January 21, 2014. Toronto ON – The Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) and Summerhill Impact have announced the four winners in the inaugural award of the Grants in Gear program. A five-member jury used a scoring matrix to evaluate each application’s potential to achieve their stated environmental results, as well as to deliver against their work plan and budget. The winners, located throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, will each receive up to $25,000 to help further the environmental outcomes of their projects.
“The review committee evaluated more than 30 applications and it was hard to choose just four winners”, states Ed MacDonald, President of the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) and owner of Maritime Auto Parts. “We were impressed by the innovative ideas brought forth by Canadian NGO and entrepreneurial groups and look forward to witnessing the positive environmental changes made possible by Grants in Gear funding.”
The four winners are:
1. Fraser Basin Council, who will deliver the “E3 Fleet: Gear Up!” project to provide customized solutions to reduce fleet emissions and improve the environmental and economic performance of ten fleets throughout Canada.
2. Recycling Council of Alberta, who will develop an offset quantification protocol to apply to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the diversion of waste through recycling.
3. Plug’n Drive (in partnership with WWF-Canada and the Canadian Condominium Institute – Toronto Chapter), who will identify and address the technical, legislative and logistical issues that prevent the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in condominiums.
4. Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association (AREA), who will establish an infrastructure to responsibly manage and recycle end-of-life vehicles from a remote northern community in British Columbia. AREA also won the Green Recycled Parts Impact Award, for which they will receive an additional $5,000 that will be used to expand their program to additional remote locations and engage First Nations Communities.
Further information about each of the winning projects is provided in the attached supplement.
ARC represents 420 vehicle recyclers and dismantlers from across Canada whose businesses achieve great results for the environment in areas of waste diversion, energy savings, emissions reductions and pollution prevention. ARC started the Grants in Gear program to recognize its members, and to give back to like-minded organizations that are focused on similar priorities – local, sustainable, and striving to improve Canadian society.
ARC members collectively recycle an average of 400,000 vehicles each year, which are all processed according to the Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code (www.carec.ca). With modern auto recycling, more than 80% of the entire vehicle by weight is reused, re-manufactured or recycled, saving valuable landfill space, and conserving the energy required to manufacture new parts. The CAREC standard also ensures proper management of toxic fluids and other hazardous materials, such as lead and mercury. As the national voice of the automotive recycling industry, ARC provides a forum for channeling information and addressing Canada-wide concerns. For more information visit www.autorecyclers.ca/2024-.
Summerhill Impact is a not-for-profit organization focused on creating and facilitating public engagement programs related to positive environmental and health impacts. Visit www.summerhillimpact.org for more information.
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To book an interview with one of the winning groups, please contact Kelly Drennan, Third Eye Media at 416-458-1491 or kelly@thirdeyemedia.ca
Supplemental Information about the Grants in Gear Winning Applications
Organization: Fraser Basin Council
Project Name: E3 Fleet: Gear Up!
Location: British Columbia
Grant Amount: $25,000
Project Description: In organizations that operate fleets, inefficiencies are common – resulting in wasted fuel and unnecessary emissions. However, fleet managers often lack the tools and data needed to assess their current performance and identify – and ultimately realize – opportunities to reduce these emissions and save on costs. The E3 Fleet program is Canada’s Green Rating System for public and private vehicle fleets. The program’s mission is to reduce fleet emissions and improve environmental and economic performance. This project will provide customized solutions to improve the performance and efficiency of ten fleets throughout Canada by providing an incentive for their participation in the E3 Fleet Review.
“We are thrilled to be recipients of the Grants in Gear program from Automotive Recyclers of Canada. This funding will help fleets make critical steps in greening their operations, by enabling them to participate in our E3 Fleet program. It’s a great catalyst to increase participation and effectiveness of our program, which tackles fleet emissions across Canada.”
