The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Greening Canada Fund (GCF) signed an agreement last week under which TDSB will begin selling carbon credits to GCF - credits created from results of the Board's efforts to make significant reductions to its greenhouse gas emissions. Over five years, this innovative transaction - one of the first of its kind - is expected to generate more than $1.7 million for TDSB.

Since 2000, TDSB has invested more than $38 million in energy reduction projects that have produced an 18% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Those emission reductions have been measured and verified and will be sold through GCF, with the revenue reinvested in the Board's Environmental Legacy Fund Reserve to support future energy reduction projects.

"Selling carbon credits is a first for us and a vital part of our Go Green: Climate Change Action Plan. This is an important step along the way," said Board Chair Bruce Davis, while on a tour of Hillcrest Community School - one of the properties benefiting from the Board's energy retrofit projects, today and into the future.

In February 2010, the Board approved an ambitious Climate Change Action Plan to reduce building-related GHG emissions by a minimum of 20% by 2020, relative to a 2006 baseline. The Board's plan consists of a number of actions designed to continue to reduce its environmental footprint. Many of the actions outlined in the plan will generate additional carbon credits and the potential to earn additional revenue to support the Board's programs.

The purpose of the Greening Canada Fund, created by the Toronto City Summit Alliance's Greening Greater Toronto initiative in 2009, is to purchase high-quality carbon credits, such as those offered by the TDSB, for the benefit of the Fund's investors - Canadian corporations that have made a commitment to reduce their environmental impact while supporting local community energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.

"A unique feature of the Fund is our commitment to source the majority of our carbon credits from social and not-for-profit organizations such as Canadian public schools, hospitals and community housing," said Gerry Rocchi, CEO of Green Power Action Inc., the fund manager for the Greening Canada Fund. "In this way, our investors are not only helping the environment but investing in worthwhile community projects as well." Green Power Action Inc. is a Toronto-based company specializing in the management of carbon offset credits.

Two of Canada's largest financial institutions were the lead investors in the Fund and committed an initial $13 million to its creation. The two banks - BMO Financial Group and TD Bank Financial Group - have each made a public and voluntary commitment to operate as carbon neutral.

Greening Canada Fund
The Greening Canada Fund is the first ever voluntary carbon emissions reduction fund aimed exclusively at large Canadian corporations. It was created by Toronto City Summit Alliance's Greening Greater Toronto initiative to provide emission reductions opportunities for Canadian corporations, primarily by financing not-for-profit and public sector projects to reduce greenhouse gases. Launched in September 2009 with initial investments from BMO Financial Group and TD Bank Financial Group, GCF purchases and delivers carbon offset credits sourced from across Canada.

www.greenpoweraction.com/

It's easy to be an eco-friendly driver on Earth Day and every day. Mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day by making simple changes to the way you drive. "The small choices each person makes to be a greener driver can really add up," said Silvana Aceto, spokesperson for CAA SCO. "By following these green driving tips you can reduce your environmental impact and save money."

CAA's top ten eco-driving tips:

1. Remove excess weight such as roof racks and unnecessary items in your trunk
2. Avoid idling - 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning off and restarting the engine
3. Use air conditioning and seat heaters sparingly
4. Plan and combine your trips to save time as well as fuel
5. Close your windows and sun roof during highway driving
6. Reduce your highway speed - fuel consumption starts to increase above 90 km/h
7. Service your vehicle regularly
8. Keep your tires properly inflated
9. Avoid jack rabbit starts and hard braking
10. Consider taking public transit, car pooling, walking or riding your bike to work just one day a week

When replacing your car battery, CAA suggests Green Power Batteries, which are made from both recycled lead and plastic. Your old battery will also be recycled safely at any CAA Car Care Centre.

If it's time for an oil change think Safety-Kleen's EcoPower, a recycled and re-refined oil, which is used in CAA fleet trucks.

Meanwhile, CAA's Autogreen program has already collected 1.8 million litres of oil to be re-refined. This saves 5,800 tonnes of green house gases from being released into our air. The goal for Autogreen, in partnership with Trees Ontario, is to plant 20,000 trees, which is equal to approximately 260,000 pounds of carbon offset.

Visit www.caasco.com for more.

The International Performance Assessment Centre for Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide (IPAC - C02) today announced the hiring of Dr. Carmen Dybwad as the centre's new Chief Executive Officer.

IPAC - C02 is designed to meet a public and regulatory need in the global Carbon Capture and Storage chain by providing an independent performance assessment of geological storage of carbon dioxide. Carbon capture and storage has been identified by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one of the most promising near term technologies for the rapid reduction of global CO2 emissions.

IPAC-CO2 was established at the University of Regina in 2009 with $14 million in funding from the Government of Saskatchewan, Royal Dutch Shell and the Government of Canada.

"We are very excited to be able to recruit Dr. Dybwad who has extensive professional experience in both government and the energy sector," said Dr. David Gauthier, chairman of the not-for-profit organization's board of directors and Vice-President, Research at the University of Regina. "Her return to Saskatchewan to accept the lead at IPAC-CO2 will help move the centre forward."

Dybwad, who held increasingly senior positions during a 20-year career with the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina, leaves her current position in Calgary as vice-president of the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI) to join IPAC-CO2.

Prior to joining CERI in 2009, she was President of the Energy Council of Canada for two years. She also served a seven-year term on the National Energy Board.

"I'm pleased to join an organization focused on the global need to ensure that carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is deployed rapidly and safely around the world," Dybwad said. "IPAC-CO2 will develop knowledge that contributes to a complete understanding of risk performance."

From a secretariat located at the University of Regina, IPAC-CO2 is working to establish a global network with regional centres in China, India, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe and the United States.

"IPAC-CO2's work is critical to realizing the potential of an emerging CCS value chain from an independent perspective, meeting GHG emission reduction targets set by governments and recognition of CCS as a valid international process under the Clean Development Mechanism," Dybwad said.

Dr. Malcolm Wilson, Director of the Office and Energy and Environment at the University of Regina and a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, had been IPAC-CO2's acting CEO since it was established.

For further information visit www.ipac-co2.com.

Today, the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in Canada, Export Development Canada (EDC) announced that it will begin purchasing carbon credits to offset the carbon emissions generated by its business travel.

"The nature of an export credit agency's work means that travel, and a considerable amount of it, is necessary to successfully promote Canadian trade," said Stephen Poloz, Senior Vice-President of Financing. "But however necessary our travel may be, it doesn't preclude making smarter choices and using carbon credits to reduce our impact on the environment."

EDC selected Vancouver's Offsetters to provide for its carbon offset requirements. With the offsets that EDC purchases, Offsetters will support Canadian renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that wouldn't have taken place in the absence of offset funding. Among these projects are ground-source heat pump installations at residential and community-based facilities and the installation of a biomass boiler and energy trapping curtains to reduce a greenhouse's reliance on fossil fuels. These installations aren't common practice, and will now significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become a model for energy innovation and a switch to a lower carbon future.

EDC staff will also be looking to reduce carbon emissions by increasing the use of technology like videoconferencing and making efforts to use more low-carbon options in their travel.

"EDC has a highly mobile workforce, with technology in place that allows us to work remotely. While these technologies were originally put in place to help us serve our customers better in the places they do business, they also allow us to be more green," said Sherry Noble, Senior Vice-President of Business Solutions and Technology.

EDC will purchase carbon offsets on an annual basis based on the total amount of carbon emitting travel for all staff. EDC has also retroactively purchased offsets for its 2008 business travel.

For more information about EDC's Corporate Social Responsibility programs, visit EDC's CSR page.

MONTREAL, QC — SNC-Lavalin announced that it has been awarded a contract to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for SaskPower's Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Demonstration Project.

