The City of Toronto is pleased to announce the winners of the City’s second Women4ClimateTO Pitch Competition, which took place following the completion of its 2022 Women4Climate Toronto Mentorship Programme. The pitch competition was hosted by the City and the program’s local presenting sponsor, EY Canada.
Nine participants from the six-month mentorship program pitched their climate-related initiatives to a panel of judges for a chance to claim first prize of $20,000 and two secondary prizes of $5,000 each, to help further advance their projects.
Women4ClimateTO pitch competition winners:
• First place: Zamani Ra – Through Circular Environmental EDucation (CEED) Canada Workshops, Zamani develops and delivers culturally-relevant curriculum to engage social housing residents in climate action.
• Runner-up: Carolyn Moss, Simona Sund, Adekemi Oke – Homes to Zero is an online platform to help homeowners navigate the process of making a home net zero and facilitate the mass-scale rollout of deep energy retrofits.
• Runner-up: Deborah King – Global Measure is a program to measure and certify sustainable and ethical fashion brands.
The winners were announced during a virtual event held last night featuring keynote speaker Jenn Harper, Founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty, followed by a panel discussion with the winners.
Through its Women4Climate Toronto Mentorship Programme, the City provides a combination of mentoring, training and networking opportunities to help local women entrepreneurs advance their climate-related projects and/or business startups. The 2022 program supported 14 local women with 12 climate-focused initiatives.
Women4ClimateTO supports the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Climate Action Strategy, which set Toronto on the path to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040.
Toronto’s Women4Climate Toronto program is co-championed by Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, and Heather Taylor, the City’s Chief Financial Officer.
More information about Women4Climate Toronto is available on the City’s Women4Climate Toronto Mentorship Programme webpage: www.toronto.ca/services-paymen
Quotes:
“I look forward to the contribution that all these future climate leaders will make to our collective efforts to reduce emissions and create a better, more resilient future for our city. Congratulations to all of the Women4ClimateTO participants and the mentors who helped pave the way for their success.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Thank you to all of the participants and mentors for contributing to a more sustainable Toronto, and congratulations to the winners of the final pitch competition. I look forward to seeing your innovative climate projects take root in Toronto and advance climate action in our city.”
– Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), Chair of Infrastructure and Environment Committee
“Women4ClimateTO proves the power of women supporting women; we can make the impossible possible. As this year’s program draws to an end, I am confident that the participants are better positioned to make a meaningful contribution to efforts to address the climate emergency. I am grateful to the investment by the mentors and our supporters. Congratulations to the pitch competition winners!”
– Heather Taylor, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, City of Toronto
“Congratulations to the outstanding winners of the 2022 Women4ClimateTO Pitch Competition. Your dedication, creativity and purpose-driven leadership are helping to develop innovative solutions that deliver long-term value for all. At EY, we’re proud to be part of initiatives like this that are empowering the next generation of female leaders to unlock their full potential and create a ripple effect that’s felt through the city and beyond.” – Mark MacDonald, Ontario Government and Public Sector Leader and Global Public Finance Management Leader, EY
SOURCE City of Toronto
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