Metro Vancouver is kicking some carbon ass.

Canada’s first-ever carbon-zero firehall opened recently in South Vancouver; a Langley film studio was has started using renewable energy to power its projects; and now North America’s first-ever carbon-zero office tower has officially opened in downtown Vancouver.

The Stack, located at 1133 Melville Street, opened its doors Tuesday morning as the first office tower to ever attain the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building - Design standard certification, and the first in North America built to carbon-zero standards.

And yes, if you’ve been wondering since reading the name, The Stack is indeed that new, huge building that looks like four boxes stacked atop one another. 

An opening celebration was held this morning to cut the proverbial ribbon on the 37-storey, 550,000 square-foot tower, which is now considered homebase for companies including BDC, Blakes, DLA Piper, Canaccord Genuity, EY, Fluor, and Plenty of Fish.

Achieving carbon-zero status was accomplished by minimizing carbon emissions, utilizing technologically-advanced energy management, and adding onsite energy panels that are expected to generate 26,000 kilowatt-hours annually.

“We’re incredibly proud to deliver a building that creates economic and social value for the city of Vancouver, and actively contributes to our partners and customers’ ESG (environmental, social, and governance) goals,” says Andrew O’Neil, vice president of development at The Stack developer Oxford Properties, in a statement. “By being the first to achieve a Zero Carbon high-rise office building, we can use the insights and learnings from this project across our portfolio and share best practices with the wider industry as we collectively tackle decarbonization as one of the most pressing issues of our times.”

The building also includes 250 bike parking stalls and other end-of-trip facilities for those who choose to walk, cycle, or jog to work. Plus, we’re sure the 530-foot-high view of Stanley Park, the Burrard Inlet, and the North Shore Mountains is enough to convince anyone to care a bit more about the environment.