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Low impact developments (LIDs) are becoming increasingly popular in North America as viable solution for sustainable runoff management. Although hydrological performance of LIDs in relation to climates is readily available, there is still a gap on the evaluation of environmental and economic impacts of these infrastructures. We have evaluated the cradle-to- site lifecycle environmental and economic impacts of four LIDs using a case study of the stormwater management system at UBC Okanagan campus in BC, Canada. The environmental impacts and costs are determined via ReCiPe, TRACI, and net present value (NPV) method, respectively, and incorporated to obtain eco-efficiency of these LIDs. We found that the box planter and naturally occurring wetland on campus are the best LIDs with lower impacts (approximately 2.5% of the total impacts) than other LIDs. The cost savings from wetland are enormous due to zero construction and periodic maintenance after every five years. The box planter and wetland occupy the most favorable quadrant III of the eco-efficiency matrix whilst, bioswales and rain gardens are found in quadrant IV and I, respectively. When compared to the constructed wetland, an increase in the economic impacts is found without any influence on the eco-efficiency of the overall placement on eco-efficiency matrix. The maintenance phase contributes more to environmental impacts than the construction, whereas the life cycle cost analysis shows the opposite. [Display omitted] • Life cycle impacts, life cycle cost, and eco-efficiency is assessed for four Low Impact Developments (LIDs). • Box planter and naturally occurring wetland have significantly lower impacts than rain gardens. • The maintenance phase contributes more to environmental impacts than the construction phase. • The cost for construction is higher than maintenance phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial Incentives (FIs) for green buildings are a major component of energy policy planning and play a vital role in the promotion of sustainable development and carbon mitigation strategies. Despite the presence of numerous FIs in Canada, there is still a lack of understanding on their distribution and effectiveness. This review first investigates the FIs available for residential and commercial buildings in Canada, and then performs a comprehensive review of studies related to FIs' effectiveness evaluation. It is found that FIs for buildings in Canada can be distributed into four categories: tax, loans, grants, and rebates. Among these, rebates from utility providers are the most common and are administered in all provinces. In addition to these, special incentives are available for three end-users (low-income, aboriginal people, landlords and tenants) and for three types of buildings (heritage, non-profit and energy rated). A clear contrast is observed on FIs offered in three regulatory regimes (Federal, provincial and municipal). Four provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec) are leading in green building efforts. The in-depth literature review was also used to develop an understanding on the criteria used in effectiveness evaluation and the factors impacting effectiveness. Based on the findings of different studies on FIs effectiveness, a generic approach for evaluation of FIs is proposed that can help in deploying successful FIs programs. The results of this review are of importance to the policymakers, government authorities, and utilities engaged in designing and improving FIs for energy efficient buildings. • Reviews financial incentives (FIs) present for green buildings in Canada. • Determines Canadas' FIs vary with respect to number, type, and location. • Identifies factors impacting effectiveness of FIs. • Finds predominant criteria in FIs effectiveness evaluation studies. • Provides approach for evaluation of effectiveness of FIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupant behavior in residential buildings has a direct impact on the effectiveness of energy-saving measures. In order to realize a buildings' carbon mitigation targets, the impact of individual occupancy profiles needs to be integrated with building simulation models. This paper introduces a decision support framework as a potential solution to make energy performance upgrade choices based on different occupancy profiles. This framework has been demonstrated through a case study of two single-family detached homes in Canada, which were highly instrumented with sensors for monitoring energy input and output. The case studies represented two common occupancy profiles-(1) a family of four (consisting of 2 working adults and 2 teenagers); and (2) a retired couple. Firstly, calibrated energy models were developed by using one-year energy use data collected through an intrusive load monitoring technique. Secondly, energy upgrade combinations were considered for each profile and tested for additional investment, payback period and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Lastly, the most suitable combination of energy upgrade for each profile was ranked using a multi-criteria decision-making method (e.g., TOPSIS). Results indicated that the retired couple used more energy than the family of four and required energy upgrades with usually higher payback periods to achieve the same level of GHG emission reduction. The results of this research are timely for energy policymaking and developing best management practices, which need to be implemented along with the deployment of more stringent building standards and codes. • A scenario-based framework was developed for residential homes energy upgrades. • It considers occupant behavior and preference in selecting energy upgrades. • Field data is used to represent energy use of a family of four and a stay-at-home retired couple. • Energy upgrades are same under pro-economic choices for two profiles. • Energy upgrades vary under pro-environmental scenarios for two profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) in public indoor swimming pools (ISP) are a major human health risk concern. Various DBPs control strategies have been developed as an integral part of ISP management; however, these strategies are associated with different energy and resource consumption and environmental impacts. In this study, a process-based life cycle assessment (P-LCA) framework is developed for determining the environmental impacts of DBPs control strategies in ISP management. The developed framework requires ISP operation information such as energy, water, and chemical use, and concentration data under each DBPs control strategy as inputs. The ReCipe2016 midpoint method is used to process the inputs and quantify the lifecycle impacts in terms of three categories: energy, water and chemicals. Based on the outputs, the best strategy is selected using the TOPSIS method. The developed framework is applied to an ISP located in Vancouver (Canada) to evaluate seven DBPs control strategies associated with various air circulation rates. The DBPs concentration data were sourced from a previous sampling campaign. The results show that energy use is the main contributor (87–94%) to the total environmental impacts as compared to chemical and water use (6–13%). Among the tested strategies, reduction of fan speed can yield maximum environmental benefits without compromising the DBPs control performance. On the other hand, supply of 100% fresh air at normal fan speeds results in higher environmental impacts compared to a baseline case despite the lower DBPs releases. The proposed P-LCA framework can facilitate pool operators in selecting low impact DBPs control strategies for sustainable ISP management. • Disinfection by-product control strategies were identified for indoor swimming pools. • A process-based lifecycle assessment framework was proposed for the strategies. • The developed framework was applied to an indoor swimming pool as a case study. • The highest impacts are associated with energy use for pool heating and ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A human health risk-based life cycle assessment (LCA) framework was developed for selecting low-impact water treatment systems with a focus on heavy metal(loids) removal. The framework comprises three phases, including pilot-scale water treatment, human health risk assessment (HRA), and LCA. The application of the framework was demonstrated by a case study. Two water treatment systems employing ozonation-greensand-ferric hydroxide-based sorbent (OGF) and Birm-ferric hydroxide-based sorbent (BF) processes were used to reduce arsenic and manganese concentrations in the source water of a small municipality in southwestern Canada. The heavy metal(loids) concentration as well as material and energy use data of the two systems were collected to perform HRA and LCA. The results showed that both systems can reduce arsenic and manganese concentrations; however, the removal efficiencies of OGF and BF processes decreased with the increase of treatment volume. At a constant inflow rate, the ferric hydroxide-based sorbent needed to be replaced every 31 and 25 days in the OGF and BF processes, respectively, to ensure that arsenic concentration in the effluent would not pose any significant human health risk. The LCA results indicated that the system using the OGF process generated lower life cycle environmental impacts than the system using the BF process throughout ten years' operation. It was also found that the arsenic removal process was the largest impact contributor in both systems. The manufacturing of ferric hydroxide-based sorbent and disposal of arsenic-contaminated treatment waste accounted for the highest impact in water treatment. Image 1 • A health risk-based LCA framework is proposed for assessing water treatment systems. • Two water treatment systems designed for arsenic and manganese removal are assessed. • Human health risk assessment determines acceptable adsorbent replacement frequency. • System using ozonation-greensand-ferric oxyhydroxide treatment shows lower impacts. • Arsenic removal process generates the highest life cycle environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Life cycle impacts of thermal desorption treatments of drill cuttings were assessed. • Thermomechanical cuttings cleaner generated the lowest impacts using hydropower. • Rotary drum dryer generated the lowest impacts in onsite drill cutting treatment. • Thermal desorption process contributed 80–90 % of the total impacts of systems. • Regression models were developed to help estimate impacts of different treatments. The life cycle impacts of treatment of typical oil-based drill cuttings (OBDCs) using three low-temperature thermal desorption (LTTD)-based systems, including thermomechanical cuttings cleaner (TCC), screw-type dryer (STD), and rotary drum dryer (RDD), were explored with a case study in British Columbia, Canada. Two energy supply scenarios, including diesel generator-based onsite (scenario i) and hydropower-based offsite (scenario ii) treatments, were considered in the assessment. The results show that RDD generated the lowest life cycle impacts in terms of damages to human health, ecosystems, and resources in scenario i. TCC-scenario ii generated the lowest impacts among all assessed cases, suggesting that using renewable energy can greatly reduce the impacts of LTTD-based OBDCs treatment. Also, net environmental benefits could be achieved considering the reuse of recovered oil, and the highest net environmental benefits were obtained in TCC-scenario ii. The process contribution analysis found that thermal desorption process accounted for 80–95 % of impacts in almost all impact categories. Energy consumption contours and linear regression models were also developed to help drilling waste managers estimate the life cycle impacts of using hydropower-driven TCC to treat OBDCs with different water and oil contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]