Toronto is the First Canadian 2030 District!

Very recently, it was announced that downtown Toronto has become the first 2030 District outside of the United States. This means that the downtown area bordered by Lake Ontario, Bathurst, Dupont, and the Don Valley is aiming to decrease its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 50% by the year 2030. There are only eight other cities in the US that have designated 2030 Districts, including Seattle, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Denver, Stamford, San Francisco, and Dallas.

To learn more about the 2030 District, we caught up with Jeff Ranson, Executive Director, Toronto 2030 District. Working with founding sponsors, including the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and Sustainable Buildings Canada, the first step to achieving Toronto 2030 District’s goal is to create a general understanding of how a city generating less emissions functions.

Toronto 2030 District Area

“We first need to develop what the energy performance profile for a building looks like for an office building, home, or apartment building,” explains Ranson. “The second part is to create an understanding of the emissions profile of a city. Where do the emissions come from in a city? How can we know where we should spend time and effort if there’s no real understanding of water and energy consumption?”

Ranson pointed out that just because a building uses a lot of energy doesn’t mean that it’s inefficient. For example, a hospital will use more energy than your average office building or condo because it is operational 24/7. So the goal isn’t to identify large consumers of energy and water, but to identify areas where the city can improve, be it through transit, buildings, or other infrastructure.

“Architects must be leaders in designing and building projects that are sustainable. That means continuing to educate ourselves, but also partnering with other organizations in the building sector to share the responsibility. The 2030 District facilitates a holistic approach to sustainable building, creating community cohesiveness to mobilize change,” says OAA President, Toon Dreessen.

Toronto 2030 District serves as a forum for industry professionals and the public to become aware of certain programs and incentives that are currently offered by the City or province. There won’t be any new standards for architects or builders and developers to adhere to, but Toronto 2030 District will be working to educate those building and living in the downtown area on how they can make a difference.

Developers and builders can make a difference by seeking LEED certification for their new communities, and they can accomplish this by exploring different options for energy production, such as a geothermal system or solar panels. Ranson mentions that it’s not entirely in the homebuilding industry’s hands though because there are major changes that need to be made outside of the control of a builder or developer, such as improvements to transit.

Toronto 2030 District Targets

While Toronto 2030 District has its sights on some big changes, it’s also about everyone coming together to make the little changes. Individually as homeowners, the changes we make to our homes won’t make that big of a difference on a global scale, or even city scale, but if the majority of people take steps to become more sustainable, then it can go a long way.

Ranson listed a few things homeowners can do to help lower GHG emissions in Toronto, including replacing windows and insulation, upgrading your lighting, installing a smart thermostat, using smart power bars, and installing water saving fixtures. Even homeowners can explore the option of solar panels.

One example of an existing program for homeowners offered by the City of Toronto is the Property Assessed Clean Energy program (PACE). Ranson says that one of the largest barriers preventing homeowners from conducting efficient retrofits is the up front financing. Through PACE, the money is actually lent to the property by the municipality, tying the loan to the property tax. This way, the homeowner doesn’t have to worry about spending a lot of money on an upgrade and then losing their investment when they move out. The loan stays connected to the property tax, so the new owner benefits from the energy efficiency and also continues to pay for it.

“This is just one piece of a huge puzzle when it comes to global emissions,” Ranson says. The 2030 District project is based off a United Nations report that warns of severe climate disruption if global warming increases on average more than 2 degrees celsius. In the report, buildings were identified as major contributors to GHG emissions, therefore cities are the main culprit.

2030 District isn’t the one and only answer to save the world from global warming, but it can serve as a portal for all large cities to find numerous answers to creating a more sustainable environment. And it’s not only about conserving energy, but also finding ways to deal with the variable climate that is on its way.