May 17, 2010

The Household Hazardous Waste Day this weekend was cancelled by YTG at the last minute due to some problems with the facilities. Our profound apologies for the inconvenience this caused! We will work to re-schedule the event as soon as we can.

April 22nd, 2010 (Happy Earth Day!)

Climate Change Adaptation

Thanks to funding from the Northern Climate Exchange and Yukon College, CKS is now the host organization for the Dawson Climate Change Adaptation Plan.  The Adaptation Plan was completed in December 2009 by the Northern Climate Exchange, and draws on the local knowledge of the community of Dawson to identify the risks and opportunities that climate change may hold for residents.

There are now various projects underway which address challenges and opportunities raised in the Plan, including the Adaptation Implementation Officer position which is responsible for overseeing the Dawson adaptation projects, as well as securing funding to see climate change initiatives continue to develop in the community.  Other projects funded under this Plan include an Electric Vehicle Feasibility Study, Community Greenhouse and Cold Storage Facility, Climate Change Research Center Feasibility Study, and a Yukon River Salmon Enhancement and Restoration Project.

April 16th, 2010

At our AGM last Thursday, CKS bade farewell to some folks who have contributed an enormous amount of their time to CKS and environmental projects in Dawson. Thanks go to Jim Taggart, Kath Selkirk, Gaby Sgaga, Marta Selassie and Anna Claxton for their dedication over the years!

Returning board members are John Bryant, Bill Kendrick, and Bill Bowie, and we welcome the addition of John Overell.

There is still a need for another board member or two, so if you think you might be interested, or want to find out more about what this involves, please contact us.

Dawson’s First Energy Conference a HUGE Success!!

The fact that 30 people gave up a Saturday of sleeping in and beautiful sunshine proves that there is critical mass thinking about energy issues in the Yukon.  From the film Crude Impact, that introduces ideas of peak oil and climate change on a global scale to Michelle Colussi’s web presentation on the grassroots movement known as Transition Towns, there was truly something for everyone at the Energy Conference on February 27th at Odd Fellows Hall.

The community of Dawson is at a stage where the development that takes place needs to happen in a sustainable way to ensure our resilience in the face of climate change and peak oil, and it was great to see so many locals, as well as a few Whitehorse residents, out for the event to ask questions, pitch ideas, and get a better understanding of the options they have where energy conservation is concerned.  

Thanks again to the City of Dawson for bringing Carl Elefante up to speak, and for providing CKS with a community grant to see the whole event happen.  Carl’s expertise and passion on green building and historic preservation was a highlight that saw 50 people in attendance.  Thanks to the Northern Climate Exchange for their part in organization of the event, and to Nora’s Kitchen for providing some tasty snacks.

There is huge potential for a second annual conference, and CKS encourages you to stay tuned next February for the details!

January 2010

CKS is undertaking a project to build and test an electric vehicle in Dawson. We'll also be using the vehicle to do a pilot commercial paper pickup service. Click here for more details!