Sustainability : Featured Stories

Toronto refuses to incinerate its waste, though nearby Peel Region has been doing it for years and York Region is now stepping on board. Is it time for the city to revisit its stance on incinerators?

Creative placemaking has helped transform Queen West, but what could it do for Canada? We look to America and explore five American cities that have benefited from a nationwide funding program that has pumped millions into the arts.

A swath of beautification and accessibility initiatives are inspiring Torontonians to get back down to the lake. From revitalization projects to clean beach efforts and residential expansions, the lake is once again becoming an attractive feature for locals. 

The Toronto Zoo's new ZooShare partnership is the Province's latest foray into community power. The Zoo will begin construction on a biogas plant this coming spring, turning the zoo's animal waste into energy that will be fed into Ontario's power grid. 

Ryan Dyment, co-founder of the Tool Library and soon-to-be-unveiled Toronto Timebank, opens up about the Zeitgeist movement, leaving the rat race, and his vision for a resource-based economy. 

Nestled behind a shopping plaza in Scarborough, Pond Biofuels has been working on turning pollution into clean energy since 2007. If they're successful, this innovative alternative to fossil fuel could change manufacturing. 

From the food incubator at Toronto Underground Market to its soon-to-open standalone Kensington Market shop, Seven Lives knows the business of reincarnation. The fish taco shop represents the latest in a growing number of Toronto eateries taking fate into their own hands by launching their businesses in unconventional ways.  

Major retailers today are more innovative than they've been since the advent of the shopping mall, but where do independent boutiques fit in? Forget expensive ecommerce sites: Toronto's Shopcaster is helping boutiques expand their business and reach new markets with a simple, attractive platform. 

Joshna Maharaj says hospital food doesn't have to taste bad. She advocates using local ingredients to enhance not only the nutritional value and patient experience, but also to support local agriculture and sustain Ontario's economy. 

Brampton's McVean start-up project teaches newbie keeners, including new Canadians, about running sustainable farms. They learn from the experts... and from each other.

Many newcomers are attracted to Canada by the promise of a green environment. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is making sure the brightest and best of them can do their part.

In a project to help local producers meet the demands of Ontario's increasingly diverse population, scientists are building better beans (and okra, peppers and other veggies, too)

The transformation of Malvern has meant more than just reclaiming it from gang violence. Bringing people together around food and green spaces has been an integral ingredient. 

When TO newcomer Darcy Higgins looked around the city, he saw a burgeoning food culture that needed a unified voice around issues of accessibility, sustainability and security. Food Forward, the group he founded, is providing a table to gather at.

In an age when kids are getting less and less exposure to nature, a discussion between environmental guru David Suzuki and author Richard Louv reveals that the GTA is making some headway in greening our urban lives.