The Clean50 Top Projects annually recognize those projects completed in the prior two years based on their innovation, their ability to inform, and inspire other Canadians. The Top Project of the year is then selected each year at the Clean50 Summit, from votes cast by both incoming and Alumni members of the Clean50.
Founded in 2020, the ReCover Initiative mobilized over $19 million to accelerate scalable, equitable deep retrofits across Atlantic Canada, a region with aging building stock, high energy burdens, and limited retrofit infrastructure. The project created 19+ green jobs,…
An impressive 1212 Elocity-powered smart chargers installed at Richmond Centre, a landmark mixed-use development in British Columbia, collectively manage approximately 8 MW of EV load—enough to power 3000–4000 homes. Utilizing AI-driven demand response and off-peak energy optimization, the intelligent…
Enviro-Stewards and Unilever completed a process integration study and decarbonization action plan at Unilever’s Hellman’s Mayonnaise Rexdale production facility. Half to two thirds of thermal energy discharge will be avoided through conservation and reuse with the remainder supplied…
Global e-commerce returns are wasteful, carbon-intensive, and often end in landfill. ReturnBear’s forward fulfillment model keeps returns in-country, eliminating unnecessary international shipping and reducing emissions by up to 96%. In just eighteen months, ReturnBear has processed over one…
From old paint to worn-out shoes, Le Bon Bac makes responsible disposal as easy as leaving it outside your door. Partnering with Canadian businesses and non-profits, the service ensures materials are reused or recycled locally. By showing the…
One of Gay Lea Foods’ Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments is to reduce their carbon footprint, building toward a more sustainable future. To get things moo-ving the outstanding-in-numerous-fields farmer-owned Canadian co-operative established a baseline GHG accounting inventory. The…
Four years ago, the Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA) launched the Green Building Technology Network (GBTN) to accelerate clean technology adoption in Alberta’s buildings. Phase one supported twenty demonstration projects across the province, spanning new builds and…
With buildings responsible for approximately 51% of Peel Region’s corporate emissions, the Office of Climate Change and Energy Management launched a bold and innovative initiative in 2023. They developed a Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Building Retrofit Standard—a first-of-its-kind…
Indigenous Peoples in Canada (Inuit, Métis and First Nations) face significant socioeconomic gaps compared to non-Indigenous populations and often lack access to low-cost financing exacerbating this serious inequity. To help address this, Addenda Capital, First Nations Major Project…
Spring is increasing the flow of investment capital into Canadian climate innovation startups. Recognizing the systemic underfunding of underrepresented founders, they prioritize creating equitable ac cess to funding. Their Invest Together in Climate Innovation program trained sixteen…
With support from the Ontario Conservation Accelerator, 26,300 acres of forest, wetlands, and lakes south of Bancroft, Ontario have now been formally recognized by the Governments of Ontario and Canada as a protected area. This property, known as…
Canada’s building sector is a major GHG emitter, and we need to put our houses, and all our construction projects in order. Their deep knowledge of these topics prompted NRC, RAIC, and Ha/f to launch nationwide in-person and…
For years, Canada’s climate policy had to rely on crude, slow-to-update estimates of methane emissions which significantly impeded mitigation efforts. Carleton University’s Energy & Emissions Research Lab (EERL) launched the National-Scale Methane Census to close this critical gap,…
A social housing complex near Ottawa sought to replace inefficient baseboard heaters with heat pumps to cut energy use and improve tenant comfort. Early assessments revealed a major roadblock: the property’s electrical panels and utility service lacked the…
When B.C. homeowners lost their home to a fire they decided to rebuild with a bold, personal, but also planetary vision. They set out to demonstrate how residential construction can achieve deep carbon reductions while remaining practical and…
Farms for Change is an initiative that channels produce from The New Farm Centre—Canada’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® vegetable farm—and a network of like-minded growers to organizations providing access to food in low-income communities. In collaboration with Right…
Fully Indigenous owned sustainable solutions company SUNSET Renewable Asset Management is pioneering the first-of-its-kind renewable energy waste recycling industry in Canada. By working to recover critical minerals and preserve natural resources from early loss, re-powered, and end of…
Energy Neighbour surmounts the challenge of GHG reduction in the single-family residential sector by providing no-cost guidance to homeowners to help them understand their technology options, navigate government financing programs, and work with carefully vetted contractors. One-on-one guidance…
Initiated by the Inuit community of Inukjuak in 2008 and operational since November 2024, the Innavik Project, a new hydro facility, will produce enough energy for the community’s basic electrical needs and provide electrical heating in all the…
To tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, veritree launched their proprietary Smart Forests system. Smart Forests combines local ecology expertise with advanced tools like Lidar, satellite imagery and ground-based technology, including bioacoustic sensors, trail cameras, and dendrometers. In…
When regulations required fees for reusable bags, TELUS launched a nationwide transition to Tree Totes, made from 100% post-consumer recycled cotton. For every Tree Tote purchased, one tree is planted in Canadian post-wildfire restoration areas. In its first…
Mères au front and youth across Quebec have contributed to the adoption of nearly 170 Chairs of Generations by municipal councils, provincial and federal constituency offices and institutions. Crafted by children, each chair is placed at a decision-making…
The Green Resilience Project (GRP) partners with local organizations to host activities that explore connections between climate change, income security, affordability issues, and community resilience. The GRP has partnered with 51 organizations from across Canada, 62% of which…
Launched in 2024, Environmental Defence Canada’s Reconnection Project works to generate public engagement on environmental issues at the community level and build connections with local residents through conversations and events. Already active in eight regions surrounding the GTHA,…
The Trellis Fund builds talent and increases diversity in Canada’s energy sector by offering $2500 grants to female-identifying students planning to work in the clean energy transition. All levels of study are eligible for financial support, from micro-credentials…
Faced with the challenge of decarbonizing Atlantic Canada’s manufacturing sector, Green Economy Canada guided four small and medium-sized enterprises through net-zero technical studies, mapping out practical pathways for emissions reductions. From energy efficiency and solar potential to grid…
Environment services company Ramo is leading a nationwide circular economy project to plant 85 million willow trees, growing nature-based solutions that rehabilitate marginal lands and support climate action. With 20 million willow trees already in the ground—Ramo’s goal…
Since its launch in 2020, Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC) has scaled rapidly to engage over than 100 young British Columbians in paid, hands-on climate action across more than ten communities, from urban centres to remote Indigenous Nations.…
Launched in 2023, Zero30 is Saint John Energy’s ambitious plan to create a roadmap to net-zero emissions by 2030. This award-winning municipally owned utility is drawing up a roadmap that blends local renewable generation, battery storage, and smart…
Voted “Top Project of the Year” at the October 2024 Clean50 Summit, the Resilience Institute, a national charity, began this journey with the Piikani Nation by developing a Local Early Action Plan (LEAP) on climate change. This process…
Insurance company Aviva has a global ambition – they want to have a net-zero supply chain by 2030 and a fully net-zero company by 2040, and they understand this goal cannot be achieved alone. Working with suppliers to…
In 2021, Brock University sought a partner to help deploy an integrated energy management system to optimize, manage and provide real-time visibility into building energy consumption data across their main campus. Initial objectives included automated utility billing and…
A few years ago, it became clear that Camp Kawartha needed to replace its 1950’s-era Health Centre that was aging and poorly insulated. The Camp’s Health Centre serves as a treatment facility for campers, students, visitors and staff. …
Expectations are growing for governments and businesses to integrate and measure their impact on sustainability outcomes in a holistic and transparent way. The Government of Canada is required by law – the Federal Sustainable Development Act – to…
The Belcher Street Marsh is located on the macrotidal Jijuktu’kwejk River, part of the Bay of Fundy’s Minas Basin. An estimated 80% of the historic tidal wetlands in the bay have been lost since the introduction of dyking…
For many communities in Canada, there are two main sources of local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: transportation and buildings. New residential and commercial buildings can be built to new standards that greatly reduce the emissions associated with heating…
Time is not on our side in the fight against climate change. Around the globe we’ve been more than a day late and a dollar short on investing in climate solutions for years now. Fortunately, the Climate Venture…
Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA) established the Green Tech Working Group (GTWG) in 2023 to provide stakeholder engagement with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the Department of Finance (Finance) regarding the federal government’s plan to build…
The Haeckel Hill-Thay T’äw Wind Energy Project was initiated to tackle the Yukon’s increasing reliance on imported fossil fuels, for energy demands that run particularly high during the winter months. Launched with the goal of enhancing local energy…
The Esḵéḵxwi7ch tl’a Sp’áḵw’us Place Project was born of a need to address a critical housing shortage within the Squamish Nation. The goal was to provide housing that aligned with the Nation’s broader efforts to enhance living conditions…
