In the News
For a greener GTA
By: Ian Urquhart - The Toronto StarPollution doesn't stop at city boundaries, so it is important to take a region-wide approach to "greening" the Greater Toronto Area. A new initiative, led by the Toronto City Summit Alliance, does just that. In a 40-page report formally released yesterday, the alliance documents the extent of the challenge we face and outlines a series of initial, modest steps toward a greener region.
Progress is being made in recycling household waste, with almost 40 per cent of the GTA's rubbish being diverted from landfill. But only about 18 per cent of trash from businesses, institutions and other non-residential sources is being diverted.
Unfortunately, the commercial waste industry is highly fragmented, with many private-sector haulers, so action may not happen unless the province imposes rules on this sector.
"We need a big push here," David Pecaut, chair of the City Summit Alliance, said yesterday. Businesses and institutions can do much on their own. If non-residential recycling rates fail to show gains, however, Queen's Park will need to get the job done through regulation.
To its credit, the City Summit Alliance is bringing GTA companies, academics, social activists, governments and institutions together in a green coalition that could make significant gains.
New programs revealed yesterday are modest, such as encouraging the retrofitting of energy-hungry commercial buildings and pushing more "green" procurement by purchasing departments. But they represent a solid start in addressing an environmental challenge that confronts the GTA and the rest of Canada.
Progress is being made in recycling household waste, with almost 40 per cent of the GTA's rubbish being diverted from landfill. But only about 18 per cent of trash from businesses, institutions and other non-residential sources is being diverted.
Unfortunately, the commercial waste industry is highly fragmented, with many private-sector haulers, so action may not happen unless the province imposes rules on this sector.
"We need a big push here," David Pecaut, chair of the City Summit Alliance, said yesterday. Businesses and institutions can do much on their own. If non-residential recycling rates fail to show gains, however, Queen's Park will need to get the job done through regulation.
To its credit, the City Summit Alliance is bringing GTA companies, academics, social activists, governments and institutions together in a green coalition that could make significant gains.
New programs revealed yesterday are modest, such as encouraging the retrofitting of energy-hungry commercial buildings and pushing more "green" procurement by purchasing departments. But they represent a solid start in addressing an environmental challenge that confronts the GTA and the rest of Canada.