Quebec Initiatives, Green Trends, & Solar Jobs – GC News # 659

659: 7 December 2009 Published by Green Communities Canada.

FUNDING RECEIVED. Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion has awarded Green Communities Canada aHealthy Communities Fund grant for the Ontario Walkolution. This project will incorporate the Ontario Active & Safe Routes to School program along with Canada Walks‘ work with community partners to create a culture of walking in Ontario.

WELL AWARE. See second edition of  Well Aware newsletter: includes media event with Environment Minister John Gerretsen, partnership with University of Guelph, participation to community events …Send a letter of support to ensure the continuation of the Well Aware program.

RUNOFF POLLUTION. Durham Sustain Ability’s Stormwater Education Project convened a multi-site stormwater education tour in township of Uxbridge, 25 November. Tour highlighted stormwater features helping the region meet its water quality goals. Day concluded with stakeholder discussion outlining priority runoff issues and ideas about reduction of runoff pollution. The Stormwater Education Project is a joint project between Green Communities Canada, RiverSides, and member organizations.

ECODRIVER NEWS. Windfall Ecology Centre produced an EcoDriver video as part of a local cable channel series,  A Greener York … Manitoba Public Insurance’s commercial promotes ecoDriver Manitoba in the latest edition of 60 Second Driver! “The concept of ecodriving is a good fit with MPI’s programs for reducing speeding,” says ecoDriver Manitoba Dave Elmore … Pollution Probe’s Primer on Automobile Fuel Efficiency and Emissions examines the driving and technological factors that govern fuel efficiency. See brochures: What You Can Do to Conserve Fuel and Reduce Emissions and Busting Myths About Fuel Efficiency and Driving. See also CAA sub-site.

FOOD TRENDS. Green Ideas Network, Burnaby, BC, hosts its second annual series of Environmental Evenings from October to May:  documentary Food Inc. shown 9 December … Greening Nipissing’s Environmental Food Guide helps make informed decisions about food, consumer goods and global environmental impacts … The Localization of Agriculture looks at concerns about the climate effects of non-local food and the rise of urban gardens … North-American Freegans dine well on discarded food.

HOME ENERGY. In this video from CasaGuru, Kai Millyard of Green Communities Canada offers some tips for working with a home energy advisor … Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives‘ November 2009Fast Facts quotes Green Communities Canada research on energy poverty. “About one million households spend more than 10% of their income on energy costs.”

QUEBEC INITIATIVES. Ăƒâ€°quiterre is seeking donationsSave environmental refugee Santa by building a snow bank on 12 December in Montreal … Cyclists from MontrĂƒÂ©al, Saguenay, RiviĂƒÂ¨re-du-Loup and QuĂƒÂ©bec raise environmental awareness with a road trip, 14-17 February.

10TH ANNIVERSARY. REEP Waterloo Region celebrated its 10th anniversary on 3 December with an evening of memories, great food and dancing. Awards were presented to homeowners who had reduced the most carbon through home energy retrofits in each of the 10 years of REEP by the energy advisors who evaluated their houses.

SOLAR JOBS. First Light Solar Park, located between Kingston and Belleville, Ontario, is expected to generate more than 10 million kilowatt hours of electricity in its first year of operation, and will provide green jobs starting in 2010 … A solar module manufacturing facility will create 500 direct jobs in Ontario … Updates and changes to the Feed-in Tariff  and microFIT programs are available on Ontario Power Authority’s FIT website.

XMAS TREE DILEMMA. The pros and cons of fake and real Christmas trees … An alternative is to rent your treeLiving Christmas tree decorates your yard after use.

SCHOLARSHIP. Twenty $5,000 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship are awarded to graduating high school students engaged in environmental community service, extracurricular and volunteer activities, and academic excellence. Due 28 February.

UNBELIEVABLE. Special edition of International Herald Tribune is filled with good news about the environment: mass activism, atmosphere named a world heritage site, and more … Campaigners, politicians and scientists propose to exclude Canada from the Commonwealth because of its climate policy … EcoResearch Professor of Environmental Law and Politics at the University of Victoria says thatwe have an unsustainable system problem, not only a climate one.

JOBS. Canada Green Building Council, three positions: Manager, Education Development, Market Development/Education Coordinator, Education Program Coordinator.  Ottawa, due 11 December …Community Environment Alliance, Community Animator. Brampton, no due date … Toronto Cyclists Union /Culturelink, Newcomer Cycling Outreach Coordinator. Due 15 December.

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