OUR COMMUNITY AT WORK

Partners in Project Green
2017 Annual Report

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Letter From Our Chairs | 2013-2017 Results | Our Performance Areas
Communications & Engagement | Energy Performance | Waste Management | Water Stewardship
Financial Information

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Letter From Our Chairs

As we approach a decade of Partners in Project Green, we reflect on the success of our unique public-private business model. Designed to bring together a wide array of actors in government, civil society and in business, our members are all dedicated to a common principle: advancing sustainability.

We have witnessed the power of this principle through collective innovations and actions that have resulted in economic prosperity while protecting our climate and our ecological and social systems.

In 2017 we continued to work with our members through our flagship programs in water, waste and energy and have attracted new members. We also saw increased attendance at our events and engagement in our signature People Power Challenge, an employee engagement program designed for our members.

Engaging our members on these many fronts has created a strong sense of community, bound geographically within the watersheds of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and conceptually by a common goal.

Through the overarching Partners in Project Green banner, diverse industries, municipalities and other not-for profit organizations come together to achieve more as a group then they could as individuals. With this in mind, and in addition to highlighting our results for 2017, we have also captured the collective impact of our members over the last five years – and the results are impressive.

Partners in Project Green also works with our members to highlight important emerging government policies – their implications and opportunities. Importantly, in late 2016, Canada released the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change – its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This framework identified the key pillars to drive down emissions, which include: pricing carbon pollution; complimentary climate actions to address market barriers (such as energy efficiency standards and codes for buildings and vehicles); climate adaptation and resiliency; and investing in clean technology, innovation and jobs.

Knowing that the success of meeting Canada’s emissions targets will be largely borne by local municipalities and businesses, Partners in Project Green is well positioned to support our members through peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing and project implementation.

We’d like to congratulate the commitment and collective efforts of our members and thank them for their ongoing support.

With best wishes,

JOHN COYNE Vice President, Legal and External, and General Counsel, Unilever Canada | Co-Chair, Partners in Project Green Executive Management Committee

HILLARY MARSHALL Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Communications, Greater Toronto Airports Authority | Co-Chair, Partners in Project Green Executive Management Committee

Partners in Project Green 2013-2017 Results

118,930 Tonnes eCO2 reduced annually		1.39 Billion litres of water offset annually		302 Circular economy exchanges		16,460 Tonnes of waste diverted
132 EV Charging stations installed		213 Members engaged		6,644 Event participants		1,053 People Power Challenge projects

Our Performance Areas

Partners in Project Green is governed by an Executive Management Committee comprising businesses, government bodies, institutions and utilities. The Executive Management Committee is a sub-committee of the TRCA Authority and oversees the direction and strategy of Partners in Project Green.

This strategy calls for a focus on four key performance areas, and has performance area committees that include municipal councillors and staff, as well as representatives from the business sector.

	WATER STEWARDSHIP		WASTE MANAGEMENT
	ENERGY PERFORMANCE		COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT

Performance Area: COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT

The Communications & Engagement performance area supports businesses in their efforts to engage employees and build excitement around sustainability efforts. Programs include People Power Challenge and the Community Tree Planting.

RESULTS

Number of Active Members: 93

Number of Event Attendees: 1,092

COLLECTIVE IMPACT

The People Power Challenge is a turn-key employee engagement program that gives businesses an exciting way to engage staff and drive sustainability results while competing against other organizations for great cash prizes and bragging rights.

In 2017, 18 organizations participated in the People Power Challenge. The results:

• 2,829 suggestions generated
• 5,184 pledges made
• 562 distinct projects completed
• 47,939 employees reached

Winners of the 2017 People Power Challenge. Top row, left to right: City of Toronto (Winner – Large Enterprise); Toronto Zoo (Runner-up – Large Enterprise). Bottom row: left to right: Orlando Corporation (Winner – Small Enterprise); Velcro Canada (Runner-up – Small Enterprise)

The 2017 participants in the People Power Challenge included City of Toronto as well as four departments from Region of Peel. These municipal participants generated 778 suggestions and 2,098 pledges, and completed 63 distinct projects, with a total of 39,500 employees reached.

Performance Area: ENERGY PERFORMANCE

The Energy Performance area supports businesses to realize efficiencies and reap big paybacks by reducing their energy use. Programs include Electric Vehicle Network, Energy Leaders Consortium, and the Eco-Efficiency Program.

RESULTS

GHG Reduction: 10,006 tonnes eCO₂

Open EV Network: 32 Charging stations installed

Between 2014 and 2017, Partners in Project Green and 17 of our partner business organizations installed 132 EV charging stations at locations across the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto Pearson

COLLECTIVE IMPACT

The Energy Leaders Consortium provides a forum for energy management personnel of large industrial and commercial businesses to convene and learn from each other’s initiatives, share resources and expertise and strategize solutions to shared challenges.

In 2017, 15 Energy Leaders Consortium member businesses implemented 110 conservation projects. Annual savings:

• 85,000 eMWh of energy
• 168,000 m³ of water
• 9,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide
• $6.7 million in utility costs

Members of the 2017 Energy Leaders Consortium

Performance Area: WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Waste Management performance area supports businesses to divert waste from landfill, support local communities and move towards a circular economy. Programs include Material Exchange and Recycling Collection Drive.

RESULTS

Materials Diverted from Landfill: 6,260 tonnes (215 direct, 6,045 indirect)

Successful Materials Exchanges: 160

COLLECTIVE IMPACT

Partners in Project Green hosts Recycling Collection Drive, an employee engagement campaign, during Waste Reduction Week in Canada. Participating organizations collect and recycle clothing and household textiles and engage their employees on sustainability.

In 2017, 23 organizations participated across 72 facilities, 30,000 employees were reached and 13.9 tonnes of e-waste and textiles were diverted. This included collection at 18 municipal facilities across Region of Peel, City of Mississauga and City of Vaughan, which were open to both city staff and residents.

Partners in Project Green champions celebrate launch of 2017 Recycling Collection Drive

Partners in Project Green also supported City of Mississauga’s Municipal Recycling Collection Drive during Earth Week. 14 locations hosted collection drives open to both city staff and residents, diverting 5.9 tonnes of e-waste and textiles. 

Performance Area: WATER STEWARDSHIP

The Water Stewardship performance area supports businesses to discover smart solutions for effectively reducing their water footprint. Programs include Stormwater Infrastructure Projects, Water Audit Program and Innovative Water Technologies.

RESULTS

Water Footprint Reduction: 666.2 million litres per year (37.7 million direct, 628.5 million indirect)

COLLECTIVE IMPACT

Partners in Project Green established a two-year Municipal Eco-Cluster, focused on water efficiency, with five municipalities of Ontario (Region of Peel, City of Toronto, York Region, City of Guelph and Region of Waterloo) to showcase best practices projects and case studies of water-energy nexus implementation excellence.

Through this effort, Partners in Project Green aligned with GTA municipalities’ water efficiency programs to facilitate the participation in 30 on-site audits, resulting in 364.4 million litres of process water and wastewater offset capital implementation projects completed in 2017.

More Highlights

Left: Stakeholders for Arla Foods water conservation case study, York Region; Right: Concept design of Tom Longboat Junior Public School rain garden, located in Scarborough, Ontario.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Partners in Project Green – A program of Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Unaudited Statement of Operations and Accumulated Deficit
Year ended December 31, 2017

All amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars