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Green Living in partnership with the City of Toronto recently celebrated the organizations, people and neighbourhoods that are paving the way to a greener Toronto. The awards were presented at the seventh annual Green Toronto Awards ceremony at Exhibition Place during the final day of the Green Living Show.

There were 10 winners in all, one for each category, who were rewarded and recognized on the Main Stage of the two-day show.

The winners each received a Green Toronto Award and $5,000 to further their work greening Toronto or to donate to a registered charity of their choice, all courtesy of the award sponsors.

Douglas Karago, Programs Development accepting the Community Project Award on behalf of Afri-Can FoodBasket

Councillor Norm Kelly, from Ward 40 Scarborough Agincourt said, “Your leadership and dedication to our environment is inspiring. On behalf of all Toronto residents, I thank you.”

New award categories for 2011 included Green Home and Green Business. The award winners are as follows:

Community Project Award: Cultivating Youth Leadership, Afri-Can FoodBasket

• Afri-Can FoodBasket provide youth in the Jane-Finch, Jamestown and Lawrence Heights areas with opportunities to develop leadership and learn about urban gardening, community building and organic farming

Energy Conservation Award: Nitta Gelatin Canada Inc.

• Nitta Gelatin focused on reducing waste and improving efficiency, reducing its natural gas use by 3,000 cubic metres a day. In the end, the company avoided production of more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Green Business Award: LoyaltyOne

• LoyaltyOne has the largest solar rooftop installation in Canada, with more than 800 panels feeding energy back into the grid.

Environmental Awareness Award: TREC Education

• TREC Education empowers and inspires the next generation to change their attitudes about energy consumption and sustainability, ensuring being green is a priority.

Youth Leadership Award: Youth Mentors, Greenest City

• Youth Mentors is a group of high school students from Parkdale who have started an after-school program with emphasis on food and the environment. The program is free and aimed towards educating 13-15 year olds about sustainability.

Local Food Award: The Toronto Beekeepers Co-Operative

• The Toronto Beekeepers Co-operative helps protect threatened bee species, all the while producing honey and beeswax.

Green Design Award: architectsAlliance, Sackville-Dundas Apartments, Regent Park Revitalization

• architectsAlliance was commissioned to redevelop and redesign Regent Park. Integrated into the design was a green mentality, ensuring sustainability and the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Home Award: Anthony Ketchum, Ketchum’s Retirement Project

• Anthony Ketchum redesigned his home to ensure the maximum amount of efficiency, integrated ground source heat supply and cisterns in the basement to collect rainwater. His annual electricity bill is approximately $800.

Water Efficiency Award: Kraft, East York Bakery

• Kraft’s East York Bakery has reduced its water use over five years, using 58 per cent less in 2010 than it did in 2005.

Leadership Award: Civic Action’s Greening Greater Toronto

• The Living City Report Card was a joint effort from Civic Action and the Toronto and Region Conservation, raising awareness about government and resident’s impact on the environment and what they can do to reduce their impact.

See Also: Green Living and the City of Toronto announce 2011 Green Toronto Award winners Metro Toronto Convention Centre implements green carpeting Ontario Schools to gain Renewable Energy Green demolition and remediation Financing options for sustainable buildings