Carbon Leadership Forum BC (CLF BC) – ZEIC

The Freedom Mobile Arch has recently been in the spotlight as Vancouver’s official FIFA Fan Festival™ viewing venue, but the story behind its construction is just as compelling.   In 2025, CLF BC collaborated with EllisDon to share a Project Spotlight on the Freedom Mobile Arch, exploring how builders can play a critical role in reducing embodied carbon through design, procurement, and construction decisions.   The project demonstrates how early collaboration and carbon-informed decision-making can make a measurable impact. Key strategies included: 🌲 Integrating mass timber into the canopy design, estimated to save 1,255 tonnes of CO₂e 🏗️ Revising the foundation design to reduce embodied emissions and simplify construction 🧱 Using low-carbon concrete mixes to reduce the carbon impact of the structure   The Freedom Mobile Arch is a reminder that embodied carbon reductions happen through the choices made long before a building opens its doors — and that those choices can shape spaces where communities gather to connect and celebrate.   Check out some updated images of the venue in action below and explore the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gNchGjwx

Help ensure BC's leadership in embodied carbon is reflected in national building code development. Building Knowledge Canada is seeking input from industry professionals through a survey on embodied carbon in Part 9 residential buildings. The survey will assess the industry's current capacity to undertake: • Product stage assessments (A1–A3) • Upfront carbon assessments (A1–A5) • Whole building life cycle assessments (wbLCA) If you've completed LCAs or BEAM modelling for residential projects, your participation is especially important. Your responses will help ensure BC’s experience and expertise are represented in the findings. These insights will be shared with the National Research Council to support recommendations on workforce development, industry preparedness, and economic impacts, and to inform the development of the 2030 Model National Building Code. 📝 Deadline is July 24. Participate in the survey here: https://lnkd.in/gPNRhSbd

I'm enthralled! Nelson has just been recognized by CLF-BC at their 2026 Embodied Carbon Awards with a Public Sector Leadership award for our innovation in the building sector. Nelson's Embodied Carbon Leadership Initiative is a really special program, and I'm grateful to be able to work in this space alongside a really supportive community, and collaborative City team. Embodied carbon is no longer just a niche term easily confused with something your yoga teacher said in class. Governments, industry, and residents recognize that we need to be mindful of our footprint and work together to reduce the impacts of our homes and communities on this planet that we steward together. Lifecycle thinking is about more than quantifying carbon emissions. Its a fundamental shift in perspective toward a more holistic way of approaching decisions and community development. Nelson has demonstrated how a small city can make a meaningful impact through an approach that combines policy, education, and collaboration to make lower-impact construction both practical and accessible. No matter who you are and what your level of experience you have with construction and embodied carbon, we have lots of resources you can access here: https://lnkd.in/gbDR2H-Q

Why is EPD Transparency Becoming More Restricted? As part of our Material Matters series, this thought-provoking article by Zeyad Sattar P.L.Eng. EMBA, Regional Quality Manager of RMC READY MIX, explores how the industry's approach to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) has evolved in recent years. The piece challenges industry to consider how prioritizing proprietary data protection can limit LCA outputs, while acknowledging the need to balance the protection of supplier formulations, optimization strategies, and commercial processes to ensure that environmental outcomes are consistently transparent and publicly available. Hear from Zeyad: https://lnkd.in/gZigPxRH

Join us for Happy Hour in Vancouver! Connect and unwind with fellow CLF BC network folks and enjoy summer in Vancouver. If you are interested in making new connections or catching up with others who are committed to reducing embodied carbon, this is the event for you! Pop by anytime between 5:30 and 8:00 pm and enjoy some good company, great conversation, and tasty appetizers. Please make sure to register here: https://lnkd.in/g_KS7zzf

As we wrap up the CLF BC Embodied Carbon Awards highlights, we want to give a final shout out to the generous event sponsors for helping us to celebrate in style 🎊.    Their contributions helped us celebrate the people and projects driving meaningful climate action across our communities. 👏 Thank you: RJC Engineers, Chandos Construction, EllisDon Developments, Parkin Architects, EQUILIBRIUM, Third Space Properties Inc., One Click LCA, RMC READY MIX, ZGF Architects, RGS Consultants Ltd. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g7xpiJCQ

🏆 And last but not least, the CLF BC Embodied Carbon Award winner for the Public Sector Leadership category was: City of Nelson 🎊    They took it away for their sustained leadership through deep collaboration with industry, builders, designers, and policymakers to advance embodied carbon research, education, and action.  They were also praised for their consistent community engagement and strong focus on local capacity building, which have boosted carbon literacy, while their accessible resources are making low-embodied-carbon decisions easier and scalable across jurisdictions.  Natalie Douglas, program manager at ZEBx and former climate resilience planner with the City of Nelson, accepted the award on their behalf.   A warm round of applause for the City of Nelson! 👏   Learn more about their work 👉 https://lnkd.in/g-PxYPAT

🏆 RJC Engineers walked away with the award for Organizational Commitment to Change for embedding carbon accountability across their practice, setting internal embodied carbon limits on large projects, and using in-house tools to model and track impacts from early design. 🌍 They’ve committed to SE2050, and prioritize extensive staff education and knowledge sharing across the industry through deep collaboration, helping drive meaningful carbon reduction across the built environment.  👏 Bravo RJC Engineers! Learn more about their award-winning work 👉 https://lnkd.in/g-PxYPAT