Grants in Gear Winners Announcement

The Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) and Scout Environmental have announced the four winners of the Grants in Gear funding program. A four-member review committee evaluated each application’s potential to achieve their stated environmental results and deliver against their proposed work plan and budget. The winners, located throughout Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia, will each receive up to $25,000 to help execute their programs and advance the environmental outcomes of their automotive-related projects. This year, the granting program included a legacy option to allow previous winners to apply for additional funding to increase the capacity of their existing program. During the winner selection process, the review committee agreed that two legacy applications stood out and collectively decided that both would receive funding to extend the benefits of each program.

Grants in Gear is a nation-wide program in its third year that provides funding to Canadian environmental non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs or municipal/regional governmental bodies to achieve tangible results in emissions reductions or pollution prevention in the transportation sector and/or excellence in automotive recycling and reuse techniques.

The four winners are:

1. University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team (Waterloo, ON), who will continue building the EcoCAR 3, a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro being converted into a hybrid vehicle to raise the limits on performance and fuel economy, while decreasing the environmental impact of the vehicle.
2. Ecology Action Centre (Halifax, NS), who will implement an active transportation plan for schools and increase active transportation capacity among stakeholders across Nova Scotia, to contribute to the reduction of provincial GHG emissions produced by the transportation sector.
3. Inside Education (Edmonton, AB), who will extend the reach of the Clean Air Responsible Schools (CARS) education program to continue to educate students about air quality, specifically related to idling, around their school.
4. Faith & the Common Good (Toronto, ON), who will pilot the Walk & Wheel to Worship project in conjunction with the national Commuter Challenge to lower the travel based carbon footprint of a diverse group of faith communities across the country.

Further information about each of the winning projects can be found at http://autorecyclers.ca/grants-in-gear-funding/2016-grants-in-gear-winners/