news

NEWS AND INFORMATION

February 26, 2010

Climate Change Workshop to be held in Glace Bay - Tuesday March 2nd 7-9pm CANCELLED. See below for new time.

Glace Bay, NS – Sea level rise and coastal erosion are unavoidable problems in our coastal communities. Whether you look on Upper North St. in Tablehead, or swim at the beach in Port Morien, the effects of climate change are obvious and quickly progressing.

The Canadian Institute of Planners and Natural Resources Canada, along with the CBRM and ACAP Cape Breton, are partnering on a project to assist communities in preparing for climate change. They are looking to residents of Glace Bay to discuss the issues of sea level rise and coastal erosion.

This SAM (sustainable development, adaptation and mitigation) Project will hold public meetings at the Glace Bay High library Wednesday March 3 from 9:30 am to 12 noon, and again on Wednesday March 3 from 7-9 p.m. All are invited to attend.

Short presentations will be made by the NS Climate Change Directorate, ADI Nolan Davis and CBRM Source Water Protection. There will be time for questions, discussion and what the next step will be.

Residents are encouraged to attend and provide input on the future of their communities. For more information, please contact ACAP Cape Breton at 567-1628.

Photos and Video Clip of Glace Bay Coastal Erosion

For more information please contact:

Eleanor Anderson

Executive Director

ACAP Cape Breton

902.567.1628

eleanor@acapcb.ns.ca

February 25, 2010

"Saint Planet's Day"

On Wednesday March 17th we are hosting our annual luncheon fundraiser, taking over St. Patrick’s Day ( for one hour or so ) and celebrating ‘St. Planet’s Day’. Each year, we have guest speakers who inform attendees about the efforts they are making in their business practices towards a sustainable future. Our featured presenters will be announced on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010.

There will be two presentations, approximately 15 minutes each, as well as a traditional Irish meal, and the audience will be business and community leaders who share our vision of sustainability and eco-conscious practices.

Past presenters have included:

CBRM Solid Waste

Sydney Tar Ponds Agency

Cape Breton University

Nova Scotia Power

The fundraising portion of our event is rooted in the participation fee for speakers and this money goes directly into the programs we offer our community on a daily basis. We strive to provide information and services to encourage the best environmental practices amongst residents of Cape Breton.

For more info contact Eleanor Anderson or Katherine MacDonald at 567-1628.

February 25, 2010

Conservation and Environmental Education Network Seeks to Renew Partnership Agreements with Environment Canada.

Atlantic Canada’s most dynamic conservation and environmental education network is asking for assistance from Parliament today. The network known throughout our Region as the “ACAP Organization” has pioneered a formula for engaging community stakeholders and providing action while advancing projects in an open and transparent forum. The partnership agreements that have enabled 18 years of project successes will expire on March 31, 2010, and the network needs to renew an agreement under Environment Canada’s Atlantic Priority Ecosystem Initiative. Environment Canada provides a portion of critical enabling funding, and has recently completed similar agreements in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Regions. We are asking Members of Parliament to immediately contact Environment Canada and request that a renewed agreement be negotiated without delay, as has been done in these other Regions.

The ACAP network spans from Saint John to St. John’s, and includes programs from offshore Sable Island to deep into the Labrador forests. In 2008 alone over 3,000 students and youth participated in soil and water sampling projects, environmental education, outreach and engagement initiatives. Over 1,100 volunteers throughout Atlantic Canada received training and subsequently provided over 35,000 hours of time thereby advancing ACAP’s environment and conservation initiatives. Individual project choices result from a balance of local community needs and National Priorities. Recommendations generated from ACAP activities have supported hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements, refocused government priorities and have fostered more appropriate environmental legislation. This successful program affects almost two and a half million residents and over 40,000 kilometers of shoreline.

The information assembled here is a sample of the letters of support and media attention being garnered by the 16 organizations making up the ACAP network across Atlantic Canada. As of February 25, 2010, no funding commitment has been made from Environment Canada to the network, making 2010 possibly the end of a highly successful public/private sector partnership focused on environmental stewardship which has spanned almost two decades.

Click to view PDF document - Letters of Support

February 19, 2010

March Break Day Camp 2010 - March 15-19

ACAP Cape Breton will be hosting March Break Day Camps again this year, from 9 am to 12 pm, March 15-19. The camps will be held at ACAP’s Centre for Sustainable Communities, 582 George St., Sydney.

Participants will have lots of fun while learning how to make eco conscious choices towards a greener future!

The cost of the camps is $8 /day, or $30 for the week. The cost is $12 per day for two members of the same family, $60 per week.

February 9, 2010

Stream restoration project builds bridge

During the week of January 25, 2010 ACAP completed the design and construction of a bridge (water crossing) and associated bank stabilization on wash brook at the South End Community Center location. The project is part of a future stream restoration project scheduled for the summer of 2010. The stream restoration project will focus on the section of wash brook between Cabot Street and Royal Avenue. The SECC has partnered with ACAP Cape Breton to complete this stream project to enhance the brooks ability to support wildlife and stabilize the bank sides to allow for development of an urban garden which will provide a much needed area for environmental / nature education and enjoyment. Funding for this project was provided by ACAP Cape Breton and The Royal Bank Blue Water Project.

