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.
Maple Leaf Foods made an industry leading commitment in 2014 – and in 2019 they became the first major food company to be carbon neutral.
In the world.
The Ontario Association of Architects’ failing windows offer us a window into adapting existing buildings to address climate change.
Guelph’s 10C Shared Space/Chalmers Community Services Centre; A dynamic and replicable engine room for Guelph’s social change sector With its engaged, progressive community and lively, historic downtown, it’s easy to think that a project aligning10C Shared Space/Chalmers Community…
Canada has the potential to be a leader in clean technology, and not just because we’ve been insulating to save a little on the heating bill for a long time. Anyone familiar with the City of Waterloo, brimming…
I imagine Acton Ostry Architects would somewhat prefer that we not be making too big a fuss about their recently constructed Brock Commons Tallwood House that now graces the University of British Columbia Point Grey campus. At the…
Raindrops keep falling on my single biggest investment. Home Flood Protection Program helps keep homeowners above water It’s something just about every homeowner dreads. For many of us in Canada, the sound of rain instantly conjures up the…
Before the Global Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Infrastructure there were no globally established tools to assess, validate, and benchmark the sustainability performance or the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities of infrastructure funds and assets. Anyone seeking…
What if we reject the premise that moving means you throw a lot of stuff out, that some kind of literal or figurative pile on the curb is a natural byproduct of transitioning from one building to another?…
It may not be what first comes to mind when you think of Canon Canada, but since 2014, Canon Canada’s employees have contributed more than 8,000 hours of volunteer service, planted more than 33,000 trees, removed 92,000 cubic…
Transportation is one of Canada’s top greenhouse gas producers. Reducing those emissions is key to fighting climate change and cycling is one of the best ways to get people out of their cars. For the most part, every…
There is nothing inherently progressive or conservative about energy and climate change, yet it is one of the most deeply polarizing issues of our time. Surveys show that attitudes towards climate change and related policy in Alberta have…
Flyway Habitat Restoration Project: Giving the birds, Credit. Credit Valley Conservation Authority and CRH Canada Group Inc. know waterfront property is for the birds. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the now indisputable fact that nature is declining…
It takes a really amazing village: Eden Mills Going Carbon Neutral Let’s begin by making it clear that no one was tossed out for not participating in the Eden Mills’ efforts to go carbon neutral. Residents’ participation in…
Waste not, want not: Provision Coalition’s Manufacturing Food Loss and Waste Prevention Project It is a startling fact that one third of all the food produced on Earth is wasted. In Canada an estimated 43% of that is…
Stone cold savings; GreenQ Partners find chilling efficiencies in a warming world Refrigeration plants are typically one of the biggest electricity consumers at food manufacturing facilities. They are a highly complex system able to meet a consistent cooling…
Message, and more in a bottle; Upcycling Ocean-Bound Plastic Waste into High End Tech Products In Haiti bottled water is about the furthest thing from a luxury. As the country works to recover from the devastating earthquake of…
Charge ‘er up; Retail Hydrogen Network finds the right way to step on the gas Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) eliminate vehicle tailpipe emissions, allow for highly efficient use of energy and enable a number of low-carbon-intensity…
The agenda that emerged from the Charting Pathways to Sustainable Futures project was ultimately endorsed by 132 member nations (a project of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) with substantial involvement from the University…
Right now, Kitselas First Nation, whose traditional use territory spans from the Pacific Ocean inland approximately 160 km to the Skeena River Valley in and around Terrace BC, is poised to materially participate in the economic development boom…
Business Coalition for a Clean Economy // Building a Business Coalition to Support a Clean Economy The narrative we’re used to is that the business community is pro-development and pro-economy and that conservation and pro-climate sentiments lie with…
There is a long history of renewable energy projects that are conceived outside of communities being implemented with little to no consultation, ultimately resulting in a project that’s benefits leak out of the community and builds no long-lasting…
It’s difficult to over-emphasize the importance of developing urban properties sustainably. At present, real estate and construction industries continue to aggressively invest in urban assets. How they choose to manage and develop these assets will have a huge…
Building on the legacy of their CivicAction Award winning program, which wrapped up in 2015, the Toronto Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA Toronto) teamed up with Toronto Hydro for race2reduce. The goal of the program is to…
Canada’s annual water loss is estimated to be near $3 billion with a GHG footprint of about 2 million tons of CO2 and the majority of this leakage happens through the municipal water network, before water reaches your…
Dog waste, while it is a small price to pay for the glory that is dogs, is a stinky reality. It collects and overflows in garbage receptacles in parks everywhere. This collection method attracts flies, detracts from park…
It’s never as simple as farm to table. The business of growing food to feed Canadians and to export to global markets generates waste materials that require special techniques for safe management and diversion from landfills. Cleanfarms is…
CN’s EcoConnexions From the Ground Up program was launched in 2012 to promote environmental sustainability through the greening of communities, including Indigenous communities, along their rail network in Canada and the United States. Working together with their partners,…
“Reduce, Reuse, Reimage” might be a fine motto for Compugen Finance who have made diverting some of the 44.7 million metric tonnes of E-waste that currently end up in landfill their mission. To get a sense of the…
Dextran Products, a Toronto-based pharmaceutical manufacturer, was looking to slash their water use in order to save money, comply with municipal programs, and become a more socially-responsible company. With the assistance of the Toronto Regional Conservation Area’s Partners…
In 2013 the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) found themselves with what is, in many ways, a happy problem — they needed more space to accommodate their growing number of staff and volunteers — and for which they found…
The road to Road to Context is easier than it might seem. Several of the corporate members of the Embedding Project — a long-term partnership hosted at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University involving dozens…
Science tells us that expanding our use of fossil fuels is bad for humanity and the ecosystem. While alternative solutions exist, they’re often more expensive (for now) as technology evolves, and so new home and condominium construction continues…
At the core of the success of General Motors Landfill-Free Project at GM Oshawa Assembly Plant initiative lies the fact that the “team” for this project numbers approximately 3,000. Lead by Sr. Environmental Engineer, Douglas Sirrs, it was…
Engaging the services of a consultant can seem like a risky investment for a business. Paying for ideas is seldom an attractive prospect, especially when there are nuts and bolts projects calling out for cash. However, as the…
Anyone who, faced with a few large energy bills or concerned about their carbon footprint, has found themselves squinting at a crumpled, half-faded manual trying to reprogram their thermostat, can relate on some level to the problem faced…
In 2013, while the Town of Gibsons, BC was in the process of inventorying its existing assets — determining their state and value, and preparing asset management plans to maintain or replace the assets in an effort to…
Addressing sustainability challenges can make unlikely bedfellows. Yet if messy, complex sustainability issues, such as climate change, deforestation, and fisheries management are to be tackled, organizations far more comfortable competing must sometimes learn to collaborate. Simply managing one’s…
In 2015 Plug’n Drive conducted a secret shopper study that uncovered some of the reasons why electric vehicle (EV) sales at the dealers were less than they ought to be be. The results of that study showed that…
In a sense we are just past the dawn of a new Gold Rush. There is (literally) gold in them thar hills of E-waste we produce, along with silver, platinum and palladium, but the technology currently used for…
It’s difficult to visit the well-treed site of Trinity College School in Port Hope Ontario and not consider the environment. One of Canada’s oldest schools, established in 1865, TCS has all the Hogwarts-esque stone and ivy trimmings of…
