Ecology North Partnership

1. Ecology North Partnership • Town of Hay River Projects • presented by Kim Rapati • and Shannon Ripley

2. Sustainability in the Hub • The Hub of Sustainability! • As the second largest community in the NWT and the closest to market, we have a real opportunity to be the leaders in recycling and environmental sustainability • Waste Diversion as a Town Priority • Waste diversion initiatives can effectively prolong the life of our landfill • There is great community momentum regarding sustainability initiatives - residents are interested and poised for action • Effective Ecology North Partnership • Ecology North recognizes the waste diversion initiatives the Town is already developing and is enthusiastic about assisting in the research and communication of these initiatives

3. Kim Rapati • Education • Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, ON • Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism • Outdoor/experiential education, leadership, communication • Bachelor of Geography • Environmental issues, resource management, climate change • Recent training • Young Leaders’ Summit on Northern Climate Change 2011 • delegate at three-day conference in Yellowknife, Nov. 10 - 12 • Sustainable Community DevelopmentCourse • at Dechinta Bush University, Blachford Lake Lodge, March 9 - 12, 2012 • Town of Hay RiverLandfill Operations Course • invited to participate and acted as guest speaker to landfill operators and managers from six NWT communities, discussed waste diversion strategies • for managing household waste • Started working with Ecology North in Oct. 2011 • Saw need for sustainable living information in Hay River Reconnecting people with their environment is the first step to fostering sustainable behaviour World Water Day class presentation in Fort Resolution

4. Ecology North • Ecology North is a charitable, non-profit organization based in Yellowknife, formed in 1971 to support sound environmental decision-making on an individual, community and regional level. • Priority focus areas: public education and awareness, climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable living, waste reduction, local food production and source-water (drinking water) protection. • Maintains collaborative partnerships with a number of other local community and educational organizations. All programming emphasizes the links among environmental, social and community well-being. • Centralized Composting in Yellowknife Local food production in Fort Smith Centralized composting in Yellowknife

5. Recent Ecology North Hay River Area Projects • Waste Reduction Week October 2011 • Created ‘Hay River Recycling Guide’ with Town of Hay River and Tri-R Recycling • Held public display in the arena with recycling game, backyard and vermi-composting information and more • Laundry Cost Reduction February 2012 • Held public event in Fort Providence around energy and cost reduction possible when doing household laundry • Local Food Learning Jan - March 2012 • Jackie Milne ran ‘Hungry for Change’ six-week discussion course, starting your garden workshops around the area and helped set-up school gardens and composting • National Water Week March 2012 • Presented northern-based Grade 7 curriculum regarding the bottled water industry and water monitoring in our region to schools, conducted a class presentation in Fort Resolution • Held tar sands/water consumption documentary screening at the Library followed by presentation from local water monitoring group and discussion Waste reduction display at Arena Water week documentary at Library

6. Future Initiatives Ecology North can help strengthen the Town of Hay River team this summer to create real progress in the waste reduction initiatives planned for this up-coming summer. Here are a few of the projects to be worked on: • Recycling Feasibility Study • Centralized drop-offs for waste paper products and recyclables that do not provide a return for residential consumers. • Spring Clean-up Hazardous Waste • Two collections this year, will promote e-waste alternatives and general education on hazardous waste • Backyard Composting Promotion • Assist Town in distributing backyard composters and hosting educational workshops • Centralized Composting Feasibility Study • Explore centralized composting possibilities in Hay River

7. Partnership Ecology North is looking forward to our partnership with the Town of Hay River and is excited to provide support through: • Research • Understanding the priorities of the Town and focussing on exploring opportunities that can be taken in order to make them successful • Communication • Developing educational materials and making them available to residents - providing them with the background and theory behind why waste reduction and sustainability are important in our community • Empowerment • Providing residents with the simple tools and skills they need to be individually responsible for contributing to waste diversion and environmental responsibility in Hay River through workshops and public events Measuring temperatures at the YK Centralized Compost in winter Working together to learn about laundry cost reduction in Ft. Prov

8. Thank you! Mahsi cho! Merci!Kim RapatiEcology North Hay River Coordinatorkim@ecologynorth.ca867-876-0487