What I Told The Climate Lobby

... in the race for Don Valley West Trustee (March 3rd)

Feb 18, 2025

“Thanks for filling in TDSB Trustee Candidate Survey

Here's what was received.

TDSB Trustee Candidate Survey

Don Valley West for Environmental Action is a group of concerned residents committed to fostering a sustainable and resilient future. As we approach the upcoming by-election for TDSB Trustee, we seek to engage candidates in meaningful dialogue about their positions on environmental issues.

We know that by understanding each candidate's vision and strategies, we can make informed decisions that will benefit the residents of Don Valley West.

As a candidate for TDSB Trustee for Don Valley West, we invite you to submit your answers to the following questions. You will receive a copy of your submission and we will make your answers available to concerned residents of Don Valley West.

We have used the main categories of the TDSB's Climate Action and Impact environmental initiatives to help frame our questions.

Email *

adamgolding@adamgolding.ca

TDSB Trustee Candidate name

ADAM GOLDING

Building Climate Resilient Environments

TDSB is the second largest property owner in Toronto and the second largest greenhouse gas emitter among universities, hospitals, health networks and school boards in Ontario. What role do you think TDSB should play in addressing climate change? *

- Energy Efficiency of all buildings that also saves on costs - Scientific and mathematical education in everything but the conclusion you're supposed to reach -- including symbolic logic used to formalize climate arguments so computers can error-check the arguments

- civics curriculum should cover the political history of environmental measures and their public reception

- since the TDSB can't print money for a basic need like more teachers, they can just take n% from each budget for any need that trumps all others, but rather than taking money evenly, there could be an *internal* carbon tax where the amount taken from each budget is proportional to climate impact -- this would have to be for specific top spending priorities like more teachers -- imagine if the federal carbon tax had been piped straight into housing offers

- please let me know your other suggestions, I will hear your specific policy proposal throughout my term in office

- FREE BIKES & BIKING FIELD TRIPS (ask the police auction to give bikes to the school board for climate -- start the biking habit early! The city should subsidize bikes for adults.)
--
adamgolding.ca (Candidate for Don Valley West Trustee)
ultimatecoders.com (Centre Director)

TDSB has an aspirational goal of Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050. However, the City of Toronto has through its "TransformTO, Toronto's Climate Action Plan" a goal of Net Zero by 2040. Should the TDSB align its goal to Toronto's? *

The TDSB should send the City of Toronto a bill for how much more it will cost to do it ten years faster -- they can forward the bill to the province and the feds -- UPLOAD TO THE PRINTER PEOPLE
--
adamgolding.ca (Candidate for Don Valley West Trustee)
ultimatecoders.com (Centre Director)

Would you agree that viewing the current backlog of repairs in Toronto public schools through a climate change and resiliency lens is an opportunity for TDSB to address energy conservation and climate action? *

Yes! I didn't know this was the last question but it was the first thing I wrote! Climate measures that save money immediately are an easier sell for the public.

--
adamgolding.ca (Candidate for Don Valley West Trustee)
ultimatecoders.com (Centre Director)

Conserving Energy

Do you support the school board's Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan? *

Okay, well, I just read the report, and I think I see the problem -- it is full of well-meaning science and follows a noble moral code but doesn't have much economics--to use an example that I already typed in the next question before reading this report: Which retrofits will pay for themselves the fastest? Which green investments pay for themselves the slowest? Contractors who cannot provide this kind of information with science to support it should not be used. The document is mostly devoid of economics and cost-efficiency information -- just CTRL+F for "$" and you will see how little of the plan has cost/benefit estimates -- how much energy efficiency are we getting PER DOLLAR via these various proposals? If measure A and measure B are both 'the right thing to do' but one is ten times more effective, we need to know that!

--
adamgolding.ca (Candidate for Don Valley West Trustee)
ultimatecoders.com (Centre Director)

What energy efficiency retrofit work will you lobby for in the schools in our Board? *

Step 1: get estimates in a table of which retrofits save the most money Step 2: fund all the most cost-saving ones immediately, start working down the list

--
adamgolding.ca (Candidate for Don Valley West Trustee)
ultimatecoders.com (Centre Director)

Encouraging Environmental Behavior

TransformTO calls for 75% of all trips to school be made by walking, cycling and transit. How do you see the TDSB working with the City, i.e., what ideas do you have to promote and encourage this at the schools, to reach this important goal, reducing localized pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while improving safety at school drop-off and pick-up times?
*

- Increased use of shuttle busses to drop children at after-school programs such as ultimatecoders.com

- FREE BIKES (via police auction) / BIKE FIELD TRIPS to PROMOTE BIKES - WALK POOLING: organize walks with dogs and kids from school to neighbourhoods -- loop in local dog-walkers

