Del Ridge Homes and Forests Ontario have teamed up to plant over 140,000 trees to offset the energy and carbon footprint created by the new GreenLife East Markham I and II (GEM I and II) Net Zero condominium development.
Del Ridge Homes also vows to do plantings on a similar scale for any future developments to offset the carbon footprint created by these new projects as part of Del Ridge’s GreenLife Woods program, the first of its kind in the province.
“This really is an unprecedented initiative on the part of an Ontario builder,” said Rob Keen, CEO of Forests Ontario, in a press release. “In fact, it’s one of the most ambitious planting programs by a builder anywhere in Canada or the United States, to our knowledge.”
“Homes are a major contributor to Canada’s greenhouse gases. So as builders and developers, we are ideally positioned to reduce our carbon footprint by taking the right measures,” said Dave de Sylva, co-founder of Del Ridge Homes.
GEM’s operating costs will be about 20 per cent of a similar project built to code. It incorporates a variety of solutions designed to reduce energy consumption while generating energy both on and off site, allowing GEM to produce as much energy as it consumes and making it Del Ridge’s sixth Net Zero project.
The community will offer owners significantly lower condo fees and operating costs than a comparable residence of the same size built to Ontario’s current building codes, translating to estimated savings of $6,800 per year and $170,000 over the life of a mortgage, depending on energy consumption habits.
“Beyond offsetting emissions, the trees planted through the GreenLife Woods program will increase forest cover across the province, providing all Ontarians with cleaner air and water, shade and recreational space,” said Keen. “Del Ridge is also setting the bar high for not just other builders, but other corporate citizens to undertake similar initiatives.”
Other key features of GEM I and II include geothermal heating and cooling; onsite generation of electricity using solar PV arrays and solar street lighting; offside generation of electricity using remote wind turbine facilities; highly insulated building envelope; the extensive use of LED lighting; and recaptured heat produced by onsite transformers.
