Blog

TransformTO Steps: Two transformative tools for community change

10/2018 - As change-makers, our role is to make the complex relevant. Here are two takeaways and tools from Tamarack Insitute's Community Change Festival to center relevance at the heart of our climate conversations.

What’s in, what’s out? TAF reviews Ontario’s climate policy cancellations

10/2018 - Ontario is hitting the reset button on climate policy. With the old plan out and some high-profile cancellation announcements, there is some confusion about the current status of policies and their implications and opportunities. Here's our review of the policy landscape and opportunities to provide input.

Health impacts of climate change may be the secret to inspiring action

9/2018 - Human health is intimately connected to the environment. That's why we partnered with the Ontario Public Health Association to develop a health-focused communications strategy for climate messaging. Find out more in this guest blog from their Executive Director, Pegeen Walsh.

How does your city measure up? The first regional emissions inventory is out in the GTHA

9/2018 - Cities bear the brunt of climate change impacts, where climate action can create multiple benefits for our communities. But regional emissions are not decreasing on the scale needed to meet provincial or municipal climate targets. That's why TAF developed the first region-wide emissions inventory for the GTHA. See the full report.

Asking a good question – weaving threads between Partnership Brokering and The Art of Hosting

8/2018 - …

Towards net-zero communities: Announcing TAF’s new regional grant recipients

8/2018 - In our recent grant intake period, The Atmospheric Fund awarded two new grants to low-carbon projects by the City of Markham and ACORN Institute Canada. TAF has also recruited three new regional practitioners to our Grants and Programs Committee to better represent the new communities we serve.

Toronto-based XPRIZE Finalist shows how to turn carbon emissions into renewable fuel

8/2018 - What if, in addition to reducing emissions, we could also take carbon out of the atmosphere? One Toronto-based research team, Carbon Electrocatalytic Recycling Toronto (CERT), hopes to achieve just that – turning carbon dioxide into a renewable fuel. So we sat down to interview CERT's Director Phil De Luna.

COMPASS: Game-changing energy benchmarking tool to launch in Fall 2018

7/2018 - The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and RWDI have developed a game-changing energy benchmarking tool, with TAF's support. The Compass tool streamlines energy benchmarking and reporting during the design phase of building development projects. New technology like this will get us closer to our TransformTO goals.

Look no further: Seven climate action funding opportunities in the GTHA

7/2018 - The transition to a low-carbon economy requires dedicated funding for a variety of climate initiatives led by municipalities, non-profits, and other stakeholders. Climate change continues to be a top priority for funders and investors. That's why we've created this helpful list of funding opportunities to launch and support low-carbon initiatives across the GTHA.

New TAF research shows big potential for heat pumps – even in cold climates

7/2018 - Our latest research on heat pumps reveals exciting carbon reduction potential. With high uptake from building owners, we could cut almost 1.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions in electrically heated buildings over the next 10 years. See our key recommendations to accelerate heat pump adoption in Ontario.

Energy efficiency leads to job and GDP growth in Canada, new research shows

6/2018 - Investments in energy-efficient buildings result in more local jobs and economic growth across Canada. From retrofits to housing renewal in Indigenous communities, energy efficiency can strengthen our economy and get us closer to a low-carbon future. Read our guest blog by Corey Diamond of Efficiency Canada.

Generation Energy report shows path to Canada’s low-carbon future

6/2018 - How should Canada transition to a low-carbon economy within a generation? 14 thought leaders from across Canada, including TAF CEO Julia Langer, authored the Generation Energy report to the federal government that maps out four critical pathways.