The Pocket Change Project isn't just drawing in neighbours, the city is also onboard for some ambitious retrofits in our area.
On Dec 15th, Toronto City Council approved the Pocket Plus Neighbourhood Climate Action Plan. This motion is a follow-up on Councillor Fletcher's Pocket Change Plus, which Council approved last February.
As they explain: "the "Pocket Change Project" is a long-term transformation initiative focused on reducing the environmental footprint of the community through a suite of environmental actions for both residential and institutional stakeholders living and operating in the Pocket Neighbourhood."
In other words, it means that the city is officially backing our own efforts to reduce carbon and adding their own. Instead of Pocket Change just being about homeowners retrofitting their houses, now public buildings are getting involved!
Add to this the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority's Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP) for the Pocket and we've got serious institutional buy in to making our hood one of the greenest in the city, if not the country.
The latest development comes from the City's Environment and Energy Division, which has been working with every city agency that has a physical site in the Pocket to develop plans to reduce energy consumption, look for opportunities to generate renewable power and reduce or eliminate carbon footprints from buildings.
We've got lots of public buildings in our area that offer some exciting opportunities including the TTC Greenwood Yard (with great potential for solar energy), Toronto Community Housing buildings, the fire station, the First Nations Schools, and Ecole elementaire Bon Berger.
The draft interim report highlights ideas ranging from a massive solar installation (with green roof in and around) on the TTC shop roof, electric vehicle charging in the TTC parking lot, geothermal in Phin Park and sewer heat recovery.
Check out the full report here:
Pocket Change Project chair, David Langille, made this submission to council on our behalf:
Not sure how to deal with climate change or the emotions and thoughts it brings? Maybe we don’t need to figure it out on our own. Check out this inspiring story from one Pocket resident who started her own climate change support group among friends and neighbours.
The story of one Pocket Changemaking family who focused their retrofit on creating more space for their kids and lowering their home’s carbon footprint. Now they’re 100% electric, enjoying air conditioning in summer and greater comfort in winter, and loving their much lower utility costs.