- Charlotte Argue, Assistant Manager, Climate Change & Air Quality, Fraser Basin Council
Organization: Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA)
Project Name: GHG Quantification Protocol for Recycling
Location: Alberta
Grant Amount: $24,790
Project Description: The RCA is working with stakeholders to develop an Offset Quantification Protocol that will apply to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the diversion of waste from disposal through recycling. This protocol works within the parameters of Alberta’s Offset Credit System which regulates large industry emitters to comply with the province’s greenhouse gas emission reductions program. There is a large difference in the amount of energy (and associated GHG emissions) required to manufacture from recycled versus virgin inputs and an unrealized potential for recycling in Canada that could deliver millions, even tens of millions of tonnes of CO2e reduction per year. This project will determine whether a protocol can be designed that will satisfy the criteria of carbon offset markets, thereby adding relatively significant value and incentive to the recycling industry. This protocol could become the benchmark for how (or even whether) waste recycling efforts find their way into carbon offset markets.
“The Recycling Council of Alberta was thrilled to find out it received funding under the Grants in Gear funding program. This project will provide validation and quantification of the greenhouse gas reduction benefits associated with recycling, and allow manufacturers in Alberta to apply for credits when utilizing recycled content. The funding will assist the RCA in finalizing this protocol and promoting its use within the industry in Alberta.
- Christina Seidel, Executive Director, Recycling Council of Alberta
Organization: Plug’n Drive
Project Name: Equipping Condominium Associations to Allow and Encourage Electric Vehicles
Location: Ontario
Grant Amount: $25,000
Project Overview: More than 1 in 10 Ontarians live in a condominium, but there are barriers that prevent the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in these buildings. Plug’n Drive is accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in Canada through an ongoing campaign to educate consumers about electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. With this funding, Plug’n Drive will identify and address technical, legislative and logistical issues that prevent the installation of EV charging stations in condominiums. In partnership with WWF-Canada and the Canadian Condominium Institute -Toronto Chapter, Plug’n Drive will develop a seminar that will equip condo boards with information to prepare for the arrival of electric vehicles in their building and to install, or allow their residents to install, EV charging stations.
“Plug’n Drive is thrilled to be supported by ARC through the Grants in Gear program. This funding will allow us to undertake work in the area of electric vehicles and condominiums that is critical to breaking down current barriers to EV adoption.”
- Cara Clairman, President and CEO, Plug’n Drive
Organization: Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association (AREA)
Project name: Stewardship of ELVs in Remote Northern Communities
Location: British Columbia
Grant Amount: $25,000 + $5,000 (Green Recycled Parts Impact Award)
Project Description: In most parts of Canada, there is a network of automotive recyclers (including ARC members) who are able to properly manage vehicles once they reach their end of life. In remote northern communities where there is little recycling infrastructure, these end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) often end up in landfill because the cost to transport them to markets exceeds the value of the parts and steel. AREA will help address this issue in the community of Dease Lake, British Columbia by establishing an ELV processing area at the local landfill that will serve communities in the area. Hazardous materials including refrigerants, lead-acid batteries and mercury switches will be removed at this location, and local staff will be trained to process ELVs to the standard of the Canadian Auto Recyclers’ Environmental Code (CAREC). The Grants in Gear funding will also help subsidize the transportation of the ELVs to a facility where they can be recycled into new steel.
Green Recycled Parts Impact Award: AREA was also selected to receive the Green Recycled Parts Impact Award, which they will use to develop programs for additional remote locations and First Nations Communities, and demonstrate how the CAREC standard for auto recycling can be applied in remote locations.
“The Automotive Recyclers of Canada is showing strong leadership on the issue of managing ELVs in remote communities across Canada. The grant will be used to develop the procedures that can be used by organizations and communities to manage ELVs in remote locations. The long-term goal of ensuring all ELVs in Canada are managed in an environmentally appropriate manner is a step closer thanks to this funding from ARC.”
- Colin McKean, Executive Director, Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association
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