CIER is proud to showcase a sampling of its many projects through the years that have helped contribute to building sustainable Indigenous communities. We thank our partners, funders and all contributors who are integral to the success of each project. To see a more extensive list of success stories please search our Library.
Sakaw’nehiyawak: Providing Warmth To Children And Youth
Date: 2016-2018
Focus Areas: Indigenous Knowledge
Partners: United Church of Canada, Little Red River Cree Nation
About the Project: Some Indigenous children do not get to be outdoors simply because they don’t have the proper outerwear to withstand the below –50 degrees Celsius. Indigenous Knowledge is intrinsically tied to nature and the outdoors. Children need warm clothing to learn traditional ways and connect with their culture. With the help of generous donations from the public, CIER and our partners were able to provide winter jackets, ski-pants, toques, mitts, and winter boots to children and youth the community. This allowed them to participate in an outdoor education program where they learned the Cree language, cultural practices like tanning hides, and environmental knowledge from Elders and teachers.
Seventh Generation Waste Warriors
Date: 2019-2020
Focus Areas: Sustainable Waste Development, Water
Partners: Canupawakpa Dakota Nation, Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation, Lake Manitoba First Nation and Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, Indigenous Services Canada
About the Project: Eight youth and eight young adults from four First Nations communities in Manitoba were selected to learn about solid waste management and diversion. Across multiple workshops, the youth were encouraged to design, plan, budget, and execute waste diversion projects in their own communities. The participants successfully completely four waste diversion action projects in their communities. As part of the workshops, they also participated in a clean up day along the shores of Lake Winnipeg in Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation, removing plastic and other debris from the beach.
Shining Lights Energy Literacy And Language In The Nwt
Date: 2019
Focus Areas: Renewable Energy and Climate Change, Indigenous Knowledge
Partners: Pembina Institute, Arctic Energy Alliance
The Shining Lights workshops were created to increase energy literacy in the Northwest Territories and promote energy-efficient practices. Forty-eight women and youth from nineteen communities participated in workshops that were held in Inuvik, Fort Simpson, and Yellowknife.
Participants received training through an interactive and engaging curriculum that focuses on energy basics, energy efficiency and energy conservation. Several workshop participants went on to create presentations for their home communities to raise more awareness about energy efficiency and energy conservation.
End Of Life Vehicles Waste Management
Date: 2017-2020
Focus Areas: Sustainable Waste Development
Partners: St. Theresa Point First Nation, Garden Hill First Nation, Wasagamack First Nation
About the Project: Vehicles in remote northern First Nations have nowhere to go when the vehicle no longer works. These ‘end-of-life’ vehicles pile up in community spaces and people’s yards. CIER assisted our partner First Nations in creating the capacity to safely remove them from their communities. Now, instead of piling up and posing risks to the land, water, and community health, they are being collected, depolluted, and crushed. The vehicles are stored in local scrap yards until they can be transported on the Winter ice roads to southern Manitoba to be recycled. The metal recyclers pay for the scrap metal, which continues funding the collection, depollution, crushing and shipping process. This work has resulted in the safe removal of thousands of derelict vehicles from these remote northern First Nations.
To see a more extensive list of Success Stories please search our Library.
