Pilot program launched by Built Green Canada issues first certifications for sustainable communities.
Spring Creek, a master-planned community in Canmore, Alberta, was awarded the first ever BUILT GREEN® Community certification for the entire seventy-acre development on International Earth Day, April 22, 2021. Not only are they the first to achieve the certification, BUILT GREEN® Canada has assigned Spring Creek Canmore to the highest level in this new category, Platinum.
With over 50 BUILT GREEN® certifications for individual building projects under its belt, Spring Creek Mountain Village is no stranger to the importance of sustainable building practices.
So when Built Green Canada, an industry-driven organization offering third-party certification programs for sustainable practices in the residential building sector, introduced its BUILT GREEN® Communities Pilot Program, Spring Creek owner & president Frank Kernick jumped at the opportunity to put an entire community through certification.
Spring Creek Mountain Village and Averton (a homebuilder and community developer active in Edmonton and Ontario), are the first to participate in the program, which through a holistic framework led by a steering committee targets the optimization of health, resiliency, lifecycle sustainability, new urbanism, greenhouse emissions, green spaces, and resource consumption at the community level.
“Considerable planning has gone into the development of our Communities program, with ongoing input from industry professionals, including engineers and energy advisors, as well as consultation with industry. And, with the leadership of Averton and Spring Creek, the pilot is already being put to use to create greener, healthier communities in Canada.”
Built Green Canada’s Chief Executive Officer, Jenifer Christenson.
Creating a greener, healthier community has been a steadfast motivation for Kernick since the early days of breaking ground at Spring Creek.
“We were one of the first to adopt geothermal technologies in Alberta to meet our goal: to create a truly sustainable mountain community,” Kernick says, “this is a nod to my parents and grandparents and to Canmore—a legacy for the town in which I grew up.”
Frank Kernick, President, Spring Creek Mountain Village Inc.
Other contributors to Spring Creek’s achievement as a sustainable community include:
- Healthy waterways and banks, which have been designed to maximize riparian habitat standards.
- Perimeter trail system that integrates public access to the creek and trail connections.
- Bridges for pedestrian and bicycle access throughout the town of Canmore, including schools, public transit, and healthcare.
- Green spaces that exceed those of the Canmore Municipal and Environmental reserve standards.
- Ground-water-only irrigation system which does not pull from the municipal water supply.
- Diverse residential planning, designed for all ages and stages of life, including facilities for active senior living, and affordable housing offered to Spring Creek employees at half price.
- The development of the Canmore Opera House, a space for gathering the community and preserving Canmore’s mining heritage.
“Building communities goes beyond built structures. It’s about my contribution to building a sustainable future for my grandchildren.”
Frank Kernick, President, Spring Creek Mountain Village Inc.
Sustainability in community development is about continual optimization to meet the needs of its residents – health, social, and economic – while protecting the ability of the environment to provide the foundation.
And so the heart of Spring Creek Mountain Village beats on in this continuous, cyclical effort to be a green and healthy place for people of all ages to live, work, and thrive.
