2008 Live Green Toronto grant recipients announced!
The City announced today the recipients of the 2008 Live Green Toronto funds that are designed to help the people of Toronto — through neighbourhood and community groups — take action on climate change.
A total of almost $700,000 was awarded to 14 groups for a variety of community-based projects which include renewable energy initiatives, local food production, green roofs and more.
Recipients of the Community Investment Program funds are:
- Harbord Village Residents’ Association ($20,000) for an Energy Audit and Retrofit for greenhouse gas emission reduction in a downtown neighbourhood.
- Laurier Ave residents sponsored by Don Vale Cabbagetown Residents Association ($25,000) for a Geothermal Project which will investigate the feasibility of retrofitting 22 century old Victorian homes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce heating/cooling costs by more than 50%.
- Greenest City ($25,000) for a project called “From the Ground Up,” an innovative initiative offering Parkdale residents the capacity, support and space needed to produce locally-grown food, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create green “urban farmer” jobs for 12 at-risk youth.
- Toronto United Church Council ($23,150) for the “Green Awakening” project which will drive awareness of the urgent need to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the challenges of climate change in 107 congregations across Toronto, and serve as a model for faith-based groups across the City.
- Green Here for the “Bridges to Community Environmental Initiatives” ($25,000) project which will reach out to 12 local park communities and develop four key neighbourhood greening/reforestation projects.
- Culture Link ($15,000) for the “Cycling – From Back Home to our New Home” project which will promote cycling as a viable means of transportation and foster the continuation of sustainable transportation habits, to newcomers as they integrate and adapt to Canadian society.
- Not Far From the Tree ($25,000) for a volunteer-driven fruit tree harvesting project which will see local fruit, that would otherwise go to waste, harvested and distributed equally to the tree owner, volunteer pickers and community organizations.
- Black Creek Conservation Project of Toronto ($25,000) to deliver active, on-the-ground, environmental programs in the Mount Denis-Weston communities of Toronto through 2008 and beyond.
Recipients of the Capital Projects Funds are:
- The Now House “Topham 10” Community Retrofit ($50,000) will energy retrofit 10 war-time homes with the goal of achieving net zero energy use based on the Now House demonstration model. LGTO funding will provide the incentive for homeowners to install solar photovoltaic panels to generate clean, renewable energy as part of a larger energy retrofit.
- FoodShare’s “Over the Top” project ($150,000) will design and install a food producing rooftop garden, solar water heating system and urban beehives.
- Bay Corridor Community Association ($25,000) for their Bay Street Bio-Swale project which will transform the Bay Corridor, between Wellesley and Grosvenor Streets into a clean air neighbourhood by introducing street vegetation, stormwater harvesting, alternative power sources, and encouraging the return of native flora and fauna.
- Stop Community Food Centre ($100,000) for their “Green Barn” project which involves the construction of a 3,000 sq. ft. greenhouse for sustainable food production and an education centre, including energy and water saving technologies such as geothermal heating, passive solar energy and greywater recycling.
- Hugh Garner Housing Cooperative ($150,000) for the “Green Roof” project which involves the completion of a 22,000 sq. ft green roof installation on the Hugh Garner Co-op rooftop as well as a water retention system for irrigation, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic renewable energy technologies and evaporative cooling.
- FoodCycles ($35,087) for their “Downsview Park Greenhouse” project which will produce high-quality compost material for community gardens by recycling local organic waste and producing local organic vegetables.
Background
For 2008, City Council approved funding of $200,000 for the Community Investment Program to build capacity within local communities and neighbourhoods to identify, develop and initiate actions that will reduce greenhouse gas and smog-causing emissions; and $500,000 for the Capital Projects Fund to help implement capital asset projects that result in significant reductions in emissions and which the local community has identified and is engaged in supporting.
2009 Live Green Toronto funding
In 2009, Live Green Toronto funding for community-based green initiatives will increase to $2.2 million. The first round of funding applications will begin in February, and the second in July, 2009.
