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We organize events that
empower industry professionals to
radically reduce
embodied carbon 
from buildings and infrastructure

Join our mailing list to learn about upcoming events

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CLF Toronto

CLF Toronto is a local hub of the Carbon Leadership Forum, and was previously known as the Embodied Carbon Network (ECN) Toronto chapter. We organize local events that empower industry professionals to radically reduce embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure. 

A diverse mix of professionals joins our events, including architects, engineers, contractors, sustainability consultants, material suppliers, building owners, and policymakers. Our events include informative presentations and interactive group discussions that address a range of topics relating to embodied carbon. We aim to build up local industry capacity to design and construct buildings and infrastructure that radically reduce embodied carbon.

CLF Toronto is connected to the larger global network of the Carbon Leadership Forum, which brings together 5000+ professionals from 2500+ companies, 75+ countries, and 1000+ cities around the world. 

Sign up for our mailing list to learn about upcoming events, and become a member of the Carbon Leadership Forum to join the online discussion with the global CLF community.

About CLF Vancouver

What is CLF?

The Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) is accelerating the transformation of the building sector to radically reduce the embodied carbon in building materials and construction through collective action.

 

CLF pioneers research, creates resources, fosters cross-collaboration, and incubates member-led initiatives to bring embodied carbon emissions of buildings down to zero.

 

The CLF network is made up of architects, engineers, contractors, material suppliers, building owners, and policymakers who care about the future and are taking bold steps to decarbonize the built environment, with a keen focus on eliminating embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure. 

 

Currently, the network brings together 5000+ professionals from 2500+ companies, 75+ countries, and 1000+ cities around the world

Join the Online

CLF Community

The CLF Community online platform brings together thousands of professionals from across the building industry, from over 30 countries and 100 cities around the world.

As a member, you can interact with a global network of interdisciplinary experts, where you can post questions, find resources, connect with local hubs, join focus groups, to keep track of upcoming events.  

To join the CLF Community online platform, become a member of CLF and and opt-in to join the online community when joining.

CLF Local Hubs 

There are 30+ local CLF hubs in cities worldwide.

Check out a current listing of CLF local hubs or apply to start a local hub in your region.

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Events

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Events

Past Events and Webinars

CLF Toronto | Decarbonizing our Workplace Through Circularity
49:40

CLF Toronto | Decarbonizing our Workplace Through Circularity

The workplace is evolving. Our buildings are decarbonizing. With furniture contributing up to 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions of a commercial building over its lifecycle, organizations must take a proactive approach to reduce this significant contributor to climate change. This presentation will explore the role of circularity in rebuilding the workplace and demonstrate the economic and environmental powerhouse of reuse & remanufacturing at scale. Participants will also learn about the role of office furniture in the circular economy, circular procurement strategies, and how organizations can maximize their assets through creative repurposing. About Our Speakers: Andy Delisi, Vice President of Sales at Envirotech - Andy is a seasoned executive in the commercial furniture industry, specializing in workplace wellness and sustainability. With over a decade of experience, his innovative vision has positioned Envirotech as a recognized industry leader. As a WELL AP and FitWel Ambassador, Andy's passion for eco-friendly, people-centric workspaces has led to numerous accomplishments, including being the dealer of choice for Canada's first FitWel-certified office. He has also authored three Continuing Education Units (CEUs) on sustainability in the built environment. Andy's unwavering commitment to sustainability and wellness continues to inspire the industry to elevate its standards and develop truly sustainable and wellness-focused workspaces. Norine Bevan, Director Furniture Advisory Services, CBRE - Norine has over 30 years of experience in the furniture industry through owning an office furniture dealership and then 7 years of consulting to interior designers, architects, and end users. With a flair for understanding creative design and a thorough understanding of corporate culture, Norine Bevan is the ideal partner for business owners and senior executives tasked with the challenging process of moving or revising interior business space. Norine Bevan streamlines the process of moving or managing interior space and maximizes time and efficiency always keeping the environment in the forefront.
LOW CARBON NOW | CLF Toronto Event
01:35:52

LOW CARBON NOW | CLF Toronto Event

The climate emergency has been declared. The World Green Building Council has stated that all new buildings are to be net zero operational carbon with a 40% reduction in embodied carbon by 2030. But, what can we do NOW to get there? We know that the decisions we make today will impact the carbon footprint of the buildings we design for their lifetime and we know that high performance buildings will play a significant role in the transformation to a low carbon economy. In Toronto, buildings account for about 60% of all carbon emissions and of the 323 cranes in the air, the vast majority are for residential projects - far more than any other North American city. Unfortunately, residential buildings have been the slowest to make the move toward low carbon design principles, so we wanted to see what could be done to change that. As key stakeholders in the development of residential buildings in Toronto, we want to understand why change is so slow, how we can come together to do something about it and ultimately aim to design buildings that are both affordable and sustainable. This presentation covers multiple insights on how we can get residential buildings down to net zero carbon. With the designer, developer, and contractor perspectives, we present a full picture of the opportunities and challenges to successfully plan, design, and build lower carbon residential buildings in Toronto based on a case study completed by a multidisciplinary team of people focused on low carbon solutions.
HOK Interiors Sustainable Materials initiative
56:44

