I'm very excited to announce that the West 5 Discovery Centre is now open to the public! This state-of-the art interactive space is designed to showcase the sophistication behind the science of West 5. We'll use this space to educate, to entertain and to share our community vision and values with your family.
While the majority of people have embraced recycling and waste reduction, there are still a number of items we use every day that unfortunately get tossed in the trash. The biggest culprit? Plastic. Here at West 5 we’ve put a lot of thought into making the neighbourhood as sustainable as possible. We know that small changes can have a huge impact.
Though it’s been some time since I returned to school I always get a little rush of excitement as September approaches and we prepare to leave the lazy days of summer behind. Looking back, I can vividly remember the anticipation of the first day.
These days it seems as though there’s a gadget for everything. Unfortunately, many of these gadgets are short-lived, or even disposable. The good news is that with the growing movement towards waste reduction and a connected lifestyle, technology designers are working hard to create devices that are both useful and sustainable.
Sleek. Sustainable. Sophisticated. It's what we expect from all our electronics, appliances, homes and even our offices. At West 5, our vehicles are no exception. We don't just want to live green; we want to drive green, too. Electric Vehicles (or EVs) produce zero tailpipe emissions and significantly minimize environmental impact. They're well worth the investment and are set to replace traditional vehicles within the next few decades.
One of things I enjoy most about our new office in the Sifton Centre here at West 5 is how we can watch everything grow. The minute you walk onto the third floor you can get a sense of how this community is coming to life. You can easily take in the expanse of the community, the backdrop of greenery and, best of all, the near-completion of the first block of townhomes! We've watched these sleek sun-powered homes change and come to life, day by day.
At West 5, you’ll have a hard time finding a trashcan. The strong presence of recycling bins throughout the neighbourhood sets the tone for sustainability at West 5. That’s because the minimal waste lifestyle is the way of the future. It's pragmatic. It's visionary. And it's something you can start today.
It's been over a month since we moved into our new home in the Sifton Centre. The drive west down Oxford always hits me with a wave of nostalgia when I get to Oakridge Acres, Canada's First Planned Community and one of my dad's proudest achievements. The design of this community was well before my time, in the fifties. My dad had just incorporated Sifton and the economy was in an upswing. Families were getting bigger and needed homes and communities built to last.
We've already sprung into March and, for most of us, any New Year's Resolutions we made are now just very distant memories. But soon the breeze is will get warmer and the trees will become greener, making it a great time to take a fresh new look at our fitness-related resolutions.
It's official! This year, the Sifton team and I have gone green(er!) with our move to West 5! This move is very bittersweet. 195 Dufferin has been our home for twenty years and I love being downtown. I'm honoured and humbled to have had the opportunity to help transform downtown London over the years, including the construction of our iconic and beloved One London Place. This part of the city has transformed us as much as we've transformed it.
Minister Glenn Thibeault along with Deputy Premier Deb Matthews are visiting The Sifton Centre at West 5, Ontario's first sustainable, net-zero community on Monday, February 6th.
As a seasoned builder, I’ve known for a long time that a home is much more than the sum of its parts. Smiles, laughs and lullabies greatly outweigh bricks and beams. I’ve always known that it’s not just mortar that holds a house together; every hushed late night laugh, every birthday candle and every Cheerio tossed by a toddler are all indispensable components of what we call "home.
