The Pocket Change Project has been super busy this fall, working to bring you some great events and to assist even more homeowners undertaking green home improvements through our retrofit coordination service (we call those homeowners ChangeMakers - because they are!). Plus, we've launched a new Sustainable Transportation working group, which is dedicated to making it easier and more enjoyable for people to get around more sustainably in and around our community (by bike, car rentals/car sharing, EVs - and by that we mean both bikes and cars, walking, and transit).
In this issue:
- Must-see November webinars
- Pocket Change makes the news – again and again!
- E-Bike video and a new discount on electric heat pump water heaters
- Action you can take: The Reusable Toronto pledge
Make all-season cycling a breeze! Cycle Toronto will guide us through topics including: choosing clothing and gear for wet and cold weather, bicycle maintenance and storage tips, winter route-planning, and safe riding techniques for weather-related hazards. Plus bring your questions for the Q&A! Brought to you by the Pocket Change Project and Cycle Toronto.
Home heating costs are soaring thanks to rising gas prices, so there has never been a better time to switch to a cold climate air source heat pump to heat and cool your home. Switching to a heat pump can save you thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the equipment. It will also dramatically reduce your home’s climate impact. This event features experts who can answer all your questions. Brought to you by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance.
Are you interested in greening your home a little – or a lot? Do you want to gain a really clear understanding of how all the steps, options, and processes fit together? Then this essential “big picture” webinar is for you! Pocket Change Retrofit Coach Paul Dowsett (founder of Sustainable: Architecture for a Healthy Planet), Registered Energy Advisor Sarah Grant (co-founder, Goldfinch Energy), and other special guests will take you through what you need to know when considering a deep home retrofit – or an upgrade to work you’ve already done to green your home. Most importantly this webinar will go over ways to “bring it all together” – through a step-wise process that makes sense for your home and makes it a lot easier on you! Brought to you by the Pocket Change Project.
TIME: 8 – 9:15 pm ET
WHERE: On Zoom
RSVP and more info here.
Pocket Change makes the news - again and again!
There has been a flurry of media interest lately around the Pocket Change Project, and particularly our green home retrofit coordination service. We’re so glad that the word is getting out there about local community-based solutions to make the process of green home improvements a lot easier for homeowners. Here is a roundup:
- August 29, The Toronto Star (front page!). Pocket Change: How one Toronto neighbourhood is coming together to fight climate change faster for less money. Read it here.
- September 5. CBC Radio-Canada (Toronto), Program: Y a pas deux matins pareils, 8-minute morning-drive interview featuring Pocket resident (and ChangeMaker) Nancy Tremblay. To hear this French-language interview, play the segment at 8:41am on this page.
- October 18, CBC Radio-Canada (Toronto) – TV, online, radio. Des bénévoles accélèrent les rénovations écoénergétiques à Toronto (“Volunteers accelerate energy-efficient retrofits in Toronto”). Nancy Tremblay speaks about the Pocket Change Retrofit Coordination Service in this series about “a big idea that could change Toronto.” See French-language video interview and read story here.
- October 23, 2022. CBC Radio-Canada (National). Program: Desautels le dimanche. 10-minute radio story featuring a number of Pocket Change members and ChangeMakers speaking about the need for community-based home retrofit services and the Pocket Change service in this regard. Hear it here (interviews are a mix of French-language and English)
E-bikes video and new discount on electric heat pump water heaters
We wanted to highlight a couple of initiatives from our friends and colleagues at the Harbord Village Residents Association (HVRA) Net Zero Committee that will no doubt be of interest to many. First, HVRA hosted an excellent e-bike webinar in September that will really tell you a lot if you want to learn about the different types of e-bikes and how they work, purchase and rental options, how e-bikes are great for extending biking distances and "flattening" hills, and many other considerations. To watch the video, click this link or the image here:
Second, HVRA has negotiated a new discount, this time on electric heat pump water heaters, in addition to their ongoing discount on electric induction ranges and cooktops and their e-bike promotion. Highly efficient Rheem Manufacturing electric heat pump water heaters are now available at a discount from Home Depot thanks to HRVA - and anyone is welcome to take advantage of these discounts. Read about the new electric heat pump water heater discount here.
A coalition of local organizations, reuse champions, businesses, and community members, convened by the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), has come together to work to eliminate disposables and champion a culture of reuse in Toronto through advocacy, policy change, community engagement, and on-the-ground solutions. They are calling for action from municipal, business and other leaders to enact sustainable solutions to single-use plastics: reusables. They are asking us all to imagine and work towards a GTA where for example:
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Cafes encourage you to bring your own mug
- Reusable dishes are available for dine-in food, even at fast-food restaurants
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Take-out is served in a reusable container that you can borrow and return when you’re done
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Delivery services ask first if you need condiments and utensils
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Reusable cups can be borrowed at a festival or event
The group notes that other cities are creating bold new reuse policies and programs and we can do this in the GTA too! We encourage you to learn more and sign the Reusable Toronto Pledge today, as an individual, group, and/or business.
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Thanks for reading, and best (and green) wishes to all,
Your friends at the Pocket Change Project
www.PocketChangeProject.ca
Harnessing the power of community to become one of Canada's greenest neighbourhoods.