The project involves transforming an aging unit at the coal-fired Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan, Saskatchewan, into a source of clean electricity. This will be one of the world's first and largest commercial scale carbon capture plants.

"We are excited to have been selected for this very important project," said Patrick Lamarre, Executive Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. "Meeting power needs in an environmentally-friendly manner is part of our Green Energy strategy. This contract is also a validation of our strategic focus on Saskatchewan where we are actively growing our permanent office in Saskatoon."

For this project, SNC-Lavalin will be working with Cansolv, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell Global Solutions, which will supply the carbon capture process design technology. Cansolv has also developed an innovative system of capturing sulphur dioxide at coal-fired power plants that will be integrated into the project alongside carbon dioxide capture.

SNC-Lavalin has started engineering and procurement activities, with the subsequent stage pending SaskPower's decision to advance the project to final construction.

For more information visit www.snclavalin.com.

Waterloo Region, ON – Sustainable Waterloo, a not-for-profit that guides organizations in Waterloo Region towards a more environmentally sustainable future, announced on Monday that five prominent insurance companies with core operations in Waterloo Region are now members of the Regional Carbon Initiative.

The new members are:

• The Economical Insurance Group
• Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan Inc
• Gore Mutual Insurance Company
• Sun Life Financial
• Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan

All five of these companies have signed on as Observing Organizations. As such, these organizations have all made the first step in committing to voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets.

The Regional Carbon Initiative facilitates voluntary target-setting and reductions of GHG emissions in member organizations across Waterloo Region. All Regional Carbon Initiative members are provided with a carbon accounting tool to begin reporting their GHG emissions to Sustainable Waterloo, invitations to quarterly educational forums and technical workshops, a directory of Waterloo Region GHG services professionals, and inclusion in consolidated reporting and public recognition of their achievements, as merited. Observing Organizations either use alternative programs to track and report their carbon emissions or are working towards making formal carbon reduction commitments in future.

“With Waterloo being home to Sun Life’s Canadian division, the Regional Carbon Initiative provides us a great opportunity to leverage a strong local initiative to contribute to the development of an effective enterprise-wide practice,” said Susan Jantzi, Director, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at Sun Life Financial. “Sustainable Waterloo is an excellent catalyst in furthering a more sustainable future and we are very pleased that through today’s joint insurance company announcement, they are acknowledging the important role our industry can play in contributing to that future.“

In recent years, the implications of climate change on the insurance industry have been identified by scholars and acknowledged by industry experts. Adverse effects on human health and property damage due to more extreme weather events are among some of the identified risks in a 2004 report written by the Swiss Reinsurance Company. Another article that appeared in Science in 2005 stated that: “By developing a better grasp of the physical and business risks…insurers are well-positioned to participate in public-private initiatives to address the causes of climate change and prepare for and adapt to the impacts.” This is exactly where the Regional Carbon Initiative and Sustainable Waterloo fit in.

“We are incredibly excited to announce this joint membership and in doing so, to start working with each of these companies as they begin their journey towards demonstrating local leadership on climate change,” stated Mike Morrice, Sustainable Waterloo’s Executive Director. “We are looking forward to assisting these companies as they move towards readiness to make GHG reduction commitments.”

For a list of all 17 members of the Regional Carbon Initiative — including both Observing Organizations and those that have already made GHG reduction commitments as Pledging Partners — visit www.sustainablewaterloo.org/members.

REGINA, SK — Hitachi Canada has been selected to supply the steam turbine for the SaskPower Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Sequestration Demonstration Project. The Boundary Dam project is one of the world's first and largest. It will determine the technical, economic and environmental performance of new technology.

"SaskPower's relationship with Hitachi goes back 40 years, and includes work on coal, natural gas and wind generation technologies," Premier Brad Wall said. "This new relationship has the potential to create long term benefits, like new jobs from the construction and operation of the facility, not to mention royalties from coal and petroleum production and the commercialization of new technology."

