Pollution Probe (also known as ''Pollution Probe Foundation'') is one of the first environmental non-governmental organizations (
ENGOs) in Canada.
Pollution Probe is a nonprofit group that seeks to improve Canadian's health through research, education, promotion and advocacy of actions to reduce
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
.
History
Pollution Probe was founded in 1969 by a group of students and faculty at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...
out of a desire to address environmental issues. The group initially focused on air pollution and only the Ontario area, but gradually expanded to also focus upon other forms of environmental pollution over time, and also nationwide concerns.
According to the organization's history, they worked on getting restrictions on the use of DDT enacted in 1969, and later a ban throughout Canada. In 1970, they pushed for legislation to limit
phosphates
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from ph ...
in
detergents. In 1973, they helped initiate
recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The Energy recycling, recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability t ...
programs in Ontario, and in 1979 they helped push for legislation to restrict
emissions
Emission may refer to:
Chemical products
* Emission of air pollutants, notably:
**Flue gas, gas exiting to the atmosphere via a flue
** Exhaust gas, flue gas generated by fuel combustion
** Emission of greenhouse gases, which absorb and emit rad ...
that cause
acid rain. In 1980, they opened Ecology House, an environmental education centre and urban demonstration of local self-reliance. In 1988, they helped to get regulations passed to remove lead from
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic ...
, and in 1993, they launched an annual "Clean Air Commute" campaign to increase public awareness about transportation options that could help improve
air quality
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...
, and by 1998 they achieved the passage of mandatory
vehicle emission testing in Ontario. In 2004, Pollution Probe helped to obtain further regulations in Ontario to reduce
metal smelter facility emissions that can cause acid rain. In 2010, the organization helped to persuade the legislature to enact regulations to limit car and truck
greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
. In 2013, the organization collaborated with five power utilities to launch the Electric Mobility Adoption and Prediction ("EMAP") project.
In 2016, Pollution Probe and Plug’n Drive issued a report with recommendations intended to increase sales and use of electric vehicles. In 2017, Pollution Probe was appointed one of the positions on an advisory group for developing a plan for getting more zero-emission vehicles in use.
In 2019, Pollution Probe partnered with the
Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; french: Banque royale du Canada) is a Canadian multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 17 million clients and has more than 89,000& ...
to produce a report on watershed planning in the Great Lakes ecosystem. The report used data science to analysis the ecosystem's functions and determine future actions to improve its health.
Ratings
Pollution Probe has a "B" grade according to
Charity Intelligence Canada
Charity Intelligence Canada (Ci) is a registered charity that does charity assessments of over 750 Canadian charitable organizations, to allow donors be informed when they donate to charities, and to promote transparency, accountability, and re ...
, and in fiscal year 2015 the organization spent 12% of revenues on administrative costs, and total overhead costs of 46%.
Related
In 2016, ''The First Green Wave'', a book about the beginning of the
environmental movement
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...
in Ontario, authored by Ryan O'Connor, won the
Ontario Historical Society The Ontario Historical Society is a non-profit organization centred on the preservation of Ontario’s history. It is governed by an all-volunteer board of directors, and its members include individuals as well as historical institutions from across ...
's J.J. Talman Award for being the best book on Ontario's social, economic, political or cultural history, published in the past three years. The book focused heavily upon the history of Pollution Probe.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Pollution ProbePollution Probe Foundation fonds Archives of Ontario
Pollution Probe at the University of Toronto archival papersheld at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
Non-profit organizations based in Toronto
Environmental organizations based in Ontario
Environmental organizations established in 1969