What got you into working in sustainability?
I had an amazing professor when I was at architecture school in the 1970s – he enlightened us about the issues way back then. And our course was very forward-thinking – we learned about things that are still seen as ‘new’, like passive house techniques, living roofs and so on. And then of course the oil crisis of 1973 was a wake-up call, reminding the world of some of the dangers of relying on fossil fuels.
I’ve been pretty focused on sustainability ever since then. Throughout my career, until I started working for Windmill, I was always known as ‘the green guy’! People were always asking me why I cared so much about these things. Since starting at Windmill I’ve never had to justify myself.
How do you feel now about the fact that the world has finally woken up to the need to protect our planet and its precious resources?
It feels both good and bad! It’s wonderful that sustainability is so much more mainstream now. I’m excited that young people seem to be so focused on it. They are they future, and they are already pushing the agenda forward so much.
Tell us a bit about Baker District and the vision behind it
The Baker District is an exciting new development that will transform a vacant parking lot in downtown Guelph, Ontario into a unique mixed-use development, anchored by a Central Public Library. The redevelopment will also feature residential, commercial and institutional components, as well as a series of connected public urban squares.
Following in Guelph’s green tradition, the transformative redevelopment will be a model of urban intensification, showcasing sustainability and civic participation in an effort to reshape the downtown.