The Goal: Zero Greenhouse Gas Building, A Manifesto

Getting to the right vision, and expressing it simply, is not easy. Zero Green House Gas Emissions (GHG) is the right vision for us, because it says what we need to accomplish most succintly. 1.) Do we care about all Green House Gases? Yes. Therefore we need to stop burning gas entirely, starting now. The …

Opening Reception for Contact Photo Festival – This Saturday

The opening reception for “On Toronto’s Water” is fast approaching this Saturday.    Just a reminder that you and a guest are cordially invited to the Opening Reception for Toni Skokovic’s “On Toronto’s Waters” photography exhibition as part of this years Contact Photography Festival.   The opening is May 7th from 6-9pm at Coolearth’s office and storefront …

On Toronto’s Water – A Guest Post by Toni Skokovic

  Toronto’s lakeshore and ravines hide endless possibilities for recreation and enjoyment of nature’s beauty. Ancient waterways and trading routes, Toronto’s waters are now a stage to an ever evolving landscape, shifting under and shaping the cycles of urban development and conservation efforts. In this process, we are left with landscapes, grand and intimate, in …

Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve — the world’s largest freshwater archipelago

This week the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, a collaborator of Coolearth, has done a guest post for our blog on the important work they do.  Together we want to bring awareness to the great beauty and vital importance of this UNESCO site.     Photo by: Kenton Otterbein Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve (GBBR) is an area …

Designing for Future Ontario Climates – Homes and Cottages

Map showing the extreme daily maximum temperature change in degrees Climate change is topping national, provincial, and municipal conversations these days: and for good reason.  The fast few years have been the warmest on record (“NASA, NOAA Analyses Reveal Record-Shattering Global Warm Temperatures in 2015“) and the perils of business-as-usual become apparent. Ontario is implementing a Cap and …

Paper as Insulation

At the firm as part of our conversation around insulation types, one of the Principals, Marty, mentioned that we have been using newspaper to insulated walls for hundreds of years. Indeed if anyone has done a renovation or addition to a home in Toronto from the early 1900’s, they might have found old newspapers still …