For more than 15 years, Mantle Climate has been the YMCA’s trusted climate partner, helping one of the world’s largest YMCAs turn early ambition into measurable, community-wide impact. 

 

Where it started 

Our work with the YMCA of Greater Toronto began in 2008, when we helped set the Y’s very first environmental targets. Since 2017, we’ve been a continuous strategic partner, and today that relationship spans resilience, decarbonization, circular design, sustainability reporting, and more. 

 

What we’ve built together 

• A foundational resilience strategy. We helped create the Y’s original Climate Resiliency Strategy and are now delivering the updated 2025–2030 Climate Resilience Strategy, equipping Y facilities to serve as community resilience hubs. 

• A portfolio of certified green buildings. Green building certification has become the Y’s standard for how it builds and operates. We’ve supported multiple LEED Platinum and Gold facilities, including the David Braley Vaughan Centre, the Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA, and the McDonald Family YMCA at LEED Platinum, with new Centres of Community targeting LEED Gold.  

• Circular design in action. At the Y’s new Square One location, we’re helping recover and reuse furniture, equipment, and building materials from decommissioned sites, reducing waste and embodied carbon. 

• Measurable results. Since 2009, the Y has cut absolute emissions by about 49% and emissions intensity by 58%, reflecting both a cleaner Ontario grid and its own efficiency and retrofit efforts. 

• Transparent reporting. We coordinate and prepare the Y’s annual Climate & Sustainability Report, now in its eighth edition, aligned to GRI and IFRS S1/S2 standards. 

• Funding to power the work. We help the Y identify and access the funding and incentives that make climate projects possible, from energy efficiency and demand response programs to grant and philanthropic opportunities aligned with its priorities. It is a practical way we help turn ambition into funded, real-world action. 

 

A model for the movement 

The YMCA of Greater Toronto helped establish the YMCA Green Network and the YMCA Green Space platform, supporting World YMCA’s Vision 2030 Sustainable Planet pillar. We’re proud that the work we’ve done together is now helping accelerate climate action at YMCAs around the world. 

 

How we help YMCAs 

Every Y is at a different point on its sustainability journey. Wherever you’re starting from, we can help you: 

• Assess and plan: climate risk assessments, resilience strategies, and decarbonization roadmaps 

• Build better: sustainable design and construction, green building certification, and embodied carbon reduction 

• Measure and report: greenhouse gas inventories, sustainability reporting, and disclosure aligned to global standards 

• Fund it: identify and access grants, incentives, and financing to make projects viable 

• Engage your community: turning facilities into resilience hubs and sustainability into programming 

 

Explore our work 

• 📄 Read the YMCA case study

• 🌏 View the latest YMCA Climate & Sustainability Report

• 🔗 Learn more about Mantle Climate

 

Let’s continue the conversation 

Whether you’re just getting started or ready to take your next step, we’d love to hear what your Y is working on. 

Irene Lam, Director, Client Services
📧 irene.lam@mantleclimate.com
📞 +1-416-737-9870 

 

Get in touch

 

Mantle Climate. We build climate leaders.