Vancouver

==Sustainability==
[[File:Vancouver street recycling.JPG|thumb|Container recycling, paper recycling and garbage bins in Vancouver]]
The City of Vancouver is a member of [[Metro Vancouver]], which provides sustainable regional services<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metrovancouver.org/about/strategic-directions/Pages/default.aspx |title=Board Strategic Plan |publisher=metrovancouver |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190407/http://www.metrovancouver.org/about/strategic-directions/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=live}}</ref> to the [[Greater Vancouver]] area. The city electrical grid is serviced by [[BC Hydro]], which claims 97.8% of the energy it generates is clean owing to the extensive use of [[hydroelectric]] power generation.<ref>{{cite web |title=BC Hydro quick facts |url=https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/BCHydro-Quick-Facts-20190331.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627210808/https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/BCHydro-Quick-Facts-20190331.pdf |archive-date=June 27, 2021 |access-date=August 23, 2021 |publisher=[[BC Hydro]]}}</ref> The City of Vancouver is the greenest city in Canada according to an independent ongoing urban ecological footprint study.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://greenscore.eco/city_index_scoreboard.html |title=Comprehensively Answers How green is my city? |website=greenscore.eco |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-date=August 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819034508/https://greenscore.eco/city_index_scoreboard.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Vancouver's greenest city action plan|Greenest City action plan]] (GCAP) is a City of Vancouver urban sustainability initiative. Its primary mission was to ensure Vancouver would become the greenest city in the world by 2020. The GCAP originated based on the 2009 work of the Greenest City Action Team, a committee co-chaired by Vancouver mayor [[Gregor Robertson (politician)|Gregor Robertson]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Canada's greenest mayor |url=https://www.corporateknights.com/channels/leadership/canadas-greenest-mayor-14321016/ |last=Runnalls |first=Jeremy |publisher=Corporate Knights |date=May 20, 2015 |access-date=August 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817111720/https://www.corporateknights.com/channels/leadership/canadas-greenest-mayor-14321016/ |archive-date=August 17, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The GCAP was approved by Vancouver city council in July 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greenest City Action Plan |url=https://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/greenest-city-action-plan.aspx |publisher=City of Vancouver |access-date=August 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723194605/https://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/greenest-city-action-plan.aspx |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2018, the [[Zero Waste]] 2040 Strategy was passed<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/vancouver-votes-to-ban-single-use-straws-foam-cups-and-take-out-containers-1.3933955 |title=Vancouver votes to ban single-use straws, foam cups and take-out containers |date=May 17, 2018 |work=[[CTV News]] |access-date=July 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081424/https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/vancouver-votes-to-ban-single-use-straws-foam-cups-and-take-out-containers-1.3933955 |archive-date=July 29, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The city began work the same year on decreasing the amount of single-use items distributed in the city. It intends to ban these items by 2021 if businesses do not meet reduction targets. As part of the plan, a ban on [[drinking straw|plastic straws]], [[polystyrene]] food packaging and free shopping bags was to go into effect in mid-2019.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-vancouver-to-be-first-major-canadian-city-to-ban-plastic-straws/ |title=Vancouver to be first major Canadian city to ban plastic straws |last=Woods |first=Melanie |date=May 17, 2018 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |access-date=July 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810193203/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-vancouver-to-be-first-major-canadian-city-to-ban-plastic-straws/ |archive-date=August 10, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2022, the city council passed a regulation mandating that businesses charge a $0.25 fee on single-use cups. This decision was criticized because the fees stayed within the business and were not re-invested in city-wide environmental efforts. On March 28, 2023, the council enacted a by-law that repealed all single-use cup fees.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-single-use-cup-fee-to-be-dropped-may-1 |title=Vancouver's single-use cup fee to be dropped May 1 |date=March 28, 2023 |work=[[Vancouver Sun]] |access-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329052950/https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-single-use-cup-fee-to-be-dropped-may-1 |url-status=live }}</ref>