It is important for cities…

It is important for cities like Toronto to be able to continue to enforce green development standards such as green roofs, native tree planting, and waste water management that will lower the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and build resistance to climate change effects

Guidelines that promote sustainable building practices will help reduce environmental impact and enhance community resilience. Such standards encourage energy efficiency, the use of green spaces, and responsible resource management in construction projects.

Toronto’s green roof initiative has been recognized by other cities as an excellent way to divert storm water runoff and has been copied around the world. Ground level surfaces outside buildings which allow absorption of storm water is preferable to hard concrete or large expanses of granite or other stone which might look beautiful but is impervious to rain runoff