Each of the eight winners of 2005 Green Toronto Awards received $5,000 to donate to the environmental organization of their choice.
Community Projects Award (Loblaw Companies Limited)
thINK FOOD/Phones-for-Food Project
thINK FOOD/Phones-for-Food is a recycling and fundraising project that works to alleviate hunger and divert waste from landfill sites by raising funds for local food banks through the process of recycling used printer cartridges and cell phones. The project was developed at Torontos' Daily Bread Food Bank in 2001 and now operates across the country, benefiting hundreds of local food banks. Used cartridges and phones are collected, sorted and sold to the re-manufacturing industry, which turns them into refurbished products for consumers. The funds raised go to local food banks. thINK FOOD/Phones-for-Food is making a difference. Sue Cox (Daily Bread Food Bank) and Paul Ronan (City of Toronto) are in the photograph.
Environmental Awareness Award (Toronto Hydro Corporation)
The Stop Community Food Centre
The Stop Community Food Centre has been fighting hunger and poverty in Toronto for more than 30 years. In partnership with Toronto Parks and Recreation, the centre runs the Urban Agriculture Project. Since 1998, the project has been an integral force in increasing the amount of nutritious food and organic produce in food banks and other meal programs. It has also protected the environment by cultivating locally, organically grown vegetables and heritage plants. The project educates volunteers who are eager to contribute to their community through a hands-on approach to urban ecology and gardening.
Green Design Award (Roots)
Beach Solar Laundromat
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment named Beach Solar Laundromat Canada's leading small business in terms of pollution prevention and greenhouse-gas emissions in 2004. Beach Solar Laundromat is powered by solar energy created by eight solar thermal panels on its roof. Owner Alex Winch has replaced electric lights with high-efficiency fluorescent lights, and his unique air-conditioning system emits no exhaust heat and does not use refrigerants. Beach Solar Laundromat has succeeded in reducing emissions by 40 per cent and lowering utility expenses by $9,500 while increasing the business's revenues significantly. The photo shows Alex Winch, president of Mondial Energy, with solar panels on the roof of Beach Solar Laundromat.
Health Award (Ace Bakery)
FoodShare
FoodShare focuses on the entire system that puts food on the table - from the growing, processing and distribution of fresh, organic food to its purchase, cooking and consumption. In 2002, FoodShare established the Sunshine Garden, a 7,000-square-foot urban market garden on the grounds of Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Established as a partnership between FoodShare Toronto and the centre's educational and rehabilitation services, the garden provides participants with training for employment and encourages the interaction of institutional and community participants. The Sunshine Garden program is preserving urban green spaces and contributing to human healing.
Leadership Award (Toronto Community Foundation)
Jerry DeMarco
Jerry DeMarco has dedicated his life's work to projects that nurture a green Toronto. As an environmental lawyer, he worked on a project originating in Hudson, Quebec. Hudson passed a bylaw prohibiting non-essential uses of pesticides, which was then challenged by two lawn-care companies. The Hudson case was already at the Supreme Court of Canada level when DeMarco and colleague, Stewart Elgie intervened on behalf of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the World Wildlife Fund and Nature-Action Québec. Their goal was to uphold the bylaw as well as to broaden the environmental implications of the case. Canada's highest court subsequently set a legal precedent that enabled Toronto to pass its own pesticides bylaw. The court's decision provided legal acknowledgement that the future of every Canadian community depends on a healthy environment.
Market Transformation Award (Summerhill Group)
Grassroots Environmental Products
Grassroots is one of Toronto's leading retailers of environmentally responsible products. Founded in 1994, Grassroots' mission is to provide people with the wares and information they need to lead a healthy, environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Stocking a range of merchandise that includes everything from biodegradable household cleaners to organic clothing, Grassroots is in the business of providing customers with solutions. By creating consumer awareness, offering ways to reduce waste and featuring environmentally-friendly household goods, Grassroots continues to change the marketplace.
Resource Conservation Award (Ceres)
Enwave Energy Corporation
Enwave Energy Corporation's Deep Lake Water Cooling system provides cost-competitive cooling to buildings in Toronto's downtown core. The system, launched in 2004, consumes a fraction of the electrical energy consumed by traditional cooling technologies. Enwave's goal in initiating the project was to provide a smart alternative for air conditioning downtown buildings. The corporation also wanted to integrate infrastructure to provide Toronto with a deeper, colder, cleaner source of potable water and to demonstrate leading-edge technology that can be replicated.
Youth Award (TD Bank Financial Group)
Jennifer Gordon
Jennifer Gordon has volunteered, for the past two years, with Evergreen, a national non-profit environmental organization working to help Canadians bring nature back to their cities. Her efforts have concentrated on enhancing Evergreen's Stewards in the City program to help restore Toronto's wildlife habitat and enhance biodiversity. A true ambassador for the environment, Jennifer Gordon has inspired fellow volunteers and Evergreen staff as well as her entire school. Leading by example, she has implemented school greening initiatives for the benefit of students, staff and the local community.
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