August 1 Fundraiser at My Home Raised $1821

 “Colour Us Green” Backgrounder

The Project

This community-based, action-oriented project has been several months in the making and is currently underway. It aims to create positive environmental change in the small, tight knit community of Meadowview and beyond. Meadoview is nestled between a regional hospital, the Cornwallis River and a closed landfill site.

For decades Meadowview hosted the “dump” that served both town and county residents. This resilient community of just under 100 homes was so often littered with garbage falling from trucks or retrieved by residents for scrap that it was the subject of ridicule and slurs. The dump was closed in the 90s. Subsequently, contaminated water created the need for the installation of public water system and household wells were abandoned. The community has steadily rebuilt.

Now, twenty years on the community has launching its Colour Us Green initiative. The goals include: finding ways to economically green the area's homes; its community centre; as well as studying the feasibility of transforming the 20-acre brownfield site created by the landfill closure into a green energy generator.

The Partnerships

This work has been launched by the Meadowview Community Development Association and in partnership with:

1. The Clean Foundation;
2. The Nova Scotia Community College; and
3. The staff of the Municipality of the County of Kings

The Expected/Potential Results

1. A rewarding and very relevant work term placement for a student in the Nova Scotia Community College's Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology (ESET) program.
2. Recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Meadowview Community Development Association regarding how best to green its 100-year old building that operates as a busy community centre.
3. A feasibility study that will determine the economics and steps required to use a 20-plus acre landfill as a site for a solar energy farm. Biogas will also be examined although it is unlikely that the site produces enough methane to be viable as a green energy source.
4. Creating the possibility of a large economic development opportunity for the community and county through the transformation of a brownfield site. While this large acreage's life as a dump is long gone, and surrounding properties have greatly improved, some stigma lingers. Economic development in the community of any scale would be welcome; however, establishing a green energy site would have the advantage of introducing an initiative of significant scope that could launch the first large green economy initiative for Kings County.

The People and what they say about “Colour Us Green”

Joe Benjamin, President of the Meadowview Development Association:

“This project will focus positive attention on our community and could result in a large economic project in the years ahead. Our goal is to bring much needed jobs to our corner of the county. It's a huge bonus that these jobs could put us on the green economy map for Nova Scotia or even the Maritimes. That would be a big step up for us because after all these years we are still often identified with the many negatives of being neighbours to the landfill site.”

Ryan Ferdinand, NSCC ESET Student, is a recent graduate of Environmental Science, Mount Allison University:

“I enrolled in the ESET program at NSCC to gain skills I needed to become part of the green energy workforce. A central interest for me is how local communities can generate and use renewable energy locally, so this opportunity to have a job placement within a community development project of this scope is awesome.”

Dr. Wayne Groszko, NSCC Faculty in the Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology (ESET) program, key advisor for his student's work placement has been advising the community on its energy goals since the fall of 2014:

“At a first glance, we estimate that solar energy on the top of the closed landfill could supply the equivalent electricity needs of about 250 homes. This study will fill in the details of how much and how it could work.”

Pauline Raven, Municipal Councillor for District 3, is hosting of the August 1, Noon to Midnight, fundraising event. Rain date is August 2. This event addresses a funding gap for the project with any excess helping with green retrofits to the Meadowview Community Centre. She and her partner are looking forward to a steady turnout on August 1 at their 1494 Pereaux Road cottage in Delhaven. Raven introduced Dr. Groszko to the board members of the Meadowview Community Development Association after a discussion indicating an interest in exploring ways to “green” the community.

The Colour us Green project is a bold example of what the Ivany Report calls upon Nova Scotians to do---“Move the economic ball wherever they can.”

Playing it Forward

The project includes public presentations and discussions of the project and its results. The association plans to share its work on greening the community hall with other Kings County Hall Associations. Bullfrog Energy has expressed interest in helping the Development Association fund green energy upgrades.

The Meadowview Development Association is also supporting a Property Assessed Clean Energy initiative to make residential energy retrofits more accessible to lower-income households. This project was referred to the Municipality of the County of Kings Budget and Finance Committee. The association is waiting for recommendations to come to council chambers.