The
Toronto Environment Office has instituted two new
Green Toronto Awards to recognize individual business and homeowner efforts in the city.
Worth $5,000 each, the new awards, which join the previous prizes rewarding efforts in local food, community projects, energy conservation, environmental awareness, green design, leadership, water efficiency and youth leadership.
"With the green homeowner award, we're recognizing people showing leadership," says Lawson Oates, director of the TEO. "Examples can be energy and water conservation measures, changing light bulbs right, conserving storm water, putting in low-flow shower heads, low-flush toilets, renewable energy insulation, geothermal for their homes, it can be landscaping,
zeroscaping so they're not using tap water to water their lawn, using vegetation that can withstand droughts in the summer."
The business award will focus on products, services and physical plants, with a concentration on smaller businesses without sizeable research and development budgets.
The prize consists of a certificate and plaque, and $5,000. The catch, especially for homeowners, is that the money must be spent further your own green goals, or as a donation to a green charity.
Nominations close at midnight, Feb. 7.
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Lawson Oates
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