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Some of Canada's largest companies intend to cut back their environmental impacts as part of a plan, being released today, to make Greater Toronto “the greenest city region in North America.”

Dozens of blue-chip corporations, including all of the country's major banks, IBM Canada, GE Canada and Manulife Financial have endorsed the Toronto City Summit Alliance's Greening Greater Toronto plan, which takes particular aim at the waste production and energy consumption of businesses. Occupants of Toronto-area commercial buildings throw out 64 per cent of the region's garbage and are responsible for almost 45 per cent of its greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the report. Notably, only 18 per cent of non-residential waste is diverted from landfill, compared with 39 per cent among residences.

The environmental coalition created by the alliance will launch four specific measures today that include:

–An effort to promote energy-efficient refits of commercial and residential buildings;

–A fund to assist schools, hospitals and other public institutions to become more energy efficient;

–A centralized database and trade fair for “green procurement”;

–Work on a system of environmental education centres.

The group also commits to compiling environmental statistics and providing a forum for businesses to meet with non-profit groups and governments.

Despite their enthusiasm for an initiative they call “unprecedented,” Greening Greater Toronto's authors suggested that without action from Queen's Park and Ottawa their efforts may not amount to much.

David Pecaut, the alliance's co-chairman, said that in addition to voluntary environmental measures “there is no substitute for regulation and requirements.”

Mike Pedersen, group head for corporate operations at TD Bank and one of Greening Greater Toronto's co-authors, sounded a similar caution yesterday, saying that although “it's valid to ask businesses to do what they can,” governments must “provide a level playing field” to encourage environmental progress.

Both men suggested some form of carbon pricing should be a component of government regulation. Federal Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion put forward a similar notion last week. “At least one half of senior business people would say carbon pricing is an important next step,” Mr. Pedersen said.

An influential environmentalist with an advisory role in Greening Greater Toronto was somewhat skeptical about its prospects. “Voluntary efforts typically don't work,” said Franz Hartmann, executive director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, adding that many businesses need the motivation of government regulations.

Yet Greening Greater Toronto hopes to capitalize on a trend toward environmental friendliness in businesses large and small. Local examples range from TD Bank's plan to go carbon-neutral by 2010 to one at Idomo, the furniture retailer, that aims to take the store “off the grid” by using solar and geothermal energy.

City Councillor Gord Perks – a long-time environmental activist and ally of Mayor David Miller – said the city is already an environmental leader.

For example, the Ward 14 (Parkdale-High Park) councillor said, Toronto already has the Better Building Partnership, which funds energy-efficiency retrofits, as well as the Toronto Atmospheric Fund to spur clean-air projects.

“We created the model that's being copied around the world,” Mr. Perks said.

Whatever the results of Greening Greater Toronto, what may be most significant is its origin – through lengthy meetings involving powerful executives, environmentalists of various stripes and government representatives. Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, who participated in one of the report's working groups, said he found it remarkable that the “corporate community was sitting with people who probably would have been protesting on the street 10 years ago.