February 4, 2010

Take the Roof Off Winter

ACAP Cape Breton invites you to join us on Wednesday, February 10th as we ‘Take the Roof Off Winter’ and enjoy the crisp winter air with a lunchtime walk. We will start at 12 noon, meeting at ACAP Cape Breton’s Centre for Sustainable Communities and walking around Wentworth Park. Everyone is welcome to join us back at the Centre and warm up with hot chocolate and treats. To learn more about the Take the Roof off Winter initiative, and for ideas about how to stay active during the chilly months, visit http://www.taketheroofoffwinter.ca/.

For more information please contact Mike at 567-1628.

December 10, 2009

Candlelight vigil

Join us at the Bandshell in Wentworth Park, Sydney, on Saturday December 12th from 6:00pm till 6:30pm as people across the country and throughout the world gather for a candlelight vigil to show support for a binding emissions reduction agreement in Copenhagen.

Help make it known that Cape Breton cares about climate change.

There will be speakers, readings, music and hot chocolate. All generations are encouraged. Help us spread the word, tell your friends and families!

Please RSVP for this event here: http://www.350.org/node/13890

For more information please contact:

Alicia Penney, Education Coordinator ACAP Cape Breton

apenney@acapcb.ns.ca
(902) 567-1628

September 23, 2009

October is Walk to School Month

ACAP Cape Breton is pleased to be supporting International Walk to School Month, and is challenging local schools to get a team together for Walk to School Week from October 5-9. There will be prizes for the most participation, and we look forward to working with students to show them what a difference they can make in their carbon footprint. This is a national program, and the information is below.

Please contact Chrystal Tushaus at ACAP Cape Breton if you wish to register through us, at 567-1628.

International Walk to School Month 2009 happens in October with Walk to School Week from October 5 to 9. This year, won’t you join us? We’ll walk and wheel to school (or at school for bussed students) to raise awareness about the environmental, physical activity and safety benefits of walking & wheeling to school.

WOW - We Often Walk (or Wheel) Theme

This year we’re featuring our newest program, WOW - We Often Walk (or Wheel), as a theme activity for Walk to School Month. The first 25 schools or groups that sign up for WOW will receive prize packages with things like pencils, buttons and stickers for use in rewarding participants who fill their WOW cards (a value of $50.00).

WOW motivates children and youth to walk and wheel more often. Challenge your group or school to walk regularly during the month of October (or all year long). Do it in three easy steps:

1) A group or school designates a weekly walking or wheeling day.

2) Participants keep track of the number of times they walk or wheel on their WOW cards.

3) Once cards are filled, participants receive rewards or recognition.

http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca/iwalk.asp

August 10, 2009

ACAP Cape Breton Offers Unique Experiences For Kids at Summer Day Camp

Looking for something fun and educational for your kids to do during the summer? Consider sending them to ACAP Cape Breton’s Summer Day Camp.

Children will learn about water conservation, solid waste management and climate change through a combination of environmental education and fun activities. They will also learn about nature and invasive alien species that threaten our ecosystems.

All activities are environmentally themed and include presentations, hands on learning, games and projects.

“The goal of our day camps is to show young people that they can make responsible choices for a sustainable environment, no matter what their age,” says Eleanor Anderson, Executive Director of ACAP Cape Breton. “Our day camps are full of fun activities, but carry important environmental messages for the young participants.”

Day camps run from August 17-21; 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the ACAP Cape Breton Centre for Sustainable Communities, 582 George St., Sydney, N.S. Programming is suitable for school aged elementary students.

The cost of the camps is $8 /day, or $40 for the week. The cost is $12 per day for two members of the same family, $60 per week. Those interested can contact ACAP Cape Breton at 567-1628 or acapcb@acapcb.ns.ca to register.

July 29, 2009

ACAP CB Instrument Recycle Program

Do you have an old guitar that's been sitting in a case for years, untouched? A set of drums you never got around to learning how to play? Well, there's a way to put them to good use. ACAP Cape Breton has teamed up with the Whitney Pier Youth Center for a recycling program for unwanted musical instruments. Any instruments which you have that are still in good condition may be dropped off at ACAP's Centre for Sustainable Communities at 582 George Street, Sydney, and they will be donated to the WPYC as part of their Music Program for Kids. This way, your unused instruments will have a new life, and go towards teaching kids a creative skill that will be with them for the rest of their lives.

The Whitney Pier Youth Center's Music Program focuses on getting young people involved in music by offering lessons in voice, drums, guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, as well as performance and composition of original songs in contemporary styles.

For more information please contact us at 567-1628

May 22nd, 2009

ACAP Cape Breton Wants Your Dirty Pictures

Submit a Photo in our Illegal Dumping Photo Contest

Sydney, NS –Are you sick and tired of having an area in your community treated as a dumping ground? Are you frustrated thinking there is nothing you can do? ACAP Cape Breton would like to help. We want to see photos of the illegal dumping happening in your area.

