“I was president of the Pollution Solution club,” Tiffany Pratt says with a burst of laughter, recalling her first real act of environmentalism when she was a Brantford schoolgirl.
“It was in fifth or sixth grade. We made sure everything got separated and recycled at lunch time.”
Pratt now owns Glitter Pie Art Studio, a model of energy and waste conservation, which is why she’s one of this year’s nominees for the Green Toronto Awards. Sponsored by the City of Toronto, the sixth annual awards honour individuals and businesses leading the way to a sustainable future.
Pratt’s Queen Street East studio, where children and adults gather for weekly art classes, has been nominated in the Energy Conservation category. Winners will be announced April 23.
“In the winter we huddle up and wear sweaters as opposed to having the heat cranked.” Pratt says the lights are usually kept off and in the summer the air conditioner isn’t overused. “As much as possible I like to be on the conservative side of use. We use what we need versus what we can have.”
She mentions a recent visit from Toronto Hydro staff promoting energy conservation. “They were here to offer their services, but realized they couldn’t because I was already doing everything. They were giving away free high-efficiency bulbs, but everything is already high-efficiency. I told them I haven’t changed a light bulb in almost two years, since we opened in 2008.”
