Learning From The Leaders

Heidi Last was recognized as a Green Hero by the Vaughan Earth Hour Committee in March 2012. The Maple resident practices a long list of green ideas including:

Farmers market booth
 
  • Investing in high efficiency furnace, hot water, heating system, air conditioner, washer and dryer, heat ventilation recovery system,
  • Shopping locally and buying organically
  • Changing roof shingles to a lighter shade
  • Installing 44 roof-top solar panels
     

Luisa and Luigi Caporale were recognized as Green Heroes by the Vaughan Earth Hour Committee in March 2012. The Maple residents have been strong proponents of energy conservation for a very long time. In 2002, they began tracking monthly energy consumption. The Caporales had 6 solar panels before the Ontario Green Energy Act launched the Feed In Tariff program which encouraged homeowners to generate renewable energy for a fixed price for the energy they generate. The 42 solar panels they now have provide an annual rate of return of eight to 12 percent.

 

PowerStream is a municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, providing service to more than 335,000 customers located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. PowerStream. The company has it’s head office in Vaughan and services the residents of Vaughan. PowerStream has a long history of environmental leadership including awards from the Electricity Distributors Association and Ontario Ministry of Environment –Environmental Leaders Program.

 

Highlights from PowerStream's environmental programs included:

 

  • LEED® Gold Certification for Operations Building-. PowerStream is the only electricity distribution company in Ontario to have two LEED® gold certified facilities – Vaughan Head office and Markham Operations Centre.
  • Electric vehicles - Two 100 per cent electric vehicles were added to the fleet in 201
  • Vanpool and Carpool Programs - added a fourth van to its vanpool program and in 2011 this program prevented 163 tonnes of CO2 emissions from polluting the air. Participation in PowerStream’s carpool program ranged from 60 to 100 people in an average of 42 carpools, saving over 17 tonnes of CO2 emissions
  • Increased Waste Diversion - In 2011, PowerStream achieved 77 per cent diversion, including the collection of non-standard items such as batteries, light bulbs, electronic waste and writing instruments
  • Solar Generation Business -PowerStream Solar established a 210 kW solar generation lab on the roof of PowerStream's Barrie Operations Centre and completed 17 generation projects that are now delivering green power to the grid
  • Environmental Awareness Week - A week of environmental education and activities for staff is run by the volunteer Environmental Committee at all PowerStream facilities.

 

Please visit the PowerStream for more information about their environmental efforts