Green Your Business

GreenBiz Caledon

Be part of GreenBiz Caledon Climate Partnership.
Green your business and save on your bottom line!

A program designed for businesses of all sizes and sectors. 

Take part in the 2023-2024 program including workshops and site walk-throughs, action-oriented resources and access to grant programs to offset the cost of making improvements.

For more information: GreenBiz Caledon Climate Partnership

 How to green your business

There are a number of programs to help businesses and not-for-profits reduce energy use and costs and improve the environment.

 Energy

 

Did you know that the energy consumed in buildings is responsible for almost 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Caledon? There are several resources and programs available to help  you to improve the energy efficiency of your building, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and realize cost savings.

Electricity Utility Programs

  • Electricity Retrofit Incentives: SaveONenergy’s Retrofit Program offers incentives for a range of upgrades from high efficiency lighting, ventilation, chillers, motors, fans and more.

  • Lighting Rebates: Incentives are available for small businesses to upgrade to energy efficient lighting. Improved lighting can lower operating costs, improve customer experience and provide more attractive product displays. Learn more about the Small Business Lighting Program here.

  • Demand Response: Demand response encourages businesses to shift their electricity use from peak hours to off-peak hours to reduce demand on the grid, while reducing your energy costs. Learn more here for small businesses and here for large consumers.

Natural Gas Utility Programs

  • Industrial Solutions: Enbridge Gas’ Industrial Custom Solutions and Incentives Program can help industrial customers identify natural gas saving opportunities and provides incentives for implementing.

  • Commercial Custom Retrofit Program: Work with an Enbridge Gas Energy Solutions Advisor to identify natural gas saving opportunities. Enbridge Gas will cover up to 50% of recommended project costs.

  • Fixed Incentive Program: Enbridge Gas offers incentives to help offset the cost of installing energy efficient natural gas equipment in new and existing buildings. 

  • Run it Right Program: Find low or no cost operational improvements that reduce natural gas consumption and earn up to $10,000 to implement retrofits. 

  • Savings by Design Program: Build a new commercial building (50,000 square feet minimum) to be at least 15% more energy efficient than Ontario Building Code, and you could earn up to $30,000 in incentives from Enbridge Gas.  

Town of Caledon Programs

  • Green Development Program: The Town’s Green Development Program provides up to 27.5% in development charge discounts for new green commercial and industrial buildings. 

  • Community Improvement Program: Provides incentives to business located in the Community Improvement Plan Area (Bolton, Caledon East and Six Villages), including an energy efficiency grant.

  • Read the Town’s Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reduction Framework for inspiration on ways to save energy in your building!

Other Agency Programs

  • Climate Action Incentive Fund: The Government of Canada’s Climate Action Incentive Fund: Small and Medium-sized enterprise project stream offers up to 25% of an energy saving project’s total eligible costs between $20,000 - $250,000 per project.

  • Eco-Efficiency Program: Partner’s in Project Green’s Eco-Efficiency Program helps businesses to understand their energy consumption and identify opportunities to save money through operational changes and energy efficient retrofits. 

Training and Resources

  • Training: Both saveONenergy and Enbridge Gas offer incentives of up to 50% on training programs that can help build your employees’ energy expertise. 

  • Energy Manager: For large organizations, the Energy Manager Program provides an upfront payment of $20,000 annually upon the hiring of an energy manager. 

  • Comprehensive Energy Management Program: Work with an Enbridge Gas Energy Solutions Advisor to investigate natural gas saving opportunities and qualify for: up to 80% of the cost for an energy management information system; up to $2500 for Certified Energy Manager certification; and up to $10,000 for events/team training support.  

 Transportation

Transportation is responsible for 54% of the greenhouse gas emissions in Caledon. There are lots of opportunities to reduce emissions within your corporate fleet including:

  • Electric Vehicles: Transition your fleet to electric vehicles. Learn more about the electric vehicles on the market and incentives by visiting Plug’n Drive, a local non-profit committed to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. 

  • Green Economy Canada offers 50% back on the cost of EV chargers up to $100,000. EV Charger Incentive Program.
  • Incentives: You can save money when you purchase an electric vehicle! See the full list of eligible vehicles under the Government of Canada’s iZEV Program.

  • Idling Bylaw: Did you know that idling for more than two minutes total in a sixty-minute period is prohibited in the Town of Caledon? 

  • Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Natural Resource’s Canada Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) provides up to 50% grant for installed EV charging stations. 

  • Cycling: resources provided by the Town of Caledon, including routes, maps and information about infrastructure.

  • Public Transit: encourage your employees to take public transit to get to work when possible! Learn more about the rates and schedules.

 Waste

Waste has a major impact on the environment, through single-use plastics ending up in the ocean, food waste contributing to methane emissions, and the environmental impact of landfills in Ontario. Following reduce, reuse, and recycle practices in your business operations can reduce your impact.

  • Waste Audit: Carry out a waste audit at your business to know where improvements can be made.

  • Single-use Plastics: Eliminate and reduce single-use plastics from your business operations and procurement strategies. Check out Partner in Project Green’s White Paper on Plastic Waste.

  • Reuse: Partner in Project Green’s Material Exchange program facilitates the exchange of material generated in the community to divert waste from landfill and move towards a circular economy.

  • Divert: Invest in private waste collection services for recycling and organic composting collection and services. Review the Government of Canada’s Inventory of Recycling Programs in Ontario to get started.  

  • Food Donation: If your business has a surplus of food, there are  programs that can support, by providing excess food to non-profits. Check out The Exchange for more information!

  • Education: Learn how to properly sort your waste through the Region of Peel’s tool.

 Water

The Region of Peel provides water and wastewater services to the Town of Caledon and is one of their largest energy consuming buildings. By conserving water, your also conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 Resiliency

Based on climate projections for Caledon, our weather will become warmer, wetter, and have wilder extreme weather events. View the resources below to see how your business can be prepared!

  • Flooding: If your building is in or near a flood-prone area, consider flood proofing techniques to make your building watertight and prevent floodwaters from entering. Consider increasing pervious surfaces at your business though use of low impact development. Check out a local depave project at the Heritage Hills Parkette in Bolton.

  • Naturalization: Landscape with native plants and vegetation, which can help prevent soil erosion and allow flood waters to drain more efficiently. Check out the Credit Valley Conservation Authority’s Greening Corporate Grounds Program and the Town of Caledon’s Tree Seedling Program.

  • Renewable Energy: Solar photovoltaics can provide many benefits, by decreasing your monthly energy bill, increasing your business’ vulnerability to power outages and reducing your carbon footprint! Learn more about receiving credits on your monthly electricity bills through Hydro One’s net metering program here.

 Corporate engagement

Help improve your Environmental Social and Governance Strategies, or Corporate Social Responsibility mandates with these tools:

Greening Corporate Grounds Program

GCG is a program offered by Credit Valley Conservation to help corporate landowners build resilience and long-term social and environmental value with sustainable landscaping solutions.

This program provides landowners with free sustainable landscaping assessments to determine current site sustainability and opportunities for improvement, as well as technical assistance, project planning support, employee engagement events, and access to funding for eligible projects.

Who is eligible to participate?

Any business, institution, or place of worship that owns or leases a property in the Credit River Watershed (generally west of Airport Road) is eligible to participate.

 What is sustainable landscaping?

Sustainable landscaping refers to a set of landscaping practices that protect, enhance, and restore the natural environment. These practices can reduce conventional maintenance costs, reduce flood risk, protect infrastructure, and enhance the communities where we work, study, volunteer, or worship.

Sustainable landscaping is a critical component of any organization’s corporate social responsibility and sustainability strategy. 

 Why do sustainable landscaping?

  • reduce flood risk

  • help you qualify for a credit on your stormwater charge in participating municipalities

  • improve employee health and well-being

  • reduce long-term conventional maintenance costs

  • visibly demonstrate your commitment to the environment and sustainability

  • support your broader sustainability and CSR goals

  • protect water quality, improve soil health, clean the air, shade and cool our cities, sequester carbon, and create habitat for wildlife

 Event collaboration

 

Sustainable landscaping is only one part of an organization’s broader sustainability or CSR strategy. We’re excited to participate or partner with other leaders in the corporate sustainability field to deliver engaging presentations that showcases the breadth of sustainability opportunities. Topics we can discuss include:

  • Sustainable landscaping 101
  • Winter maintenance practices that improve your bottom line
  • Nature that works: Green infrastructure for flood risk management
  • Nature-based employee engagement: a win-win for your business and the environment
  • How to make your business bird friendly

Please contact Deborah Kenley to discuss panel or event participation at deborah.kenley@cvc.ca.

To find out more email gcg@cvc.ca or visit CVC's website.

Greening Corporate Grounds website

Tree Seedling Program

Help grow our tree canopy! The Town of Caledon's Tree Seedling Program provides an opportunity to purchase potted trees and bundled seedlings in the spring each year. Since the program's inception, more than 194,000 trees have been distributed to private land owners.

The Program is available to residents and businesses. Place your order before May 6, 2024.

Tree Seedling Program

Partners in Project Green (PPG)

Partners in Project Green (PPG) offer the business community programs to green your business and realize bottom-line results by: reducing utility costs, increasing operational efficiency, engaging employees, driving innovation and creating new business opportunities.

 Programs available from PPG

Member Only

  • Materials Exchange
  • People Power Challenge On Demand 
  • Tree planting 

Paid Programs, with discounts for Members

  • Energy Consortiums
  • People Power Challenge
  • Recycling Collection Drive

Available at no cost to all businesses

  • Natural Infrastructure Program
  • Water Efficiency
  • Events & webinars
  • Newsletters

Check out the website for more information.

PPG website

logo for People Power Challenge

Annually PPG offers the People Power Challenge, a turn-key 12 week employee engagement program. Check the website for details and fees.

If you are a member of PPG you may take advantage of the do-it-yourself People Power Challenge at no cost.

Whether you are a PPG member or not, Caledon businesses may participate in the free Green Economy webinar series. See what's coming up on their Events and Webinar site.