Pollution Probe Foundation | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Pollution Probe Foundation

Pollution Probe was formed in 1969 by a group of University of Toronto students in an effort to address some of the environmental issues that were without a champion at the time. The organization became a registered charity in 1971.

Pollution Probe Foundation

 The Pollution Probe Foundation, or Pollution Probe, is a national nonprofit, nongovernmental environmental organization. Pollution Probe's mission is to achieve positive and tangible environmental change, and the organization seeks to accomplish this by partnering with government and industry in a collaborative approach to problem solving. The main areas it currently focuses on are energy, transportation and chemicals management.

Pollution Probe was formed in 1969 by a group of University of Toronto students in an effort to address some of the environmental issues that were without a champion at the time. The organization became a registered charity in 1971. Historically, it is known for its work in Ontario with that province's Blue Box and Drive Clean programs (recycling and mandatory emissions testing for personal vehicles, respectively) and development of the Environmental Bill of Rights.

Although many of the organization's projects are centred in Ontario, and in particular the Greater Toronto Area, Pollution Probe also works on initiatives with a national scope. It co-founded QUEST (Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow), a network of industry, governments and citizen groups whose goal is to develop fully integrated energy systems in their urban environments. Pollution Probe has also played an instrumental role in advancing federal regulations to control sulphur in fuel, smelter emissions and greenhouse gases from vehicles.

Pollution Probe is governed by a board of directors and receives financial support from government (federal and provincial), industry, foundations and a Canada-wide donor base.

See alsoENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSERVATION MOVEMENTS.

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