Hello from Canada's Arctic!
My name is Terry Halifax and I'm a councillor for the Town of Inuvik , Northwest Territories, Canada. As you may imagine, Inuvik and much of the circumpolar world is still decades behind many of the sustainable behaviours of our southern counterparts. For instance, only this year has our government passed a beverage container refund policy under a new Waste Reduction and Recovery Act . The Town of Inuvik is embarking on a comprehensive waste management plan and I'm looking for any advice on how to begin such an undertaking. Because of our remote location, many of the practices adopted in the south are unworkable here because of huge transportation costs. I've been seeking out similar case studies, but have had little success. If you know of any remote or isolated communities that have adopted sustainable behaviours or have any advice on best practices, please let me know.
Many thanks,
Terry Halifax
Waste Management in the Arctic
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Hi Terry,
Whilst I don't know of any information for isolated communities, from my experience in Australia - Canberra, the capital, has a "No Waste by 2010" directive for their community, and some of it might be useful. I really liked their "Second Hand Sunday" idea for keeping household items from landfilll. One website (among many is) http://www.nowaste.act.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/12460/nowasteby2010strategy.pdf Considering the waste hierarchy from avoidance to disposal is good, and for your type of area, avoidance is key, and doing inventories on major contributors to non-recyclable/reusable products is a major and immediate task. Here in Niagara they are pressing for typical quick technological fix (high temperature incineration) which drives me crazy. Good luck !! And I'm not sure if you get all the messages on the listserv - but read the one from George Hoguet www.nativeenergy.com about making it fun so people will want to join you !
On a side note, we are Australians living in Niagara, Canada, and are on the lookout always for interesting house swaps. Could you pass on my email address to anyone who might be interested in coming way south for a trip.........
Melissa Hellwig
Hello, Terry Halifax!
Do you know the work of Bill Stokes? I recently was afforded the great privilege of hearing him speak. He works with rural villages in Alaska and has helped many Arctic villages deal with waste-management and pollution-prevention issues. I recommend that you contact him . Tell him the knitter from Anchorage sent you! Download his manual through his Web site . While Inuvik appears to be more of a town than a village, I am sure that much of his work can apply to your situation. Stokes also has a lot of technical knowledge available. "The 7 Generations manual is designed for people in rural Alaska who want to accomplish environmental planning and management using a community based approach. This manual contains valuable tools that enable a community to identify and prioritize its environmental issues. This manual was written to assist communities to be more self reliant, and to take responsibility for their own environmental issues. " Others who work with non-Arctic rural villages might also find his community-based approach to be enlightening.
Good luck!
Diana Ruth Olegre
Washington State Department of Ecology
Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program Beyond Waste
Community Outreach and Environmental Education Specialist
[email protected]
360-407-6609