ACAP Cape Breton is excited to launch an Illegal Dumping Photo Contest. Send us your pictures of an illegal dumpsite in your area. ACAP CB will enlarge and display these photos in our window and on our website. The photos will be judged for the worst illegal dumpsite, and the winner will receive a weekend getaway at the Chanterelle Country Inn. As an additional prize, ACAP CB will also clean up the ‘winning’ site.

Illegal dumping is a serious issue, and we are looking forward to displaying these pictures to raise awareness of just how many illegal dumping sites exist,” says Eleanor Anderson, Executive Director of ACAP Cape Breton. “It is important to remember that this not only affects the beauty of our communities, but can also have negative affects on things like our water sources and the tourism industry.”

Photos can be submitted electronically by emailing scyoung@acapcb.ns.ca, or they can be dropped off at ACAP Cape Breton’s Centre for Sustainable Communities, 582 George St, Sydney. Photos must contain the contact information of the person submitting, as well as the location of the dumpsite.

For more information visit our website at www.acapcb.ns.ca or call 567-1628.

View Submissions

May 20th, 2009

The 2009 National Commuter Challenge

Are you up for a challenge? ACAP Cape Breton is participating in the National Commuter Challenge starting May 31st to June 6th. This week long event will see teams get together and actively walk, cycle, rollerblade, skateboard, take public transit, carpool or use tele-working instead of driving a single occupant vehicle to get work, school, or elsewhere.

The annual National Commuter Challenge event where communities and workplaces across Canada compete for the highest percentage of participation during Clean Air Day and Canadian Environment Week in June each year. Each team needs to register their participation online @ http://www.commuterchallenge.ca and Canadians are able to see the results of their contribution in terms of the distance they commuted sustainably and the amount of greenhouse gases they prevented from entering the atmosphere.

May 11th, 2009

Plant Based Nutrition and Cooking

Plant based nutrition and cooking will give you the skills you need to make the kinds of changes that will really make a difference in your health. Government food guides, originally developed to promote the consumption of animal foods, have not kept pace with research demonstrating that common diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer can be prevented and even reversed with the same kind of plant based diet. Healthy traditional diets such as the Mediterranean and Okinawan are also essentially plant based diets.
This 10-hour program of nutrition and cooking was developed over 15 years based on Dr. Milburn’s research as a university professor, experience using plant based nutrition in his natural medicine clinic and 25 years of cooking healthy plant based meals at home. You will: learn why government food guides won’t protect your health; explore alternative food guides based on science and healthy traditional diets; survey cutting edge research; become confident in the basics of plant based nutrition; and develop cooking skills to put it all into practice.
In a fun and informal setting, this program will give you the combination of nutritional and food purchasing knowledge and culinary skills you need. You will not only feel and perform your best, but also save money and lower your environmental footprint at the same time.

The full flyer PromoFlyerPlantBasedCourse

Cape Breton Vegitarians

For more information:

DR. MICHAEL P. MILBURN, PhD, DAc
(902) 562-2507
CBtcm@eastlink.ca
http://users.eastlink.ca/~michaelmilburn

April 29th, 2009

ACAP Cape Breton enters team in the annual Sunrise Rotary Whaler Boat Races In Support of The Cape Breton Cancer Centre.

The Annual Whaler Boat Races will be held at the Dobson Yacht Club, Westmount, on Saturday, June 20th. The first race of the day begins at 10 am sharp.

Registration begins at 9:15 am on race day, so look lively!

Registration fee of $100.00 payable to: Rotary Club of Sydney Sunrise must be paid in full on the day of the race or to Brian Beckett, 352 Cottage Rd, Sydney, NS, B1P 2G3

Pledges and donations payable to: Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation (CBRHF).

For more information please contact Brian Beckett at 539-5421

DECEMBER 22 2008

ACAP Cape Breton Offers Greening Your Business Program in 2009

Do your New Year’s resolutions include becoming more environmentally friendly? Beginning in January 2009, ACAP Cape Breton is offering businesses in Cape Breton a chance to improve their business practices to become more eco conscious.

ACAP Cape Breton is currently seeking businesses that would like information and direction in the areas of water conservation, energy efficiency, solid waste management and climate change. The program involves a staff presentation and a one on one session with a public education coordinator. The goal of the program is to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint.

This program has many benefits. Adopting energy efficient policies and properly managing your solid waste can result in financial savings like a reduction in your power bill or garbage tipping fees. It can also result in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and will encourage employees to carry over their environmentally friendly habits from the workplace into their own home.

Every participating business will receive a free water conservation kit that will include low flow aerators, a toilet tank leak detector, a toilet tank bank and five compact fluorescent bulbs.

There is no charge for this program. If you are interested in having a greener workplace, please contact Katherine MacDonald at 567-1628, or email kmacdonald@acapcb.ns.ca