Our Mission
The Urban Retrofit is a team of individuals who are passionate about climate change and aim to reduce GHG emissions by building retrofits.
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The City of Toronto reported that buildings accounted for 45 per cent of GHG emissions, primarily from burning natural gas to heat indoor spaces and water. Infrastructure, especially buildings are major contributors to emissions and therefore, key elements to consider in building a sustainable city.
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Our mission is to engage residents and youth in building retrofits by providing resources and knowledge, as well as educating people on the many benefits of retrofitting.
Our Partners
Youth Challenge International
Youth Challenge International is a non-profit organization that seeks to "transform conversations about youth and innovation into real solutions that inspire young people to realize meaningful employment and overcome the challenges they face."
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Youth Challenge International’s Innovate MY Future that offers the opportunity for youth to take on climate change by innovating solutions in their communities. The program brought together the members of what is now, The Urban Retrofit Team.
Our Team
RAHEMEEN AHMED
Rahemeen is an aspiring structural engineer, a graduate of the Civil Engineering program from the University of Toronto and she is interested in the design of structures that are safe, resilient and sustainable. This prompted her to get involved with YCI's 3rd cohort and she's looking forward to working with her teammates to come up with a viable solution to improve engagement for building retrofits by empowering residents with easy access to reliable information about retrofitting.
NAZIHAH ALAM
Nazihah Alam is a second year student at the University of Toronto. She became a YCI Volunteer because she wanted to create a change in my community. To her, climate change is an important and urgent topic. Accordingly, she made the decision to take this opportunity to learn about the different sectors within climate change and also be apart of creating a solution. She is currently part of University of Toronto's Mental Health Association.
CYNTHIA ZHOU
Cynthia is Grade 11 high school student. As communication lead, she manages this Instagram account and post about team progress. With a desire to make a positive change in her community prompted her to participate in YCI's Innovate My Future Program.
JENNY AUTILLO
As a recent grad in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto, Jenny aspires to make a tangible impact within her community especially in the realm of climate change. She strongly resonated with the program as sustainable development in infrastructure is necessary not only for our generation but for the future. She looks forward to applying her problem-solving skills but to also get creative while working with such a diverse team.
ADRIANNA LEE
Adrianna Lee is the Reporting Lead for The Urban Retrofit. Looking for opportunities that directly involve fighting against climate change. She wanted to know more about retrofitting buildings and its impact on the environment. She is beginning to recognize and understand how critical it is, as buildings are big contributors to global GHG emissions.