makeover for our green spaces 
Public opinion sought on video advertising
Dangerous drivers curbed in Thornhill
Creating a better Vaughan for the future
Creating civic pride in Richmond Hill
Plant a tree — with the town’s help
Reflecting on the past, looking to the future
Difficult summer for North York residents
A new direction for Vaughan
Green plan will change the city’s approach in the future
ALAN SHEFMAN Ward 5 Councillor
THE CITY OF Vaughan is making a serious commitment to the environment and sustainability. Even though we have many programs currently in place relating to these issues, we believe that there is much more to be done. On April 21, we launched Green Directions Vaughan, the city’s community sustainability and environmental master plan.
After over a year of research and consultation, the draft plan was presented to the environment committee, followed by its approval by council. In developing the plan, we needed to first explain what we were talking about. One of the most misunderstood terms is “sustainability.” We are defining it as making decisions and taking actions that ensure a healthy environment, economic vitality and vibrant communities.
We have also developed a statement of our environmental ethic: In Vaughan we lead by example as responsible stewards of our community. Our decisions involve finding out what the impact is of our actions on the environment and weighing the consequences and any financial implications.
The plan is defined by six goals: What we use, focusing on reducing waste and use of resources; how and where we grow, ensuring sustainable development; how we get around, developing strategies to lower the impact of transit; how we live, enhancing the arts and culture; how we lead, developing strategies to promote energy efficiency; how we operate, ensuring that this plan becomes part of the day-to-day operation of the city.
One indicator of how this plan will impact everything that we will do in the future is that from now on any recommendation coming to council must explain how the recommendation is consistent with Green Directions.
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