Unama’ki Energy Efficiency and Conservation Pilot Program

Sydney – According to a recent study by Stantec Inc., Mi’kmaq communities in Nova Scotia consume 1.9 times more electricity than the Nova Scotia provincial average. To further understand and address this issue, the Unama’ki Energy Efficiency and Conversation Pilot Program has been initiated.  It is a collaborative effort among partners engaged in Unama’ki Community well being, including Cape Breton University’s Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment (CSEE) and the Unama’ki Economic Benefits Office.  The Pilot Program is a first step toward Jitu’nmu’q Mima’juwaqn, meaning sustaining our livelihood, and seeks to engage the Unama’ki communities in identifying ways to reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency and conservation promotion, education, and housing retrofits and upgrades.

Ke’ji tu’sep (did you know that):

  • The average Mi’kmaq residence in Nova Scotia consumes 1.9 times more electricity than the Nova Scotia average.
  • Electricity consumption emits Greenhouse Gases into the atmosphere.  Each year, Unama’ki residents alone emit over 9,000 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the emissions from over 2,200 cars.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Pilot Program will track energy consumption and costs of participating households and compare them over time.  This information will help in the development of effective approaches to reducing energy consumption, and lead to reduction in energy costs, in Unama’ki communities.  This information could also help in the development of energy efficiency and conservation policies to strengthen the wellbeing of the Mi’kmaq People from Unama’ki.

The Unama’ki Energy Efficiency and Conservation Pilot Program will look at educating and promoting ways that we, as the Mi’kmaq people, can do our part in protecting Mother Earth and sustain our way of life.  In the coming weeks, representatives of the Pilot Program will host community sessions in each of the Unama’ki Communities, and welcome all to be part of the discussion.

For more information, and if you would like to participate in the program, please join us at a community session near you, or please contact:

Stan Johnson, Sustainability Researcher, Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment,Cape Breton University

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