Urban Equation

Every June for the past several years, our Toronto and Ottawa teams have participated in Bike Month as part of our commitment to encouraging better health outcomes for staff, and reduce emissions associated with travel. Last year, our teams biked over 1200 kms as part of the month’s competition. At the end of the month we rewarded the individual and the office with the highest number of kilometers biked with a gift card and a lunch. This is just one of many travel related initiatives Urban Equation included within the One Planet Action plan we developed for Windmill Development Group to achieve One Planet Living Global Leadership Endorsement. Another favourite is the bike to work incentive, offering employees 50 cents per km in wellness spending throughout the year.   Wishing all our employees a fun month of cycling and may the best team win!

Urban Equation was founded 15 years ago as a vehicle to share Windmill Development Group’s knowledge and experience of sustainable development with the broader market. We’re proud to share Windmill’s 2023 Sustainability Report which details the many ways that we’ve helped create innovative sustainability strategies that help Windmill continue to lead the industry. From Windmill’s endorsement as a One Planet Living Global Leader to the refinement of the Windmill Impact Standard and creation of short- and long-term carbon targets for both operational and embodied carbon, we’re excited to share how we’re helping the real estate industry build a better world.

Our team had a fantastic time at at CAGBC | Canada Green Building Council’s #BuildingLastingChange conference in Toronto last week. Our Director Steve Dulmage and Senior Consultant Fin MacDonald spoke alongside Windmill Development Group’s Director of Finance and Investments, Courtney Flood, CPA and Epic Investment Services’ Nada Sutic on how to give responsible capital a voice. The conversation covered the work that they are all doing to raise capital to finance deeply sustainable real estate while producing market returns, with a spotlight on the roadmap we developed to make it all happen. A social hiring strategy, community benefits plan, and a zero-carbon development strategy are some of the initiatives Urban Equation has created to ensure projects meet the requirements of the One Planet Living Real Estate Fund, a joint venture between Windmill and Epic.    At Urban Equation, we’re keen to facilitate more conversations on how sustainable real estate projects can yield returns for both people and the planet. 

Recently, Urban Equation successfully hosted a workshop for our client, Windmill Development Group, bringing together key general contractors involved in their projects. This workshop was a crucial step in understanding and addressing the challenges related to implementing sustainable solutions during construction. Collectively, we learned a lot from each other! A big shout out to Doran Contractors Limited, Thomas Fuller Construction Co. Limited and Oben Build for their open minds and active participation. The discussion centered around: How to reduce the environmental impacts on the construction site. Ways to address the health and wellbeing on trades working onsite. How to improve circularity. How to address a lack of knowledge around innovative low-carbon solutions such as mass timber. How to improve Windmill's social hiring strategy and generate more community benefits. The discussion will help Windmill Developments continue to strive for higher standards of environmental and social sustainability across its projects, starting with no/low cost solutions to get the ball rolling.

We’re so proud of this shared accomplishment with Windmill Development Group! Endorsements from Bioregional are typically awarded to individual projects, and we have been behind most of them in North America, including Canada’s first OPL-endorsed masterplan community at Zibi in Ottawa, The Baker District in Guelph, and most recently Hälsa Mimico in Toronto. This Global Leader endorsement recognizing Windmill and Urban Equation is the first time a North America-based company has received a leadership distinction.

Join Sneha R. tomorrow May 7th for a special webinar with our fellow 2023 Ontario Embodied Carbon Award Winners, hosted by CLF Toronto | Carbon Leadership Forum. Sneha will be presenting key results and embodied carbon reduction measures that Urban Equation created for Windmill Development Group's award winning project, Courcelette. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gftTBTAX

Urban Equation's Fin MacDonald was recently invited to moderate a panel discussion at the Ottawa Construction Association (O.C.A)'s Annual Construction Symposium. The session was focused on Decarbonization in Construction. Joining Fin on the panel was Maranda Bennett (LafargeHolcim), Ghina Annan (Stantec), and Jolene McLaughlin (Ellis Don). The session explored the impacts that the construction industry has on global emissions, and the importance of the building sector to meet National and corporate climate targets. Panelists explored the challenges faced by the industry along with some strategies and technologies to reduce carbon in construction.

We're pleased to announce that we've been engaged as the sustainability and energy advisor for the landmark 2444 Eglinton project, a partnership between Civic Developments, Windmill Development Group, Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto and CreateTO. Thorough this engagement, Urban Equation will support strategic planning and target-setting from project initiation, developing and reporting on key performance metrics that align with stakeholders and the Windmill Impact Standards, which are amongst the most advanced and progressive in the real estate industry. A renewables and district energy study is also planned to identify the optimal energy servicing strategy for the site and ensure our operational carbon drives towards net-zero. A Community Benefits Plan will generate economic opportunities for equity-seeking groups, and a Lifestyle Strategy will create a culture of sustainability for future residents. Certifications and endorsements are important to validate success, with Urban Equation leading this effort as well. The major Sustainability goals and commitments for this site include: • One Planet Living endorsement – Global Leadership • LEED BD+C for each building – LEED Platinum • Toronto Green Standard - TGS version 4 – Tier 2 • One Planet Living Fund key performance metrics • Renewable energy generation on site • Zero combustion on site – no natural gas This project further expands on our expansive work across the Greater Toronto area helping clients set and achieve new benchmarks in sustainability and environmental stewardship. Learn more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/gitKhtMu #operationalcarbon #embodiedcarbon #zerocarbon #geoexchange #districtenergy #solar #renewables #net-zero

Reflecting on #EarthDay2024, we're proud of how we've helped many of our clients deepen their commitments to sustainable development, taking much needed action for a healthier planet and a brighter future. Learn more about how our client Windmill Development Group is approaching the challenge of sustainable development: https://lnkd.in/gZ7GzWyr 📧 info@urbanequation.ca 💻 urbanequation.ca

Our Senior Consultant Sue Clark had a great time moderating the panel discussion at “Green Buildings Around the World and the Global Effort to Reduce GHGs” at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology on April 10th. Here are some of her key takeaways from the panel of global experts: 🌎      Historically, Canada has a legacy of climate leadership dating back to the 1980s: the Montreal Protocol, the Acid Rain Treaty, and the first World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere – what would become known as the Woodstock of Climatology 🌎      Climate issues are intertwined with social issues, exemplified by Jordan’s example of refugee housing and Colombia’s sustainable cities work 🌎      The financing piece is crucial, and can provide the push and incentive for projects around the world to push the envelope on renewable energy and efficiency measures: preferential lending by banks as well as green bond programs by property owners like Vasakronan, which has allowed them to reduce their scope 1 and 2 emissions by 99%   Reach out to us if you want to learn more about innovative ways that you can address the challenge of net zero carbon. 📧 info@urbanequation.ca 💻 urbanequation.ca