"Hitachi Canadian Industries was established in Saskatoon in 1988, and some of the work on this steam turbine will take place there," Minister responsible for SaskPower Bill Boyd said. "Innovation is a high priority for this government and the fact that work on this world-leading project will be done in Saskatchewan by Saskatchewan people shows that it's working."

The Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Sequestration Demonstration Project would transform an aging unit at Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan into a reliable, long-term producer of clean baseload electricity, while enhancing provincial oil production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A decision on whether to proceed with the Boundary Dam project will be made by the end of 2010.

"This year marks the 100th anniversary of Hitachi, which includes a relationship of more than 40 years with SaskPower and the people of Saskatchewan," Hitachi Canada Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Howard Shearer said. "Innovative partnerships between utilities and technology suppliers are critical to the successful commercialization of low carbon energy options. In this regard, SaskPower is an excellent partner for such an important technology initiative."

In 2009 SaskPower invited vendors from around the world to participate in a two-stage procurement process. The first stage was used to identify the most promising proposals, with more detailed proposals developed during the second stage. Hitachi Canada was selected following the evaluation process.

"This is an important development for SaskPower and the entire industry because it is expected to be the first steam turbine in the world designed to fully integrate a coal-fired power plant with carbon capture," SaskPower vice-president, Integrated Carbon Capture and Sequestration Mike Monea said. "It is also another important step as we develop our business case for this project."

SASKATOON, SK — SaskPower and Hitachi are combining forces to combat carbon. During a recent Government of Saskatchewan mission to Japan, the two companies signed an agreement to collaborate on low carbon energy projects — an agreement that will help SaskPower advance plans for a Saskatchewan demonstration facility (also known as a reference plant) for carbon capture systems.

"Hitachi first entered the North American turbine market through its relationship with SaskPower," said Bill Boyd, Minister responsible for SaskPower. "Forty years later, Hitachi recognizes Saskatchewan's position as a world leader in carbon capture and storage technology, as we embark on tackling this challenge together."

The non-exclusive collaboration agreement will see SaskPower and Hitachi cooperate on shortening the path from demonstration project to commercially viable carbon capture and storage technologies.

"Innovative partnerships between utilities and technology suppliers are critical to the successful commercialization of low carbon energy options," said Howard Shearer, chief executive officer, Hitachi Canada Ltd. "Our collaboration with SaskPower will allow us to jointly develop and deliver the next wave of clean energy technologies to the people of Saskatchewan and beyond."

The Saskatchewan Reference Plant, which has a targeted 2012 in-service date, would allow for the full-scale demonstration of one or more carbon dioxide capture technologies. Not only could this facility accelerate development and deployment of capture technologies at a commercial scale, it could also deliver potential cost savings to vendors, governments and prospective buyers.

SaskPower has agreed to provide a host site for the Reference Plant and is working actively on plans to integrate the facility with one of its operating power plants.

As the principal supplier of electricity in Saskatchewan, SaskPower is a provincial Crown corporation that serves more than 460,000 customers and manages $4.5 billion in assets. Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 400,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, visit the company's website at www.hitachi.com.

TORONTO, ON — The Delta Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto, has offset 109% of its annual carbon footprint as recognized by the LivClean Eco-Stay Program that provides Canadian hotels with leadership positioning in environmental action, accountability and responsibility.

With all of the environmental initiatives implemented by the hotel since 2005, the Delta Chelsea Hotel has reduced emissions by 64%. For 2009, 7845 tonnes of carbon offsets were purchased from emission reducing projects and the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere is equal to removing 572,685 cars off the road for a day. All of the contributions made by the Delta Chelsea Hotel have been Canadian Standards Association Certified.

On the hotel's behalf, LivClean invests in environmental projects around the world and specifically in Canada that remove, reduce and eliminate the creation of green house gases from the air we share. The LivClean Eco-Stay program asks each hotel guest to donate $1 plus GST upon check-out and all funds are sent back to LivClean to purchase carbon offsets on the hotel's behalf.

