Toronto, Ontario — January 22, 2014 — The Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) and Summerhill Impact have announced the four winners in the inaugural award of the Grants in Gear program.
A five-member jury used a scoring matrix to evaluate each application’s potential to achieve their stated environmental results, as well as to deliver against their work plan and budget. The winners, located throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, will each receive up to $25,000 to help further the environmental outcomes of their projects.
“The review committee evaluated more than 30 applications and it was hard to choose just four winners,†says Ed MacDonald, President of the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) and owner of Maritime Auto Parts. “We were impressed by the innovative ideas brought forth by Canadian NGO and entrepreneurial groups and look forward to witnessing the positive environmental changes made possible by Grants in Gear funding.â€
The four winners are:
Fraser Basin Council, who will deliver the “E3 Fleet: Gear Up!†project to provide customized solutions to reduce fleet emissions and improve the environmental and economic performance of ten fleets throughout Canada.
Recycling Council of Alberta, who will develop an offset quantification protocol to apply to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the diversion of waste through recycling.
Plug’n Drive (in partnership with WWF-Canada and the Canadian Condominium Institute – Toronto Chapter), who will identify and address the technical, legislative and logistical issues that prevent the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in condominiums.
Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association (AREA), who will establish an infrastructure to responsibly manage and recycle end-of-life vehicles from a remote northern community in British Columbia. AREA also won the Green Recycled Parts Impact Award, for which they will receive an additional $5,000 that will be used to expand their program to additional remote locations and engage First Nations Communities.
AREA was also selected to receive the Green Recycled Parts Impact Award, which they will use to develop programs for additional remote locations and First Nations Communities, and demonstrate how the CAREC standard for auto recycling can be applied in remote locations.
“The Automotive Recyclers of Canada is showing strong leadership on the issue of managing ELVs in remote communities across Canada, says Colin McKean, Executive Director, Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association. “The grant will be used to develop the procedures that can be used by organizations and communities to manage ELVs in remote locations. The long-term goal of ensuring all ELVs in Canada are managed in an environmentally appropriate manner is a step closer thanks to this funding from ARC.”
