Exploring Climate Change Outreach Groups and Gaps

Exploring Climate Change Public Education and Outreach: Summary of Identified Groups, Programs and Gaps for New Brunswick

1.0 Background This report is a summary of an exercise used to identify climate change public education and outreach (PEO) initiatives in the province of New Brunswick. The exercise was conducted at the Steering Committee (SC) meeting of the New Brunswick Climate Change Hub (NBCCH), December 3, 2001. This summary is based on the minutes of the SC meeting with additional information and clarification included where appropriate. The report begins with an overview of groups and activities by sector. The following section summarizes identified gaps for each sector. The last section concludes with an illustration of how the groups could use existing initiatives as a starting point to fill gaps.

2.0 Groups and Activity Identification Process The Steering Committee (SC) meeting was used as an opportunity to identify climate change initiatives in the province. Each break-away group at the SC meeting was charged with identifying groups, programs and other activities that are addressing climate change issues (and PEO in particular). This listing of groups (and sectors) is not exhaustive, but it does provide a good introduction to activities in the province.

2.1 Agriculture

 Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre o CCAF Agriculture Awareness Project

 Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP) – NS o CARP produces fact sheets to assess agricultural activities on climate change and adaptation measures

 NB Agricultural Environmental Council (NBEAC) & the NB Potato Agency (NBPA) o NBEAC, NBPA and others are working to include best agricultural management activities related to climate change in the Environmental Farm Planning Process

 Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) o New climate change chair at NSAC (Dr. David Burton) with PEO mandate

 Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC)

New Brunswick Climate Change Hub o Research stations in Atlantic Canada have a climate change component – includes PEO mandate

 NB Soils and Crop Improvement Association o Identified leaders that are taking part in the Soil Conservation Council TAKING CHARGE TEAM – Working to promote climate change from producers to producers

2.2 Business and Industry

 NB Power o bill stuffers (PEO); o energy advisors o energy audits (bus. & res.) o Annual Report featuring environmental issues and energy use trends o encouraged suppliers to conform to ISO 14001 environmental Standards

 Enbridge Gas New Brunswick o energy audits o annual reports o bill stuffers

 Irving Oil Limited o local liaison with communities o environmental reports highlight climate change initiatives

 Home Hardware – more info needed!

 New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN) o Park Ride, Saint John (proposed) o Climate Change Audits(proposed)

 Government of New Brunswick o Atlantic Council for International Cooperation initiatives o Clean Air Act

2.3 First Nations

 Union of NB Indians  Atlantic Policy Congress  Aboriginal and Northern Climate Change Program  Band Elders

New Brunswick Climate Change Hub  NOTE: while potential groups were identified, no activities or projects could be identified at during this session. RESEARCH AND INFORMATION GATHERING IN THIS AREA NEEDS TO BE INTENSIFIED

2.4 Health and Medical Care

 New Brunswick Lung Association (NBLA) o Healthy Homes & Healthy Schools Programs o Flight for Life o International Centre for Action on Air Quality and Human Health (education, capacity building, and assessments)

 Fall Brook Centre o Organic Agriculture and Healthy Eating Habits o Climate Change Maze

 Go For Green o Advocates active living to reduce fossil fuel consumption (alt. Transportation?)

 Meteorological Service of Canada o produced climate change media clips – 30 secs

 Climate Change Action Fund o Steve Szabo’s office in Dartmouth would have list of NB groups applying for funding

 Community Health Promotion Network Atlantic (CHPNA) – more info needed!  Conservation Council of New Brunswick – more info needed!

2.5 Media, Outreach and Communications

 Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) o deliberation guide on climate change – examines policies and positions

 New Brunswick Environmental Network o Clothesline Campaign o ‘Weather or Not’ booklet

 Mount Allison University o Climate Change Caravan o Blue-Green Society

 New Brunswick Lung Association o Flight for Life

New Brunswick Climate Change Hub o Program-project media campaigns and PEO

 Go for Green o produces program and magazine for students to walk to school on Sept. 23rd

2.6 Municipalities and Local Service Districts

 New Brunswick Lung Association o Healthy Homes and general PEO

 Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) o FCM Partners for Climate Change Protection Program – designed to reduce municipal corporation GHG emissions by 10% below 1990 levels; reduce overall community GHG emissions by 6% o Projects undergoing in Fredericton, Bathurst and the Town of Quispamsis o FCM produced software, audits and project funding for GHG initiatives

 City of Fredericton o Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program o 18 Municipal buildings renovated through the retrofit program o partnered with Enerplan (Moncton company) using an alternative funding strategy – 10 year contract that allows Fredericton to pay for renovations with energy costs saved through retrofitting

2.7 Schools and Youth

 Environment Canada & other Federal Departments and Programs o many youth climate change websites and contests o Meteorological Service of Canada – Sky Watchers Program and curriculum modules

 Pembina Institute o youth website, info and contests

 Falls Brook Centre o Climate Change Maze

 Climate Change Action Fund o lists of proposed youth projects

 Université de Moncton o Grade 7 & 8 Northumberland Strait monitoring program o student monitoring of fisheries and coastal impacts – reports back to scientists and policy makers

New Brunswick Climate Change Hub  NBLA o Tools for Schools o Flight for Life

 Other Institutions and Programs – more data needed! o Mount Allison o Tree House o Clean Air Trail o L’Education aux Service de la Terre o Comité en Verte o Katimavik o Science East Museum o Worlds Unbound

3.0 Description of Gaps and Potential Solutions The following section provides an overview of the gaps identified and discussed for each working group sector. Some sectors are better illustrated than others. However, given the level of expertise at the meeting, a lack of awareness or information on a particular issue is a clear indication that further effort or OUTREACH is needed in that area.

