• Working in partnership with the Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corps to provide education on Lake Banook and Lake Micmac and their respective watershed areas.
  • Developed a brochure on the Lake Banook and Lake Micmac watershed areas and what people can do to minimize their impact on these areas.

• HRM has received Milestone 5 recognition in the Partners for Climate Protection Program for its monitoring and reporting of corporate greenhouse gases! Read more about the PCP program.

• HRM Energy & Environment recently reported on its corporate GHG emission reductions over the last six years: Progress Report on Corporate GHG Emission Reductions 2005-2011

• Check out the updated Community Action Guide to Climate Change and Emergency Preparedness

HRM Energy & Environment (formerly Sustainable Environment Management Office)

HRM established the Energy & Environment office to serve as the corporate lead for sustainability and environmental policy, strategy, reporting, and performance monitoring. The office takes an integrated systems approach to the environment, focusing on clean land, energy, air & water. The group also coordinates internal and external education and awareness programs. Examples of activities falling under the land, energy, air & water areas are given below.

Clean Land

• Regional Plan – The Regional Plan started out as an environmental plan. This is quite significant because all the long-term policies to be established and implemented over the next 25 years – including those for water quality, open space, affordable housing, public transit, capital district, economic and others - are based on the Regional Plan and its environmental orientation. It is our over-riding policy document for HRM for the next 25 years.

• Solid Waste Management - HRM’s Solid Waste Division, with the cooperation of our residents, businesses, corporations and industries, has achieved high and climbing waste diversion rates over the past several years. See here for further details about solid waste management in HRM.

• Pesticide Use Reduction – Pesticide use has declined in residential areas and HRM Properties in recent years. This is due in part to sustainable landscape maintenance practices at both corporate and community levels, and to the success of the Pesticide By-law. Permit applications have fallen approximately ten-fold since 2003 to 440 in 2008, and complaints have fallen almost 20-fold in the same period. HRM’s effort has shifted from permitting and enforcement towards education and awareness. Click here for the 2008 overview report.

• Community Garden Heavy Metal Study

Clean Air

• Climate SMART: HRM developed an award-winning climate change adaptation strategy

• Milestone 5 Recognition in the Partners for Climate Protection Program
• Progress Report on Corporate GHG Emission Reductions 2005-2011
• 2008 Corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

• Corporate & Community Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Plans – HRM has formally endorsed plans to reduce GHG emissions to 20% below 2002 levels by 2012

• Active Transportation Trail Enhancement
• HRMSmarttrip.ca including Parking Smart

• Bus Rapid Transit – HRM introduced Bus Rapid Transit (better known as MetroLink) in 2005. With enhanced comfort and direct, limited-stop service, the use of bio-fuels and ridership estimates of nearly 2700 per weekday in 2006, MetroLink is definitely helping to take some vehicles off the road during the work week.

• Bio-Fuels – HRM uses non-fossil based fuels in Metro Transit buses and certain buildings

• Reduced Idling – HRM promotes reduced idling by all (see the campaign here) and enforces a corporate anti-idling policy.

• Sackville Landfill - Methane Gas Recovery

• Clean Air Strategy – HRM produced a Clean Air Strategy to identify issues and possible approaches to deal with air quality issues in our municipality.

• HRM Corporate Smart Car Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Green Vehicle Filter and Life Cycle evaluation template

Clean Water

• Harbour Solutions Project – Clean Harbour

• Upgrade WWT Facilities

• Biosolids Program – link is to schematic only; no text on website.

• Wastewater/ Stormwater Strategy – 25 Year Plan

• Water Quality Monitoring Program

• Final Consultant Report - Water Quality Monitoring Functional Plan    This Report will inform the recommended Functional Plan to be presented to Regional Council
• Canadian Recreational Water Quality Guidelines

• Water and Sewer Extensions

• Road Salt Management

• Groundwater/Septic Stewardships

• Bottled Water

Clean Energy / Climate Change

• Community Guide to Climate Change and Emergency Preparedness

• Energy Successes Map

• Wind Energy Master Plan

• Community Energy PlanEnergy

• Efficiency Initiatives

• Geothermal Energy (Alderney Five Project)
• Solar Energy (Centennial Pool retrofit)
• Solar Hot Air
• Corporate Energy Benchmarks
• Vending Miser

• Community Energy Planning

• Transit/ Transportation Long Range Plans

• Gas Conversions to High Efficiency

• Wind Power - Green Power Purchase

• Energy Performance Contracts - Metro Transit Facility

• LED Street Lights

• LED Traffic Lights
• Heat Recovery

• Sackville Landfill - Methane Gas Recovery

• Update on HRM Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Project/ Initiatives - December 2009. (PowerPoint)

• Sustainability Funding Mechanism for Energy Efficiency

• Eastern Passage Climate Change Public Participation
• Eastern Passage Communications Package
• Reports, Proposed Policies and Regulations for Siting of Wind Energy Facilities in HRM

Other Energy & Environment Sustainability Initiatives

• 2010 Corporate Sustainability Analysis
• MindShift - Environmental Youth Education- The SEMO office has been partnering with the Adventure Earth centre on a number of sustainability initiatives.
• Bike Rack Design Competition