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This innovation is very  promising but the exorbitant cost is disappointing which is why we don't expect for it take off in the Canadian market anytime soon. Its technological limitation and the price of this energy harvesting innovation could have been utilize in a densely populated city like Toronto. 

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The Canadian government, developers and builders have already taken the step forward to help fulfill the energy efficiency aspiration of many Canadian. They have been hard at work to accelerate the capacity of ordinary people to achieve the net-zero home of their dream.

In a statement released by Kevin Lee (CEO Canadian Home Builders Association) ``Canadians want their homes to be as tough as they are; to be able to endure Canadian winters with ease! CHBA members will meet the housing aspirations of Canadians and renew Canadian leadership in high performance housing by offering consumers a “made in Canada” solution: Net Zero Homes! `` (Gorospe, 2018)

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Net zero building considered as the holy grail of building design, its no surprise that many Canadians are making the stride to join in this trend. Unfortunately, given the cost associated in building these type of infrastructures and Canada's climatic disadvantage we still have a long road ahead.

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This innovation is very promising, but the exorbitant cost is disappointing which is why we don't expect for it take off in the Canadian market anytime soon. Its technological limitation and the price of this energy harvesting innovation could have been utilizing in a densely populated city like Toronto.

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Smart flooring solution is a technology that generates kinetic energy from footsteps. Kinetic is the energy we produce when we are in motion or anything that moved for that matter. Capturing energy from foot traffic is a new approach to sustainability and its getting wide appreciation from the different industry. So far, there are now two versions of the tile. The latest has generator in each corner to maximize energy output. It can generate about 5 kilowatts of continuous power so the more you step on it the greater is the output.

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Office powered by Pavegen footfall harvesting technology

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The major obstacle for this innovation to take off is its price. Ordinary household can`t simply afford its stiff price. No matter how good this innovation maybe it will still take sometime for it to adopt to the market need.

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As Mohawk's students we are proud to be a part of an institution pioneering the development of the very first and largest net-zero building in the country. A net-zero building means the structure itself generates its own clean-reusable energy and uses it as its main power source, says Tony Cupido, Mohawk College's chief building and facilities officer (``New Mohawk lab, `` 2018, para.3). With net-zero in mind, this state-of-the-art building is equipped with solar panels, LED lighting systems, geothermal wells and sensors. To eliminate its contribution to greenhouse gases, this trailblazing idea will only be powered by reusable energy and not gas. The geothermal wells will harness energy throughout the year and reserve it to power the building on colder months. Sensors will monitor presence inside the building and once it detects that the building is empty the lights and ventilation will automatically shut off to conserve energy. This cutting-edge innovation is at its final stage of construction and is expected to achieve zero emission and is set to be unveiled by September 2018.

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Video: Centre for Partnership and Innovation

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Mohawk received $20 million from the Federal Government to help fund a new net-zero building at its flagship campus in Hamilton. The Centre for Partnership & Innovation is expected to open in the Spring of 2018 and is believed to be one of the first net-zero buildings in Canada.

Mohawk College educates and serves 30,000 full-time, part-time, apprenticeship and international students at three campuses and two City School locations at the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre and the Central Public Library in Hamilton, Ontario. Mohawk has ranked first among all Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area colleges in student satisfaction for seven consecutive years and first in graduate satisfaction for the past five years. Mohawk ranks 15 th among all colleges in Canada for applied research activity and has been named among Canada's greenest employers and the region's top employers for the past three years.

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Video: Centre for Partnership and Innovation

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Mohawk received $20 million from the Federal Government to help fund a new net-zero building at its flagship campus in Hamilton. The Centre for Partnership & Innovation is expected to open in the Spring of 2018 and is believed to be one of the first net-zero buildings in Canada.

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Elk, J. (2014, January 14). Energy-Generating Floor Tiles Makes US Debut at NYC Prep School. Retrieved from https://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/cleantech/jennifer_elks/energy-generating_floor_tiles_make_us_debut_nyc_prep_school

Gorospe, M. (2017, May 02, 2017). Net Zero Home Label recognize Homes that Produce as Much Energy as They Consume. Retrieved from http://www.chba.ca/CHBA/HousingCanada/Net_Zero_Energy_Program/CHBA/Housing_in_Canada/Net_Zero_Energy_Program/NZE_Program_Landing_Page.aspx?hkey=4af3da17-b4da-42ef-bf20-261a9cfbe39f

Millward, K. (2018, March 16). New Mohawk lab will be Canada`s largest ``net zero`` energy use building. CBS News. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/largest-net-zero-building-in-canada-1.4567437

Wanshel, E. (2016, June 23). Tiles That Generate Energy When People Walk Over Them Are Totally Lit. Huffingtonpost. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/pavegen-tiles-generate-kinetic-energy-electricity-footsteps_us_576aba9be4b065534f487a79

Zero-energy building. (2018). In Wikipedia`s online encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_building

Figure 1 Madorf (n.d.). Environmental concept, sustainability on green road sign sunny blue sky background with rainbow (Online Image). Retrieved August 09, 2018, from https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-environmental-concept-sustainability-green-road-sign-sunny-blue-sky-background-rainbow-message-heaven-sun-clouds-image53283164. In public domain

Figure 2 Dodge, D. & Kinney D. (2014 August 09). Net-zero 101: The incredible rapid rise of net-zero homes (Online Image). Retrieved from http://www.pembina.org/blog/net-zero-101-incredible-rapid-rise-of-net-zero-homes

Figure 3 Wanshel, E. (2016 June 23). Tiles That Generate Energy When People Walk Over Them Are Totally Lit. (Online Image) Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/pavegen-tiles-generate-kinetic-energy-electricity-footsteps_us_576aba9be4b065534f487a79

Figure 4 Harmony. (n.d.). 12 Recycling and Sustainability Quotes to Inspire Kindness to our Earth. (Online Image). Retrieved from https://harmony1.com/recycling-sustainability-quotes/

Video 1 US Department of Energy. (2017, July 12). What is a Zero Energy Building? Retrieved August 19, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FysJKq5yCfg

Video 2 Communication and Media. (n.d.). Announcement: Centre for Partnership & Innovation Groundbreaking/Mohawk College. Retrieved August 19, 2018, from https://vimeo.com/185072384

Video 3 Pavegen. ( 2013 April 03). Office powered by Pavegen footfall harvesting technology. Retrieved August 9, 2018. from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS4RIuzODL0

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It is not yet clear what our sustainable future will look, especially when there are many challenges ahead. Sustainability doesn`t just lie on one sector which means our vision of sustainable future is very hard to predict. Will we achieve a sustainable future despite the many trade offs? Nobody knows but I guess its safe to say that at least we are doing something now instead of waiting and doing nothing. The effort alone is good enough for me to think ahead that we are trying our best to ensures us of a better tomorrow.

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A zero-energy building, also known as a zero net energy (ZNE) building, net-zero energy building (NZEB), net zero building or zero-carbon building is a building with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site, or in other definitions by renewable energy sources elsewhere (``Zero-energy building,`` 2018).

In essence, net zero buildings are gaining more and more popularity because they consume less energy resulting to low to no energy cost, minimal maintenance and small environmental footprint. Net zero buildings help pave the way to a more sustainable future.

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The rapidly increasing population growth is the main reason for a high degree of environmental degradation. Each day our resources are being harnessed at an increasingly alarming pace and this compromises the viability of our resources. The sustainable development for future generation can only be achieve by gradually improving the way we handle our resources. We must not overlook the importance of environmental sustainability, avoiding its concept can jeopardize the way we live now and in the future.