Empowering women to be climate leaders

Some day, Katherine Festeryga plans to grow enough food to feed Canada’s largest city, using solar-powered greenhouses spread across existing warehouse rooftops.

Festerya is one of 12 women tackling environmental challenges with innovative solutions — like urban commercial farming, sustainable home energy alternatives and eco-art projects with children. They are participating in this year’s Women4Climate Toronto Mentorship Program, which aims to support female climate leaders in tackling the climate emergency by providing mentoring, training and networking opportunities.

As Toronto continues its journey toward a greener and more sustainable future, the city is striving to recognize diverse voices and the leadership of women in achieving its target of net-zero emissions by 2040.

“To reach our net-zero goal, we need all voices at the table, and that includes women,” said Jennifer McKelvie, deputy mayor of Toronto, in an interview with Canada's National Observer. “Projects help to reduce the environmental footprint of individuals, buildings and products.”

Festeryga says she is building a unique commercial rooftop greenhouse through her Edie Farming project. Utilizing the latest machine-learning and artificial intelligence technologies, she is creating a closed-loop hydroponic system powered entirely by solar energy that will grow sustainable produce.

“Our goal is to grow enough food to feed Toronto using 95 per cent less water and space than traditional farming, starting with leafy greens and herbs,” said Festeryga. “Our greenhouse farms will be built on the unused rooftop space of pre-constructed commercial warehouses. By taking advantage of existing infrastructure, this project will not use valuable land or building space that could be used to address the housing crisis and negate the carbon footprint for new builds.”

Festeryga’s urban farming will first produce leafy greens and herbs because they grow quickly and easily in Canada where people are eager to buy and consume them, she said.

Festeryga hails from a farm family in Wheatley, Ont., where greenhouses are abundant. She has witnessed the widespread use of traditional greenhouse practices that heavily rely on expensive, unsustainable energy sources. However, Edie Farming, named after her grandmother, aims to defy this trend by adopting innovative approaches that prioritize environmental sustainability.

“One thing Toronto has is more buildings, so we don't need to create more space; rather, we need to utilize the existing space. My urban rooftop farming concept is a more sustainable option and contributes positively to the environment as it is entirely powered by clean energy.”

Festeryga’s early farming will start with an area between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet. “We are currently in discussions with universities, colleges, and commercial spaces for this pilot project. Construction is planned to begin in May and continue until May of the following year,” she said.

“Despite Canada's cold seasons and climate change challenges, we are ensuring that our greenhouse can withstand the various climates experienced in Toronto and across Canada.”

By using a closed-loop hydroponic system in the greenhouse farms, Festeryga said she will be able to grow produce using about 93 to 95 per cent less water than traditional agriculture.

“It also allows our greenhouses to be incredibly light in weight, meaning they are perfectly suitable for rooftop growing. We will be collecting rain and stormwater from buildings and then use this in our hydroponic system, [which] will then utilize nutrient film technique (NFT) to grow the produce.” This means the produce is grown in a nutrient solution instead of soil. “We then clean the water and recycle it back into our hydroponic system, creating a closed, sustainable loop,” said Festeryga.

Currently, 10 per cent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions stem from crop and livestock production, excluding emissions from fossil fuel use or fertilizer production.

“Edie Farming will safeguard Toronto’s food systems, providing reliable access to healthy, clean produce year-round without increasing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Festeryga. “This will directly aid in advancing Toronto’s circular-economy climate priorities, while also addressing the growing concern around social inequality and long-term food insecurity.”

McKelvie explained the mentorship program, now in its fourth round since 2020, is centred around people and ideas. Many participants are embarking on their climate action journeys, expressing optimism about expanding the alumnae network and fostering opportunities for women to cultivate relationships at networking events featuring prominent speakers and influencers, said McKelvie.

All participants receive a $500 honorarium upon completing the mentorship program. Then, the city hosts a pitch competition where women with the top three projects receive a cash award and additional support to advance their work. The winner is awarded $20,000 and two runner-up projects receive $5,000 each.

Through a combination of mentoring, training and networking opportunities, participants are provided with the resources and support necessary to take their climate-related project, product or business startup to the next level, said McKelvie. “The participants are offered knowledge labs around business and financial planning, marketing and communications, and how to prepare a pitch.”

Festeryga said the city has been instrumental in supporting her project. Having a mentor and institutional support can be immensely beneficial, especially for women in traditionally male-dominated fields, she said. And it is crucial to have more family-owned businesses in climate-controlled spaces.