Environment

Building on Toronto Community Housing’s Green Plan, Public Interest and Toronto Environmental Alliance united on an innovative pilot project to educate tenants of two social housing high-rise apartment buildings on Brahms Avenue about the need to conserve energy. This program, Brahms Energy Saving Team (BEST), has used approaches such as incentives, reinforcing energy-efficient behaviour, and installing energy-saving equipment to reduce energy consumption within the buildings.

Toronto Community Housing set out to become an environmental leader in North America and approached Public Interest and the Toronto Environmental Alliance for assistance developing a framework and action plan. This user-friendly green plan included the latest research in environmental housing programs to help the largest social housing provider in Canada in reducing its environmental impact and creating healthier communities.

The City of Toronto chose Public Interest to coordinate the 2006 Go Natural public education and awareness campaign for the City of Toronto’s Pesticide By-Law, which restricts the outdoor use of harmful pesticides. We helped create new communications material to emphasize the availability of natural, retailer-supported lawn care products and approaches. We also organized retailer outreach and in-store educational activities in order to promote natural and healthy lawn care alternatives and to raise customer awareness of the by-law.

Toronto Community Housing has adopted several green initiatives as part of its effort to improve the quality of life for its residents and staff and to support the City of Toronto’s goals in becoming a green city. These initiatives include improving recycling programs in its 300 different communities.