The Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Program is a made-in-Canada solution that provides standards, education and research to support Canada’s climate mitigation goals.

To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to eliminate GHG emissions from all building construction and operations by 2050. Buildings being designed today must target zero-carbon emissions and retrofits of existing buildings must significantly reduce carbon.

The only way to be future ready is to be zero carbon. Industry leaders are acting now, by leveraging CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building Standard (ZCB Standard) to direct design, guide retrofits, and verify that building operations are zero carbon. In the process, these leaders are driving innovation and creating new jobs and opportunities in aligned with a low-carbon economy.

What is a zero-carbon building?

A zero-carbon building is a highly energy efficient building that produces onsite, or procures, carbon-free renewable energy or high-quality carbon offsets to offset the annual carbon emissions associated with building materials and operations. Zero carbon buildings represent the industry’s best opportunity for cost-effective emissions reductions that spur innovation in design, building materials and technology, creating jobs and business opportunities.