- remove the presto card for kids -- all that should be required is ID -- this is a data grab and metrolinx doesn't need ride data about our children (off-topic, but also see: https://adamgolding.substack.com/p/boycott-presto )

- lobby the city to legalize sidewalk riding for children below 18 (ONLY FOR BIKES WITH SPEDOMETERS ON THEM)

--
adamgolding.ca (Candidate for Don Valley West Trustee)
ultimatecoders.com (Centre Director)

Engaging Students

How do you think climate change affects students? *

It deeply affects them as they do not feel motivated when such a dark future is painted by current climate projections if we do nothing -- they must be taught that they CAN DO SOMETHING to avoid LEARNED HELPLESSNESS aka DEPRESSION

TDSB Ward 11 has a highly diverse demographic. How would you approach the impact of climate change and resiliency on equity deserving students in our Ward?
*

Climate change disproportionately affects the marginalized -- therefore we protect the marginalized by addressing Climate Change. We do this BETTER if we triage our climate measures to first engage in measures that pay for themselves the fastest, rather than passing the immediate cost of long-term-payoff-projects onto struggling families, as the Wynne and Trudeau liberals both have done.

Promoting Health and Wellbeing

How do you think that TDSB could play a role in alleviating climate anxiety in students? *

See above & by providing civics throughout the curriculum so students know, at every turn, how they could change what the adults are doing when and as they grow up.

What should the school board do to prepare students for this in future and empower them so that they can make a difference? *

Both climate anxiety and math anxiety have a common treatment: mandatory pranayama education. For instance, I wrote this simple app in a programming language I teach children: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1083640021/fullscreen/

Improving Biodiversity

What advantages do you see in continuing with the TDSB's tree planting and learning gardens programs? *

ecological education and self-resilience -- once we legalize front-yard gardens these kids will be READY

Informing Education Practices

TDSB offers professional learning opportunities in environmental and sustainability education for TDSB educators. Do you feel that TDSB should similarly educate trustees? *

Sure! A commitment to education has to include your own! And I devote every spare moment to learning and creating -- but the Trustees' final answers and opinions must be regulated, not by the board, but by the voters at the ballot box, for it is only through their elected representatives that the people have a vote.

Reducing Waste

With the expansion of the student food program in the 2025 City of Toronto budget, do you agree that this is a good time to move away from single-use foodware in this program, and to implement reusables, as a valuable waste and cost reduction initiative? *

YES learn to do the dishes kids!”
—
adamgolding.ca (Candidate for Don Valley West Trustee)
ultimatecoders.com (Centre Director)

Open Letters

Discussion about this post

Open Letters

What I Told The Climate Lobby

... in the race for Don Valley West Trustee (March 3rd)

TDSB Trustee Candidate Survey

Email *

TDSB Trustee Candidate name

Building Climate Resilient Environments

TDSB is the second largest property owner in Toronto and the second largest greenhouse gas emitter among universities, hospitals, health networks and school boards in Ontario. What role do you think TDSB should play in addressing climate change? *

TDSB has an aspirational goal of Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050. However, the City of Toronto has through its "TransformTO, Toronto's Climate Action Plan" a goal of Net Zero by 2040. Should the TDSB align its goal to Toronto's? *

Would you agree that viewing the current backlog of repairs in Toronto public schools through a climate change and resiliency lens is an opportunity for TDSB to address energy conservation and climate action? *

Conserving Energy

Do you support the school board's Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan? *

What energy efficiency retrofit work will you lobby for in the schools in our Board? *

Encouraging Environmental Behavior

Engaging Students

How do you think climate change affects students? *

TDSB Ward 11 has a highly diverse demographic. How would you approach the impact of climate change and resiliency on equity deserving students in our Ward? *

Promoting Health and Wellbeing

How do you think that TDSB could play a role in alleviating climate anxiety in students? *

What should the school board do to prepare students for this in future and empower them so that they can make a difference? *

Improving Biodiversity

What advantages do you see in continuing with the TDSB's tree planting and learning gardens programs? *

Informing Education Practices

TDSB offers professional learning opportunities in environmental and sustainability education for TDSB educators. Do you feel that TDSB should similarly educate trustees? *

Reducing Waste

With the expansion of the student food program in the 2025 City of Toronto budget, do you agree that this is a good time to move away from single-use foodware in this program, and to implement reusables, as a valuable waste and cost reduction initiative? *

Discussion about this post

TDSB Ward 11 has a highly diverse demographic. How would you approach the impact of climate change and resiliency on equity deserving students in our Ward?
*