Remarks from MP Richardson at event announcing nearly $150,000 in federal ecoACTION funding for three Calgary projects:

Good afternoon everyone.

Thank you for joining us today as the Government of Canada pledges its support for on-the-ground environmental action that will yield big benefits for Western Canada, and in particular, Calgary Centre.

The ecoACTION Community Funding Program was created to provide community groups with financial support for projects that have measurable, positive impacts on the environment. Most notably, ecoACTION seeks to support projects that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; projects that focus on diverting and reducing substances that negatively affect water quality; projects that protect wildlife and plants and the habitats in which they thrive; and projects that help to reduce the harmful air emissions that pollute the air we breathe.

Above all the ecoACTION Community Funding Program is about preserving and enhancing Canada’s natural environment.

With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that Canada’s Government is contributing almost $150,000 to three new ecoACTION projects here in Calgary, to support community actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions while providing cleaner air, water, and land for Canadians.

Traditionally, initiatives funded under the ecoACTION program have included projects aimed at reducing individual greenhouse gas emissions by getting people to carpool or ride the bus, or projects that improve water quality by reducing the amount of pesticides or household hazardous substances that enter our streams and lakes.

Some projects have been undertaken to reduce air emissions that contribute to air pollution, while others have been undertaken to restore and protect natural habitat. But no matter their purpose, each project has been undertaken with a greater goal in mind – to protect the environment for future generations.

And that’s exactly what Calgary’s three funding recipients are doing.

The Clean Calgary Association has received $100,000 to go towards its Healthy Homes Calgary Project, which engages 850 local residents by delivering free information and resources on how to shrinks their household’s environmental footprint.

As part of the project, Clean Calgary Association staff and volunteers will visit interested households and help homeowners establish a baseline and create action plans to reach environmental and indoor health goals. Tools for reducing a household’s environmental footprint will also be provided, including low-flow shower heads, rain barrels, recycling systems, composters and compact fluorescent bulbs.

Another $25,000 from the funding envelope is directed towards the Green Cyclers Program, and after-school program that educates over 700 kids on environmental issues. Activities include an ‘Earn-a-Bike’ workshop in which kids repair recycled bicycles and earn credit through environmental activities.

Local bicycle trips during the spring will reinforce workshop lessons and foster environmental awareness through themes of interconnectedness, biology, ecology, natural history, traditional knowledge and conservation.

Finally, $24,950 will go towards the Bow Valley Climate Kids Project, which provides six teams of local youth with professionally-led workshops for writing, directing and editing their own climate-change videos within the Bow Valley.

The teams, including two of First Nations youth, will publicly showcase their completed videos to bring attention to climate change and its local impacts.

The total of $150,000 in funding for these three projects comes from a greater $544,000 ecoACTION investment in a total of 12 new projects in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, including the three I mentioned today.

It certainly brings me great satisfaction to know that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Harper, our community is not only reaping the benefits of these investments, but also that our community is undertaking important projects like the Healthy Homes Calgary Project, the Green Cyclers Program, and the Bow Valley Climate Kids Project.

Really, it’s only by working together that we can achieve a more sustainable Canada. Our Government encourages Canadians to do their part to help protect our environment.

We are also pleased to support community groups that take on-the-ground action to preserve and enhance the quality of the natural environment, and doing so in a manner with the Government of Canada’s environmental agenda.

The ecoACTION Community Funding Program is part of a number of community action programs that Environment Canada manages.

I strongly encourage all Canadians to apply to these programs to create new partnerships that will benefit Canada’s communities and conserve our natural heritage, much like these ones and the other nine ecoACTION projects across the Prairies.

Thank you.