Toronto Atmospheric Fund
Worldwide, damage due to climate change, storm damage and flooding has totalled more than $1.6 trillion since 1980, with weather-related insurance claims increasing on average by 11% per year. Meanwhile, thanks to a changing climate, it is predicted that Toronto will have hotter, drier summers — with many more days of extreme heat — along with wetter, stormier winters.
The City of Toronto established Toronto Atmospheric Fund in 1991 to focus on reducing local greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions. Working with a $23 million endowment from the sale of the long-closed Langstaff Jail Farm, TAF operates as an arms-length agency at no cost to the City. TAF helps the City achieve the targets set out in the Council-approved climate plan and supports energy cost savings through energy efficiency. TAF-supported projects such as a streetlighting retrofit, traffic light LED conversion, and building retrofits have generated $55 million in savings for the city to date.
TAF deploys three programs — Incubating Climate Solutions, Mobilizing Financial Capital, and Mobilizing Social Capital — to address Toronto's major emissions sources: buildings and transportation. Based on a careful study of Toronto's emissions profile, TAF has a strong interest in energy efficiency retrofits in buildings, electric vehicles for fleets, efficient transportation of goods, natural gas alternatives like geothermal, and social innovation to support emission reduction strategies.
What's new
Join us to celebrate some savvy climate solutions
Our ClimateSpark Launch Gala will be a chance to celebrate the great success of our ClimateSpark Social Venture Challenge. Come out and meet our ten winners, see who wins the $50,000 TCF Green Innovation Award, and network with a wide array of green entrepreneurs and climate movers and shakers. It all happens February 7, at the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon in the Toronto Reference Library. Tickets are just $35 and include appetizers and a drink.
Stay in touch
Stay in touch with what is happening at TAF by subscribing to our e-newsletter and following our blog.
Electric vehicles hit Toronto streets
Our FleetWise EV300 program is assisting public and commercial fleets with integrating electric vehicles (EVs) EVs can reduce vehicle emissions by 80% or more compared to a conventional car or light truck. Through EV300, partner fleets have now ordered more than 50 EVs, which will be hitting GTA streets and highways starting in the new year. In many cases, EV300 analytic tools have helped fleets select the right EVs for their needs.
ClimateSpark winners announced
The 10 winners of ClimateSpark Ignite, the online leg of the three-part ClimateSpark Social Venture Challenge, range from a system for growing vegetables on roofs and a plan for converting "zoo poo" into biogas to an online platform for goods sharing, and help for commuters. The winners will now participate in a two-day venture development bootcamp.