While the City of Toronto set a target of 70% waste diversion for 2010, the Delta Chelsea has actually diverted 84% of the waste stream to recycling in 2009, according to the hotel. The Delta Chelsea was selected as the winner of the 2008 Energy & Environment Award from the Hotel Association of Canada. This award is given to a lodging property that has developed a culture towards integrating environmental management practices that improve everyday operations and the bottom line, while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations. In recognition of the Delta Chelsea's environmental initiatives, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) awarded the Delta Chelsea with a 4 Green Key ECOmmodation rating.

"As a business operating in a large community such as Toronto, the Delta Chelsea recognizes and respects its corporate social responsibility to make it a stronger and better place to live. As a quality organization, this is a key focus for our hotel and our company. To that end, we will always consider the environment in our decision-making, striving to take action that will positively impact the environment and that will go beyond existing regulations and legislation", says Josef Ebner, Regional Vice-President and Managing Director, Delta Chelsea Hotel.

LONDON — Suppliers are now expected by some of their global customers to demonstrate greenhouse gas emissions management, awareness and action, in order to maintain business relationships, a Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) report shows.

The second annual CDP Supply Chain Report, produced by A.T. Kearney, summarizes climate change information from 710 suppliers. Members, which include global customers, such as Dell, Juniper Networks, National Grid, PepsiCo and Reckitt Benckiser are requesting their suppliers to disclose data via the CDP Supply Chain program. Although this report shows significant improvement in best practices over last year's results, suppliers still have a long way to go.

The 44 CDP Supply Chain member companies are leading in carbon management within their own businesses and expecting their suppliers to demonstrate strong carbon management strategies too:

• 89% of CDP Supply Chain members have an established strategy to engage with suppliers on carbon related issues.
• 91% of members have a board level executive responsible for climate change, compared to 80% within the Global 500 constituents.
• 90% have an emissions or energy reduction plan in place, compared to 51% in the Global 500.

The majority of CDP Supply Chain members (56%) have also stated they actually expect to deselect some suppliers in the future for failing to meet carbon management criteria set by the companies. This is an increase from just 6% of members who would deselect suppliers today for failure to manage carbon. Some also indicate that they intend to develop contracts which require improved carbon management. These companies are choosing to take these steps ahead of regulation, because they make good business sense.

"We see carbon management as an increasingly important part of supplier engagement. It makes good business sense for us to work with suppliers who understand how climate change is impacting their business and manage these issues properly," said Brad Minnis, director of Environmental, Health, Safety and Security at Juniper Networks.

The report shows that the importance granted by CDP Supply Chain members to managing carbon targets versus classic procurement targets is expected to triple in the next five years.

"It is clear that some companies are now requiring their suppliers to address carbon management as a core business issue. This is no longer a 'nice to have' for the leaders, it is becoming a 'need to have' and we expect to see this trend growing across the whole business sector," said Paul Dickinson, CEO, CDP.

However, the report shows that despite the fact that a significant proportion of carbon emissions are typically found in the supply chain, it is still a challenging area for member companies to measure and just 20% report figures for supply chain emissions.

A.T. Kearney partner and study co-leader Daniel Mahler said, "Major corporations are taking carbon reduction seriously and are developing strategies to address carbon emissions in their supply chains. Corporate CEOs and boards of directors are demanding results from company carbon reduction programs not only for the environmental benefits, but for cost-reduction benefits as well. The challenge moving forward is for additional corporations and suppliers to operationalize their carbon-reduction strategies."

In 2009, of the 710 suppliers disclosing to their customers through the CDP Supply Chain program, 48% were reporting for the first time. The majority (60%) have appointed a board member responsible for climate change and while 56% have a reduction plan, 38% have committed to clear targets; which tend to be short term (majority under two years). Companies are also reporting considerable cost benefits of carbon reduction programs — HP and Allianz report significant commercial benefits in addressing climate change related issues.

A full copy of the CDP Supply Chain Report 2010 is available at www.cdproject.net.