3.1 Summary of Agriculture Climate Change Outreach Gaps

 Need to identify contact at the New Brunswick Dept. of Agriculture  Involve someone with the AAFC (Bernie Ziebart?) in future PEO agriculture working groups  Involve someone with the NBEAC (Suzanne Gagnon) in future PEO agriculture working groups  Get agriculture producers involved with general public awareness regarding climate change impacts and GHG solutions already taken by other producers  Use existing, or develop other, demonstration farms to illustrate GHG reducing activities  Need for more information-research-dissemination on climate change impacts on agriculture in NB and adaptation-management strategies

3.2 Summary of Business & Industry Climate Change Outreach Gaps

 Gaps were not discussed at the Steering Committee meeting

3.3 Summary of New Brunswick First Nations Climate Change Outreach Gaps

New Brunswick Climate Change Hub  Evaluation break-away group concluded that very little climate change public education and outreach was currently being done

3.4 Summary of Health Sector Climate Change Outreach Gaps

 Groups that need to be used to increase public education and outreach: o naturopaths – see Carolyn Galvin and Association of Naturopaths o Chinese and other alternative medicine groups – Ora Foods, other natural and health food stores o pharmacies, doctor, NB Dept. of Health and Wellness – contact: Mark Allen

 What are the Good New Health Info factoids?  Rural communities PEO gap – involve Falls Brook Centre Climate Change Bus???  Medical community could be better targeted – general promotional PEO posters and direct doctor-patient education  Better integration of climate change into school health curriculum  Need to find a climate change (health?) champion

3.5 Summary of Media Climate Change Outreach Gaps

 Challenge to reach Francophones and university media  There is no ‘information package’ for media in New Brunswick  Challenge to reach First Nations through workshops and provide information  Need for a regional workshop for rural media as well as alternative media  Need to conduct outreach at malls, markets, fairs, expos, with a display booth  Challenge to find the right (appropriate message?)  Community Level Workshops  Need a cultural / artist component

3.6 Summary of Municipalities and LSDs Climate Change Outreach Gaps

 Local service districts are all incorporated villages and have no formal representation. First Nations communities are in a similar situation. A major stumbling block is that there are no funds committed from other sources, other than the through the FCM

3.7 Summary of Schools and Youth Climate Change Outreach Gaps

 Lack of connection between funding agencies and youth groups  Youth groups lack capacity to access climate change funding  Lack of material for people between the ages of 16 to 25  Lack of provincial standards for education plans

New Brunswick Climate Change Hub  Getting the climate change issue into the classroom is dependent on the educator  Challenge in putting together creative ways to get youth involved

3.8 General Climate Change Public Education and Outreach Gaps

 Explore the possibility of a workshop designed to provide non-money resources (i.e., training) to small groups – ‘train the trainer’ workshops for community leaders to help them spread the word with home, community, schools, or church groups.  Climate change message by itself will not drawn a lot of attention (communication challenges) – integrate climate change message into existing issues or problems that can be affected/intensified by climate change  Missing hub sectors that need to be contacted and/or included: o wetlands and wildlife organizations (i.e., Ducks Unlimited) o forestry o coastal zone management o other ecosystem management groups and NGOs (i.e., ACAP) o interested university partnerships (i.e., Mount Allison’s Rural and Small Towns Study Program)

4. Targeting Existing Programs and Activities to Fill Gaps This exercise has provided a starting point to address the gaps identified by each of the working groups. There appears to be some overlap between activities where the climate change PEO message can be integrated between sectors. Individual groups should be encouraged to take a cooperative approach and coordinate activities. This can result in a pooling of resources and information, as well as talent and energy. The NBCCH may be an appropriate tool to facilitate cooperation and contact between current working groups. Table 1 below illustrates a matrix of the possible linkages between group gaps, groups tools and possible partnerships. Each group has tools that can benefit other sectors with overlapping interests and activities. In terms of a climate change communications and outreach strategy, it is advised that similar groups be consistent with their information and message.

New Brunswick Climate Change Hub Table 1 – Exploring the Available Tools for Cooperation between Sectors

Health Business Schools Prov. Agri- First & Medi Munici- Fed. Gap Sectors Tools & and Gov’ culture Nations Wellnes a palities Gov’t Industry Youth t s Agriculture  councils       workshops Business and  technical Industry expertise     energy audits First Nations  community      leaders Health &  holistic food Wellness stores  practitioners     educational materials Media  websites  media clips      alternative media Municipalities  energy audits Schools and  websites Youth  internships       monitoring projects Provincial  funding and        Gov’t resources Federal Gov’t  websites  information and expertise          materials and tools New Brunswick Climate Changefunding Hub