Going through some old files in our rather dark and forbidding basement, one of our staff members recently came across a letter from Enwave District Heating remaking on the importance of TAF’s support for the concept of deep lake water cooling:
“With Deep Lake Water Cooling approaching completion, Enwave would like to acknowledge the early support of the TAF. The financial support provided in 1996 acted as a catalyst to get the project off the ground.”
It’s the kind of thing we hear a lot around here: TAF’s early support has turned concepts like LED traffic lights, solar hot water, smart commute programs, energy efficient high rises and dozens of other ideas into a living part of Toronto’s fabric.
As the world’s first dedicated urban climate agency, TAF has always been a bit ahead of its time. Now that the world is catching up with Toronto’s realization of the importance – and benefits – of addressing climate change and air quality, TAF’s work is more exciting than ever.
But before we launch into our next decade of innovation, we want to take a brief pause to look back and celebrate our significant successes — and the people who have helped make them happen. One of TAF’s best kept secrets is that we are supremely blessed with volunteers, committee and board members who collectively bring centuries of experience to our work. Their guidance has ensured that as we have invested more than $50 million in community climate action and helped the City save $55 million on its own energy bills, our initial endowment has remained solidly intact and our programs have only grown in effectiveness.
So please join us on May 25th for our anniversary celebration and be part of generating the next great ideas that can keep Toronto out front on smart climate action.
Julia Langer