Climate change coordinator, watershed monitoring, wetland education, and energy retrofits in Tantramar among projects funded by NB’s Environmental Trust Fund
The province of New Brunswick has announced another year of project funding with its Environmental Trust Fund, and about $500,000 of the $8.6 million funding package will go towards 13 projects directly impacting the Tantramar region.
A large share of the funding—$190,000—will go to the Southeast Regional Services Commission for five different projects including mattress recycling, glass recycling, a re-use expo, waste education, and a program to help communities clean up illegal dump sites.
Another large share will go to EOS Eco Energy, to help fund three ongoing projects: water quality monitoring in the Rockport-Dorchester area, a program to help residents with energy retrofits for their homes, and another to help people in the Chignecto area reduce their flood risk.
EOS is also involved in a fourth project in partnership with the town of Tantramar. The town will receive $35,000 in funding towards continuing its climate change coordinator position. Corporate services director Kieran Miller shared the news with council this week, and said they would see a motion come through as soon as the province sends a formal letter of offer.
“This is the Environmental Trust Fund that we’ve applied for for the past three years to fund the climate change coordinator position,” said Miller.… Continue
Another round of MASU’s Green Investment Fund means another $20k for sustainability projects in Tantramar
Back in 2009, the students of Mount Allison voted to chip in $10 each per year towards a Green Investment Fund (GIF). Since then, students have collectively funded dozens of sustainability projects at the school and throughout the Tantramar region. Over the years the GIF has funded solar panels on the shed at the Tantramar Regional High School, the replacement of halide light bulbs with LED alternatives on the Mount Allison campus, and the purchase of acres of degraded forestland for long-term restoration, among other things.
Issac Acker is a fourth year Biology student, and the Sustainability Coordinator for the Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU). With the deadline for this year’s funding applications approaching next week, CHMA spoke with Acker to find out more:
The GIF collects roughly $20,000 each year, depending on student enrolment, and that pot of money can go to a number of small projects, or one large project, says Acker. It all depends on “the quality of the projects that have been submitted, and what the sustainability committee decides,” he says.
And the projects are open to anyone in the community. “That’s what I love about this project,” says Acker. “It’s not so much just based solely on campus, but we can reach out to many different nonprofits and other organizations in the greater area.”… Continue