Positive News

On May 14th, 2009, the Ontario Green Energy Act basically passed and will soon be law. There seems to be a lot of people in the GTA who don't know a lot about this legislation, but who would like to know more about the meaning and possible effects.

We spoke with Mike Layton, Program Manager, Environmental Defence about the new legislation and some of the effects it might have in the Greater Toronto Area. Environmental defense is a 25 year old organization whose goal is to "protect the environment and human health across Canada". This respected organization publishes reports on environmental issues and helps educate Canadians on what we can do to reduce Canada's climate change footprint.

Since the Canadian Government is offering Grants to make your home more efficient, now is a great time to have an energy audit done of your home to find out what you can do to save energy.

At the Green Living Show last week we bumped into the folks from GreenSaver, a non-profit organization which offers energy audits and retrofits for homeowners in the GTA. Having an energy audit of your home before and after your renovations can help you qualify for a Natural Resources Canada grant (more information on the NRC website).

Vladan Veljovic, President & CEO of GreenSaver, was kind enough to answer some questions for us about their program, the environmental benefits, and about the money that consumers can save on utility bills after an energy audit.

The Green Toronto Awards for 2009 have now been awarded, and GreenGTA was there to cover the event and bring you the winners.

The City of Toronto's environmental awards of excellence honour and celebrate the individuals, organizations and companies leading the way to a cleaner, greener and more liveable Toronto.

This year's hosts were Mayor David Miller, Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, and special guest Ed Begley, Jr.

Here is a round-up of everyone who won, and who was an award finalist.

This year during Toronto's Earth Week (April 19th - April 25th), you can give a tip to the environment through selected Toronto retailers. The new program, named GREENtuity and launched new this year, lets you give $1 to the environment when you buy something in a store.

The Regional Municipality of York has added mail-in rebates for "a variety of water-efficient fixtures" in the Region.

The rebates are part of the Water for Tomorrow program, which offers education and savings to help save water in the Region.

On January 15th, 2009, Better Place electric cars announced a partnership with the government of Ontario, which aims to bring its electric car network to Ontario. This will mark the first such agreement for Better Place in Canada.

Ottawa's ecoMOBILITY announced last week that both Metrolinx and the Region of Peel will receive funding for environmentally friendly transportation in the area. The funding was announced by Canada's Transport Minister, John Baird.

The Region of Durham has released a map of the natural features in the area, complete with woodland, wetland, urban and transportation information. The map was produced by the Durham Region Environmental Advisory Committee (DEAC) with technical assistance from the Regional Planning Department.

As of December 9th, Toronto's Blue Bin program will start accepting plastic shopping bags and foam polystyrene packaging.

At last - low-speed vehicles (LSVs) such as the Toronto-based Zenn car will be allowed on some Ontario roads. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation sent out a press release on Friday that outlines the Ontario governments' intent to permit LSV cars on Ontario roads with "additional safety features".