Pearson Eco-Business Zone District Energy System Feasibility Study

As a result of the Partners in Project Green Strategy, Chris project managed the development of the Pearson Eco-Business Zone District Energy System Feasibility Study.  

The goal of the study was to identify the business potential for district energy around Toronto Pearson International Airport (Toronto Pearson) - focusing on leveraging the Greater Toronto Airports Authority's (GTAA) existing co-generation facility for heating and cooling, as well as identifying the potential to start a new system with its own energy generation system.

The feasibility study included engaging a range of land owners and businesses in the vicinity of Toronto Pearson to identify their interest in centralized heating and cooling, while developing potential system solutions and a business model for a potential district energy system.

To view the feasibility study visit here.

Energy Leaders Consortium

Chris initiated the development of the Partners in Project Green Energy Leaders Consortium - a group of businesses from around Toronto Pearson with a commitment to working together to reduce their energy consumption.

Levering funding from various funding partners, Chris worked with his team and a consultant to develop the Energy Leaders Consortium.  The program provided a work plan for participating companies to identify, target and reduce their energy consumption.  Leveraging ongoing mentoring, regular training sessions and the use of various energy monitoring technologies, participants developed their reduction plans and worked with each other to drive savings in their respective businesses.

The Energy Leaders Consortium included the following companies:

• Bayer
• Broan-NuTone
• Cott Beverages
• CKF
• Greater Toronto Airports Authority
• Husky Injection Molding
• Janes Family Foods
• Lincoln Electric
• Orbis
• Magellan Aerospace
• Pratt and Whitney
• Weston Bakeries

In just its first year, the participating companies were able to collectively reduce energy consumption by 11.1 eGWh for a total savings of 1.15 million dollars.

Pearson Eco-Business Zone Materials Exchange Program

As a result of the Partners in Project Green Strategy, Chris led the development of the Pearson Eco-Business Zone Materials Exchange Program.  The goal of the program was to help companies identify ways to turn their waste into feedstock for other companies. Overall, the initiative aimed to help drive waste reduction, while facilitating business development and supply chain innovations.

The development of the materials exchange included completing a review of existing materials exchanges globally to better understand the economic and policy drivers that made exchanges successful, while identifying the required tools, marketing and resources that help exchanges grow.  With the relevant information in hand, a business model was developed and funding partners secured to implement the materials exchange program.

The Pearson Eco-Business Zone Materials Exchange Program continues to operate and assists companies around Toronto Pearson International Airport in reducing their waste costs and identifying new sources of feedstocks.

To learn more about the exchange or utilize it for your company, visit http://www.partnersinprojectgreen.com/programs/waste-management/materials-exchange-program.

To view the feasibility study visit here.

Region of Peel Spill Decision Support System

Working within a public-private partnership, Chris project managed the development of the Region of Peel Spill Decision Support System - a web-based spill response system for managing chemical and oil spills within the Region of Peel.

The project's purpose was to provide spill responders a tool for storing historical spill information, tracing spills from their origination to their entry point into watercourses, and identifying potential spill sources by including  a database of chemical storage within the Region.

The project required converging various databases and storm sewer datasets into a comprehensive tool that could be deployed in the field to help improve spill response, while protecting the environment.  

From project initiation to completion, Chris pulled together the four municipal partners to develop the web-based spill system, identifying funding sources, developing a public-private partnership to develop the tool, and managing the consulting team through the technical development of the web-based system.

Partners in Project Green Policy Toolkit

As a result of the Partners in Project Green Strategy, Chris project managed the development of the Partners in Project Green Policy Toolkit - a number of planning policy tools to encourage green business through the development process.

Working with the municipalities of Toronto, Peel, Mississauga and Brampton, Chris worked with his team to develop 11 policy tools for municipal use.  These included communications tools, primers and policy templates that each municipality could use to encourage green business development and a more consistent approach to eco-economic development across the Pearson Eco-Business Zone.

The communications tools were meant to help municipal staff learn and communicate about Partners in Project Green and green business. The tools included text that could be ‘cut-and-paste’ or edited as needed to help staff communicate to different audiences, such as other staff, council, businesses, or developers, the benefits of green business.

The primers provided brief overviews of key land-use issues in relation to encouraging green business. The primers were there to assist staff from different municipal departments develop a common, albeit high-level, understanding of the policy, regulatory, and incentive framework that is shaping eco-business zone activity in the area.

The policy template tools provided specific examples of best practises, current policy wording, advice and other practical, hands-on guidance from creating eco-business policies, such as official plan statements, policy language and subdivision guidelines in municipalities touching on the Pearson Eco-Business Zone.

To view the Pearson Eco-Business Zone Policy Toolkit visit: www.partnersinprojectgreen.com/policytoolkit.