Windfall Ecology Centre joins BOMA Toronto in commercial real estate industry’s province-wide effort to take action on climate change

Aurora, June 24, 2021---Windfall Ecology Centre has teamed up with the Building Owners and Managers Association of the Greater Toronto Area (BOMA Toronto) to welcome more York Region buildings into BOMA Toronto’s race2reduce energy reduction and sustainability program.

Participants in Windfall Ecology Centre's ClimateWise Building Challenge can now opt into race2reduce with a single submission, allowing them to compete for recognition both regionally via the ClimateWise Challenge and provincially via the coveted race2reduce Commercial Real Estate Trailblazers (CREST) Awards.

The ClimateWise Building Challenge is free of cost and open to building owners, landlords, managers, and tenants in York Region who want to take action on climate change while improving bottom performance by implementing responsible energy saving measures and behavioural practices.

ClimateWise Building Challenge participants will be recognized for their efforts on climate action and showcase their leadership within their community through Windfall's York Region Sustainability Awards, and also be celebrated on the provincial stage through BOMA Toronto’s CREST Awards, said Brent Kopperson, founder and Executive Director of Windfall Ecology Centre. We are proud to be the race2reduce’s first regional partner.

Race2reduce is BOMA Toronto's response to the call for climate action, said Bala Gnanam, BOMA Toronto’s Vice-President of Energy, Environment and Advocacy. 70% of the participating buildings are less than 100,000 square-feet. By supporting these small to medium-sized buildings in their effort to improve the overall performance, we can make the greatest strides to reduce their carbon footprint.

This collaboration brings synergy and economies of scale to the organizations’ mutual efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the Commercial Real Estate (CRE) sector and recognize sustainable operators for their climate action efforts.

As race2reduce expands across the province, it seeks to collaborate with regional allies, such as Windfall Ecology Centre, which share its commitment to climate action initiatives and promote energy reduction strategies within their network of buildings. ClimateWise Building Challenge is the first regional ally to align with race2reduce.

Our partnership with ClimateWise is a significant step toward rolling out the race2reduce province-wide, said BOMA Toronto President and Chief Executive Officer, Susan Allen. As we transition to a low-carbon, high-productivity economy, it is essential to recognize the successful sustainability efforts of the Commercial Real Estate Industry and to share their learning. This kind of collaboration is how we will drive change among landlords and tenants.

According to The Atmospheric Fund, the building sector in the Greater Toronto, Hamilton Area and York Region is responsible for 45% of carbon emissions. There is a significant opportunity to advance impactful actions through education, collaboration, and innovation.

About BOMA Toronto

BOMA Toronto is a leading Commercial Real Estate Industry association, committed to developing, promoting and advancing best management practices through proactive advocacy, exceptional education and valuable networking opportunities. The organization proudly represents over 80% of Toronto and the GTA's leading building owners and managers and industry suppliers. www.bomatoronto.org

About race2reduce: https://race2reduce.bomatoronto.org/

About the race2reduce

BOMA Toronto's race2reduce is a free and friendly corporate challenge for the Commercial Real Estate Industry to advance climate action by inspiring better building performance, innovation and collaboration between owners, landlords and tenants. Climate action leaders are recognized annually through the Commercial Real Estate Sustainability Trailblazer’s (CREST) Awards in five categories: Performance Leadership, Innovative Excellence, Collaborative Excellence, Climate Champion and the Municipal Beacon Award, honouring the climate action demonstrated by a municipality.

About Windfall Ecology Centre

Windfall Ecology Centre is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to building sustainable communities. It has served the York region community for 20 years. www.windfallcentre.ca

About ClimateWise Business Network

The ClimateWise Business Network is a program of the Windfall Ecology Centre. It works with local businesses and organizations by providing one-on-one support and guidance in setting environmental targets and seeing the returns of investing in sustainability. www.climatewise.ca

The ClimateWise Building Challenge is a region-wide, friendly awards and recognition competition created to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in buildings through collaboration, education, and innovation. The competition is free of cost and open to building owners, landlords, managers and tenants who want to join the fight to combat climate change while improving their bottom line by implementing responsible energy operations and behavioural practices.

For more information, please contact:

Harry French

Manager, ClimateWise Business Network

cel: 647-688-4922

email: hfrench@windfallcentre.ca

Bala Gnanam

Vice President, Energy, Environment & Advocacy

BOMA Toronto

cel: 416-356-2338

email: bgnanam@bomatoronto.org