Mayor Gregor Robertson
"You always know when the sun comes out from the rush of water that goes from the basement to the roof. It’s a great sound in the house to celebrate the arrival of sunshine," he says.
Gregor Robertson is no stranger to sustainable living. As mayor of Vancouver he is working hard to establish the city internationally as the Green Capital but has been a green thinker for a long time, as the original co-founder of the organic juice company Happy Planet. So when it came to the decision to install solar hot water on his home in 2006 it was, as he puts it, just another "logical investment."
Robertson says he’s heard the payback averages for solar hot water from everywhere between five and 25 years, the second of which he feels is overly conservative and has roughed it out for his household to about ten years.
"Sun certainly shines here and we see that in our energy savings," he says. "It’s been great. And you always know when the sun comes out from the rush of water that goes from the basement to the roof. It’s a great sound in the house to celebrate the arrival of sunshine."
Robertson is one of five mayors of Solar Communities under the SolarBC program that has installed solar hot water on their own residences and he says the exciting part of being involved in the program is that the whole city can take leadership on solar hot water, which he says is a priority at City Hall.
"As a city we can accelerate support and rapid adoption," he says, perhaps no better exemplified than in city’s incentive of $3500 for installing solar hot water on new homes. "We’re glad to be driving the pace in Canada as a solar community but also recognize that cities around the world are far ahead of us."
The decision to implement the solar hot water incentive is one of many initiatives the city has achieved to green homes and improve energy efficiency during construction. But to Robertson it’s still just the beginning: "We need to broaden our overall ambition to produce and conserve energy in homes and buildings," he says. "We’re going to have to dramatically ramp up those efforts. The solar hot water program is in its early stage where we’re still testing the opportunities to best grow these efforts and produce more renewable energy in the city."
As a homeowner with solar hot water he feels good about investing in energy conservation, and thinks those with the means should be demonstrating the viability of solar hot water. "It’s a positive investment in your home and benefits the planet. There’s a definite good will that comes from putting your money were your beliefs are."
He remembers years ago just after installing the system he was in Spain during the time the country was passing their legislation to make solar hot water mandatory. He compares how time has changed from a long ago past when toilets in homes weren’t mandatory, to now, when solar hot water is being recognized as just as necessary as indoor plumbing. It's this kind of forward solar thinking that many other countries in the world possess, like Spain or Germany, that Robertson would like to see us emulate - starting in our own backyards.
"I hope in future we’re headed that direction where it’s just as normal as the rest of the appliances found in homes," he says.
Solar hot water installations on home isn't the only focus of the City. Recently solar hot water was installed on the Brockton Oval, in Stanley Park, as part of the Greenest City Initiative, and it was also implemented on the Net Zero building in the Olympic Village. To read more about Vancouver visit their Solar Community page.
Mayor Robertson's Bio
In November 2008, the people of Vancouver chose Gregor Robertson as their new Mayor. He was elected on a platform of ending street homelessness in the City of Vancouver by 2015, and making Vancouver the greenest city in the world.
Mayor Robertson is committed to building a sustainable and thriving economy in Vancouver. By working to foster economic hubs in the burgeoning green economy, including digital media, clean technology, and renewable energy, Mayor Robertson is establishing Vancouver internationally as the Green Capital—a City where going green is good for business. Vancouver was recently named the greenest city in Canada by Corporate Knights, as well as predicted to have the fastest growing economy in 2010 by the Conference Board of Canada.
Under Mayor Robertson’s leadership, Vancouver has taken swift action on becoming more sustainable by doubling the City’s bicycle infrastructure budget, setting the highest electric vehicle charging standards for new buildings in North America, and approving laneway housing. Vancouver now has the greenest building standards in North America, requiring all new buildings to be LEED Gold.
Since being elected, Mayor Robertson and City Council have also expanded the popular car-free days throughout the city, installed protected bicycle lanes on the Burrard Street Bridge and Dunsmuir Viaduct, and launched curbside compost pick-up in Vancouver.
On his first day in office, Mayor Robertson moved quickly on homelessness and established the Mayor’s Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT). HEAT rapidly opened five low-barrier shelters that immediately filled to capacity, providing close to 500 people a night with a safe, secure place to sleep. The Mayor has since secured over $333 million in new funding from the provincial government for social housing throughout the City.
Prior to entering politics, Gregor co-founded Happy Planet, and grew the Vancouver-based socially responsible company up to 50 employees in 10 years. Happy Planet produces organic juices and promotes health and nutrition. For his achievements as a successful entrepreneur and community leader, Gregor was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” by The Globe and Mail in 2004.
Gregor and his wife Amy have four children: Terra, Satchel, Jinagh and Johanna. He is a dedicated cyclist, avid soccer fan, and plays the tuba, guitar, and drums.
