All about the Carbon Reduction Fund: Going above and beyond climate positive

This tri-campus initiative is funding campus community sustainability projects and bringing people’s ideas to life.

What is the Carbon Reduction Fund?  

The Carbon Reduction Fund is financed by the Air Travel Emissions Mitigation Initiative (ATEMI). With university-funded air travel estimated to be responsible for over 12,000 tonnes of carbon per year, the Carbon Reduction Fund was launched in 2023 to offset unavoidable university air travel and its resulting emissions. Under the initiative, a fee is applied to university-funded flights, calculated based on every kilometer flown. The money collected from the fee is pooled to fund university-based emission reduction projects—and the call for project proposals is open now. 

While U of T continues to reduce emissions on campus, the Carbon Reduction Fund targets the university’s indirect emissions. These are produced by sources that are not owned or controlled by the university, are not considered campus emissions and are not included in the 2050 climate positive pledge. Nevertheless, the university’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond campus, and led by new Sustainability Office Project Manager Elliott Stambler, the Carbon Reduction Fund represents the university’s first foray into mitigating indirect emissions. 

The ultimate goal of the fund is to eliminate the impact of university-funded air travel emissions entirely, with smart investments into carbon reduction projects. 

Where the funds go 

Money collected from the fee is invested in sustainability projects, which are selected and implemented by the university, rather than handed off to a third party.

“We’re looking for projects that are doing something additional to the work that the university is already doing, or planning to do,” says Scott Hendershot, Sustainability Office senior manager.

The first Carbon Reduction Fund initiative was a tree-planting project at the Koffler Scientific Reserve, a large forest reserve used for research and education. This project will capture about 500 tonnes of carbon in its lifetime.

Another major project, currently ongoing, targets propellant-based inhalers, in partnership with the Family Health Clinic. The project promotes alternatives to inhalers whose propellants emit large amounts of carbon dioxide equivalent when delivering medication to the lungs.

Who can apply? 

Project applications are open to all university faculty, students and staff.  

Projects are selected by an advisory committee based on alignment with program principles, including a focus on sustainability opportunities that are not already covered in the 2050 climate positive commitment, as well as the project’s potential co-benefits to the local community and the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“We’re excited to support innovative projects that align with our sustainability goals,” says Stambler. “We encourage anyone with a feasible idea to apply.”

Got an idea? Stambler and the committee encourage anyone with an idea or questions to reach out at sustainability@utoronto.ca. Selected projects can receive up to $200k in funding.

“We’ve got a lot of collective brain power and drive here at U of T,” emphasizes Hendershot. “We like that notion of harnessing it to solve this problem together.”

To learn more or to submit your idea, visit our web page.