Current Projects
(2006-2008)
The Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention (C2P2) with the support of the Ontario Hospital Association and BlueZone Technologies and funded by the EcoAction program of Environment Canada coordinated the Ontario Hospital Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Air Emission (AE) Challenge. The purpose of the Challenge was to solicit volunteer health care facilities to pledge to reduce their emissions of Greenhouse Gases and other air pollutants by providing information, technical assistance, and incentives.
C2P2 was able to gather 25 healthcare facilities to participate in the challenge and take pledges to reduce their total GHG emissions by 10,000 tonnes. To assist and encourage the facilities in meeting the challenge, C2P2 develop a two year agenda of monthly teleconferences with guest experts discussing specific aspects of pollution prevention, information sharing sessions on best practices, and mutual reinforcement. In addition, the challenge and its participants were publicized at major healthcare conferences and in the media.
To obtain quantifiable results, data on energy usage from participating healthcare facilities was requested by way of a simple form that requested the quantities of energy used for each of the past three years in the following categories: Electricity, Natural Gas, Biodiesel, Diesel, Gasoline, Light Oil, Propane and Steam. Reductions in fuel usage was translated into GHG reductions through coefficients.
A 7,780 tonnes reduction was calculated based on data submitted. Of greater importance, the project was able to collect important information on specific challenges and barriers to implementing environmental initiatives in healthcare facilities and underscored the need for mutual support through a easily accessible network for information sharing among facility managers of healthcare facilities. The overall success of the project has prompted Environment Canada to write up a case study of this project to placed on its website.
(2007-2008)
In 2007, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) adopted an Environmental Management Plan. One of several key components stipulated in the plan was the development of a Green Procurement Policy. As one of the largest public transit authorities in North America, the TTC purchases an enormous amount of parts and supplies to keep its fleet of buses, street cars and subway trains in safe operating order, in addition to new rolling stock it must purchase from time to replace vehicles beyond repair. The Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention was retained by the Commission to assist in developing the policy. C2P2 assisted by searching for and reviewing "green purchasing" policies of other transit authorities. There were only a very few policies among North American transit agencies. The Centre than broaden its search and reviewed the green purchasing policies of municipal governments as many transit agencies were part of municipal government administrations. While the Centre found more green purchasing policies, the number was still surprising small, particularly in relation to European jurisdictions where there has a been concerted and coordinated effort among Western European countries under the leadership of the European Pariliament to develop and adopt explicit Green Procurement policies at all levels of government. The C2P2 than assisted in undertaking an analysis of the variety and quantities of products purchased by the TTC as well as its purchasing practicies. Based on this analysis an overall framework for the TTC green procurement policy was developed and articulated. The policy was adopted by Commission in July, 2008 and is now posted on its website. In the fall of 2008, the TTC initiated an aggressive implementation plan of the policy which placed priority on the provision of training to key TTC personnel involved in purchasing for their respective operational units on how to incorporate environmental considerations into the purchasing decisions in a productive, systematic and efficient manner.
(2007- 2010)
C2P2 in partnership with the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technologies Advancement, (OCETA), was retained by the Ontario Ministry of Environment to design and administer a voluntary program for P2 assessments of SMEs located within a 100 metres of wells or 200 metres of surface drinking water supplies. Given the wide variety of facilities covered by SMEs, the assessment program consisted of a generic P2 framework which could be applied to a variety of facilities which qualified assessors could use to guide their assessment as they customized specific aspects of each component of the assessment appropriate to the facility being assessed. The framework consist of five main components : product design, process changes including examination of input materials and process technology and finally, process management and practicies. The program was implemented with the assistance of Conservation Authorities who identified and solicited eligible SMEs to volunteer for P2 assessments and referred such facilities to C2P2. C2P2 assigned a qualified P2 assessors to carry out a site inspection and draft an assessment report of the facility. C2P2 and OCETA reviewed the draft assessment report for technical consistency and completeness. The final report is confidential and shared only with the facility. The assessment reports inform facilities of the strengths and weaknesses of their P2 measures and makes recommendations for improvement. Under another component of the Ontario Drinking Water Stewardship Program, the facility may apply for funding to offset costs of improvements to their P2 measures, subject to specific eligibility criteria of that program.
(2008-2009)
C2P2 in partnership with the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technologies Advancement was retained by the Water and Wastewater Division of City of Hamilton to develop a P2 strategy and program for SMEs discharging into the city's sewer system. Development of the strategy and program consists of the following: a selected review of existing municipal P2 programs already in place; an overview of best management practices being used in these programs and of potential use in Hamilton case; a analysis of exsiting sewer discharge data previously collected by other water quality programs of the city, the province and the federal government to prioritize likely sectors or subsectors that should be targeted in the new P2 program within the Hamilton's major sewer sheds. In addition the recommended strategy and program will outline an implementation process including communications and consultations with potentially affected SMEs and the general public; program management and administrative requirements and program monitoring and evaluation requirements. The report will be completed in the spring of 2009.
C2P2 is the founder, host and principal sponsor of the annual Canadian Pollution Prevention Roundtable, (CPPR). The first CPPR was held twelve years ago and the Roundtable has been held in a differenct city and province every year since in 1996. The purpose of the CPPR is to bring together P2 experts and practitioners nationally and internationally to discuss the latest developments and challenges of pollution prevention so that the P2 knowledge-base is advanced and communicated. The emphasis is on finding practical and workable solutions to current environmental problems. In 1998, the CPPR was held in conjunction with the International Summit on Pollution Prevention sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program held in Montreal and the C2P2 was instrumental in its success as a sponsoring co-host of the event
C2P2 will continue to host the CPPR annually as it is required to stay abreast of innovations, new programs and new challenges in pollution prevention as the environmental field develops along with societies. C2P2 is proud that it is a founding sponsor of the CPPR and sees the necessity for supporting professional development of the P2 community in Canada and in North America especially in times in.
In 2008, C2P2 worked with the Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada to update its Energy Star Purchasing Guide. The guide was updated to assist procurement operations of government agencies and other organizations in purchasing energy efficient equipment.