The climate innovator power list: Meet the 12 women advancing Toronto’s net-zero shift

Toronto’s path to net zero by 2040 is often framed in ambitious policy terms, but at ground level, that transition depends on people building practical solutions inside the communities they know best.

Women4ClimateTO was designed to accelerate that work. Now in its sixth year, the City of Toronto program pairs women climate leaders with 18 mentors across climate, finance and marketing, connecting early-stage ideas with the expertise and networks that help them take hold.

“When underrepresented voices lead innovation, the solutions tend to be more equitable and more resilient,” says co-champion Alice Xu, a director of environment, climate and forestry with the City of Toronto. “Women entrepreneurs and community leaders are often closest to the real-world impacts of climate change.”

That proximity, combined with structured support, drives the ventures that emerge. Co-champion Selina Young, a manager at Toronto Water, sees that clearly in this year’s cohort. “There’s a shift toward more science-based innovation and community-focused projects,” she says. “Community action is imperative to take meaningful climate action.”

The program has also evolved into a more connected network. About half of this year’s mentors are returning, while alumni now contribute as mentors, trainers and connectors. That continuity strengthens the exchange at the heart of the program, helping founders move beyond the pilot stage and into real-world use.

Organized into three pillars of change, here are the 2026 Women4ClimateTO mentees.

The Circular City

These founders redirect the waste produced by the fashion, food and arts sectors, keeping resources in circulation and reducing waste through local reuse. 

Arushi Chopra, Studio Dialectica Studio Dialectica approaches fashion as both material practice and cultural expression. Chopra creates genderless, size-inclusive garments using repurposed and natural fibres while opening up a broader conversation around sustainability and identity.

Tamara Shelly, Classic Juice Co. At Classic Juice Co., Shelly connects wellness and waste reduction through a closed-loop model. She takes the by-products of cold-pressed juice production, turns them into compost, and directs that compost to Black- and BIPOC-led farms across Toronto, reducing emissions while supporting regenerative food systems.

Marissa Rowles, Second Stage Dance Rowles tackles a niche but persistent source of textile waste. Her redistribution model gives dancewear and performance costumes a second life in community arts programs, cutting down on waste while lowering the cost of participation for emerging performers.

Carly Connor, Green Salvaged Materials Green Salvaged Materials treats construction waste as untapped supply. Connor’s platform connects demolition sites, contractors and new builds through a system that tracks and redistributes usable materials that may have otherwise been headed to storage or landfill.

Urban Evolution

This group focuses on the systems that shape how cities are built, powered and navigated.

Mahta Davoudi, Alterner Davoudi focuses on what happens after renewable energy systems are installed. Through life cycle-based planning, she works on tools that track materials and continuously monitors performance over time while supporting longer lifespans for renewable assets, helping reduce waste and improve the reliability of clean energy infrastructure.

Iris Redinger, Material Futures Material Futures rethinks how colour gets made. Redinger’s venture produces pigments using microorganisms, an alternative to conventional dye production for such industries as food, cosmetics and textiles.

Jenna Sawatsky, SEE Maps SEE Maps brings climate awareness into everyday navigation. Sawatsky’s maps app combines carbon-aware routing, physical activity metrics and personalized routes to help users who log their trips to see the full environmental and physical impact of how they move through the city. The app encourages them toward lower-carbon travel routes over time, providing key insights into mobility habits over time while rewarding users for supporting sustainable, active transportation.

Community Resilience

At the neighbourhood level, these ventures reimagine how people share resources to build more connected, climate-ready communities.

Jessica Hines, Aoya Irrigation Systems Hines brings low-tech water conservation into urban growing. Her terracotta self-watering systems help gardens retain moisture more efficiently, cutting water use while making it easier for people to grow food at home and in community spaces.

Danielle Goldfinger, The Laneway Project The Laneway Project reimagines Toronto’s overlooked laneways as active public spaces. Goldfinger works with communities to co-design greener, safer corridors that strengthen social connection and turn underused infrastructure into places people actually want to spend time in.

Jessica Martin, The Grow App Martin’s platform functions as a virtual community garden. Users focus on growing one crop well then trade produce locally, creating a distributed model that improves access to fresh food while cutting emissions tied to transport and supply chains.

Kriti Murthy, Climate Literacy Initiative Murthy’s initiative translates climate science into practical understanding. Through workshops and community partnerships, she equips participants, especially youth, with the tools to engage with climate issues in their schools, neighbourhoods and daily lives.

Avesta Rastan, Biophile Media Biophile Media uses creative storytelling to make science more accessible. Rastan breaks down research on health, the human body and the environment through visual and narrative formats that invite broader audiences into climate conversations.

The work is already underway. To explore the full 2026 cohort and see where these ideas go next, visit Women4ClimateTO’s official program hub.