Healthy ecosystems provide fertile soil, clean water and air, as well as natural resources such as timber and food. They help protect us from floods and the spread of diseases and also help moderate complex climate and hydrological systems. These and other “ecosystem services” are fundamental to our survival. Natural capital is the land, air,… Read More
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Pembina Institute: Fast Cities
A new study from the Pembina Institute shows that investing in public transit is essential for any city to reduce the gridlock their streets face and for commuters who have no access to cars to conveniently travel around their city. But as the report shows, not all transit systems are built equal. The report examines… Read More
It’s Your Move: Pam Damoff
The Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) has just released their 9th video for their It’s Your Move campaign. The It’s Your Move campaign is a campaign launched by TCAT to promote the importance of using the 25% of funding set aside by Metrolinx for local transportation initiatives and to use a dedicated portion of… Read More
Solar Thermal – How and Where it Works
Solar thermal energy uses solar energy via a heat exchanger to pre heat water that then goes into a hot water tank to be heated up further if necessary to supply hot water to the user to be used in swimming pools, hot showers, dishwashers or any other place we like to have our water… Read More
Improving Health by Design
When the discussion of how the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area will grow and adapt to the changes to urban form and the built environment, one topic of conversation always arises; designing healthy and complete communities. But the active transportation conversation is not just relevant for urbanists or environmentalists, but rather, to the general public… Read More
Oakville’s Sustainable Building Designs
The town of Oakville has been making headlines recently for the town’s transit building receiving a LEED Silver certification from Canada’s Green Building Council. Started in 1993, LEED is an acronym that stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” which is a rating systems that determines a building’s “design, construction, operation, and maintenance.” This… Read More
TCAT’s Move
With the upcoming Toronto elections (October 27, 2014), one of the main issues being raised by all candidates is Public Transit. One of the main missions of the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) has always been the unified promotion of a “better cycling and pedestrian environment in Toronto.” And now with the coming elections,… Read More
Natural Capital and it’s Importance to Canada’s Economy
As Canadians, we’re lucky to live in such a country that has an abundance of natural resources. And as Canadians, we’re fortunate enough to be able to revel in our natural resources through various recreational activities (such as camping, portaging, mountain climbing, etc.). To prove this, here are some key facts about Canada’s natural resources… Read More
Path to Healthier Air
Considering that Toronto is Canada’s largest city, and the fourth largest city in North America, issues such as clean air requires room for research and discussion, as the city continues to grow both in human and vehicular populations. A study by Toronto Public Health titled “Path to Healthier Air” highlights the importance of continued research… Read More
The Importance of Urban Parks
One of the difficulties of living in a big city like Toronto or the GTA is the lack of proximal green spaces. There are of course parks in and around the city such as High Park and Trinity Bellwoods. But for those who don’t live close enough to green spaces such as these, urban parks… Read More