An Update from our Executive Director
Hope you’re having a lovely start to the Spring! The year started off very well for us – after submitting our Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) application just before Christmas, we sold out the ZooShare Founders’ Club on January 6, reaching our target of $400,000!
Once the FIT window closed, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) acknowledged that almost 4,000 applications were received, totalling more than 800 MW of generating capacity (97% were for solar projects) – four times the 200 MW of capacity that will be awarded! The OPA reiterated that they would be issuing these contract offers in Q2 of this year. Based on our criteria points, the community power set aside, and our original February 2011 timestamp, we continue to be confident that an offer will be made to ZooShare.
We hosted an exciting marketing roundtable in February with our partners the Toronto Zoo, Bullfrog Power and the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC) to develop a marketing strategy for our Community Bonds. The session yielded great ideas, and we would like to thank these forward-thinking organizations for their contributions and ongoing support of ZooShare. Also in February, we proudly became members of the Local Organic Food Co-operatives network, an Ontario-based network to educate and advocate for food co-ops, facilitate their growth, and connect regional food processing and distribution hubs. As an organization that is focused on turning food waste into valuable energy and fertilizer, we’re thrilled to join our fellow co-ops in sharing knowledge and collaborating to build a more sustainable food production system.
Our lawyers and accountants were hard at work as well – completing our audited 2012 financial statements, the Offering Statement (needed for Community Bond sales) and continuing to work on our feedstock contracts.
We’re looking forward to an exciting summer, starting with the Kids’ World of Energy Festival, taking place at Evergreen Brickworks from May 8-11, where our friends at TREC Education will be unveiling interactive biogas education activities!
Annual General Meeting & Board Nominations
ZooShare will host its 2013 AGM on June 12 at Centre for Social Innovation – Annex. Two seats on our Board are up for election including the position of treasurer, as our great treasurer Kathrin Ohle is moving onto other projects. Interested in serving on our Board? Download the job description here and contact Daniel for more information!
POOPOOPAPER STATIONARY PRODUCTS
POOPOOPAPER™ products is an innovative paper products company with natural, recycled and odorless (!) paper products made from the poop of different fiber-eating vegetarian animals including elephants, cows, and horses. Since the digestive systems of these specific animals don’t really break down vegetation all that well, fiber in poop is used as an alternative fiber source to tree-based pulp!
POOPOOPAPER™ is a proud ZooShare member! Their products are an excellent example of recycling and sustainability – by taking actual waste and re-purposing it into functional alternative-fiber paper products, they are on the leading edge of progressive recycling initiatives! Now that’s a company we can all get behind – but watch your step!