Old factory converted to become net-zero

Owner found way to retrofit building that is super energy efficient: geothermal energy

- MARCO CHOWN OVED

Talking about climate change can be unsettling. Some of its challenges seem almost too big to comprehend. But there are things that can have a real impact. And climate "action" doesn't always look like you think it might. In a limited series, the Star profiles Torontonians who are making grassroots contributions in their communities.

It's not much to look at from the outside.

A squat industrial building down an anonymous street in the city's northwest corner, 501 Alliance Ave has the gravel-stuck-to-concrete facade of a bygone era.

But inside, things couldn't be more cutting edge. Beakers are bubbling in a carbon capture lab, bottles of water are being turned into hydrogen and the entire building doesn't produce a gram of carbon.

It's a marriage of form and function under a single roof, where cleantech businesses are bustling in an environment that showcases how a transition off fossil fuels can be profitable.

While most "green" buildings are new builds, typically flaunting industry standards like LEED Platinum, the Alliance Avenue edifice shows that old buildings, which have a harder time getting these kinds of certifications, can actually be more environmentally responsible.

"The greenest building is one that already exists," said Elliot Strashin, the man who bought the structure 12 years ago when it was in such bad shape, leaks were being directed into a drinking fountain using plastic wrap.

Most landlords would have torn down the 1960s-era building where Cooper made hockey equipment, and built a new one from scratch-especially those who value sustainability and want something as close to carbon-neutral as possible. But Strashin isn't most landlords. He thinks this approach is flawed.