Calgary eco-improvements since first Earth Day

Here is some great eco-improvements Calgary has made since the first Earth Day 40 years ago from The Calgary Herald's Green Guide reporter Trent Edwards.

Edwards says, "Calgary is one of many cities that host an entire week of Earth Day-themed events. But how far has Cowtown really come in the past 40 years? The Herald raided archives and quizzed the city's environmental leaders to determine the 40 biggest environmental improvements in Calgary since Earth Day began."

Some of the improvements are related to The City of Calgary's green initiatives, such as:

• The wind-powered light rail transit
• Blue Cart recycling
• The City's requirment that all new City buildings meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold standard
• An A-plus rated waste-water treatment facility
• our 700 kilometres network of paved paths and 300 kilometres of bikeways
• our landfills that use gas capture wells to generate power
• The City's Sustainable Environment Procurement Policy
• The City's wetland conservation plan
• The City's $50 rebate for replacing 13-litre and larger toilets with four-to six-litre tanks
• and many more . . .

What are your thoughts? What is The City doing correctly and what can it improve on.

Here is The Herald's photo gallery of 40 things Calgary does to save the planet