HOK Interiors Sustainable Materials initiative

HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. Our 1,600 team members collaborate across a network of 25 offices on three continents. To make indoor spaces as healthy and pleasant as possible, HOK’s interior designers are specifying more environmentally responsible products and finish materials. HOK is focused on three elements of materials where we can have the most impact: Embodied Carbon Green Chemistry Sustainable Sourcing Their 2022 targets for every Interiors project are: 85% to meet low-emitting certifications 100% of wood products to be FSC-certified 100% of office pantry equipment to be ENERGY STAR compliant 65% to include embodied carbon GWP data 65% to contain recycled content 50% to meet third party material health certifications At this session, HOK will share how they are aligning people, processes and tools to design healthy, sustainable interior spaces for all. About Our Speakers: Kelly Jordan has over 20 years of commercial interior design experience with both public and private clientele, including the design and renovation for corporate offices, retail banks, assembly and food service spaces as well as sensitive heritage restorations. Currently she is a firmwide leader for sustainable interior design with a focus on materials and their effect on climate change, human and environmental health. Through the completion of the Healthier Materials and Sustainable Building Program at the Parsons Healthy Materials Lab (New York City), Kelly has gained a deeper understanding of the toxicity of common interior materials and the basics of green chemistry. As a passionate advocate for sustainability, she is spearheading the development of ARIDO’s (Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario) Sustainable Design Guidelines and Education Series. Sara Garisto is a designer dedicated to creating spaces that bring forth exciting and new environments. She has a creative and respectful work ethic, forming designs that are both grounded and engaged through research and iterative design processes. Sara has three years of experience working in the industry, with a background in workplace, residential and cultural design. Her work focuses on creating inclusive and accessible spaces that succeed in both form and function. Taylor Welsh has been working in the design industry for nearly a decade and has gained a broad range of experience in corporate, hospitality, retail and healthcare projects. She excels at finding creative solutions to unique design challenges and synthesizing complex information, and is focused on creating spaces that are human centered and driven by sustainability.
Videos

Scale of Embodied Carbon Emissions

 

Globally, the building and construction sectors account for nearly 40% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in constructing and operating buildings (including the impacts of upstream power generation). Current building codes address operating energy but do not typically address the impacts ‘embodied’ in building materials and products. However, more than half of all GHG emissions are related to materials management (including material extraction and manufacturing) when aggregated across industrial sectors. As building operations become more efficient, these embodied impacts related to producing building materials become increasingly significant.

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Significance of Embodied Carbon

Between now and 2060 the world’s population will be doubling the amount of building floor-space, equivalent to building an entire New York City every month for 40 years. Much of the carbon footprint of these new buildings will take the form of embodied carbon — the emissions associated with building material manufacturing and construction.

 

Embodied carbon will be responsible for almost half of the total new construction emissions between now and 2050.

Unlike operational carbon emissions, which can be reduced over time with building energy efficiency renovations and the use of renewable energy, embodied carbon emissions have irreversibly entered the atmosphere as soon as a building is built.

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City of Toronto

Embodied Carbon Policy

 

The Toronto Green Standard (TGS) v4  comes into effect on May 1, 2022. As of now, the mandatory tier 1 has no embodied carbon requirements for private buildings, however, the mid-high rise residential and non-residential version's voluntary tier 2 requires the calculation and reporting of the embodied carbon in the building structure and envelope, while voluntary tier 3 level also requires a 20% reduction in embodied carbon against a baseline building. The low-rise residential version's voluntary tier 2 requires embodied carbon to be below 250 kgCO2e/m2. Note that all the TGS embodied carbon requirements may be updated based on a number of studies currently underway.

Waterfront Toronto's Minimum Green Building Standards  also requires the calculation and reporting of embodied carbon.

Certification Systems that Address Embodied Carbon

 

LEED v4.1

Through the MRc1: Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction credit, projects can receive 1 LEED point just for performing an LCA study and up to 5 points for a 20% reduction in embodied carbon relative to a baseline building. 

 

CaGBC - ZCB Design v2

Requires calculating embodied carbon emissions through an LCA study starting at the Schematic Design phase. Also required to apply two "Impact and Innovation" strategies. 2 of the 5 pre-approved strategies are:

  1. An embodied carbon reduction of at least 20% compared to a baseline building.

  2. Upfront carbon emissions equal to or less than zero.

In ZCB Performance v2, embodied emissions are required to be offset.

ILFI Zero Carbon Certification

Projects must demonstrate a 10% reduction in embodied carbon and not exceed 500 kgCO2e/m2, with remaining embodied emissions offset through an approved carbon offset provider.

ILFI Living Building Challenge - Energy Petal

Projects must demonstrate a 20% reduction in embodied carbon, with remaining embodied emissions offset through an approved carbon offset provider.

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Team

Meet Our Team

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Zeina Elali

Senior Manager, ESG & Decarbonization

KPMG

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Alistair Vaz

Senior Planner

University of Toronto

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Anna Wang