• About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
The Brief
NB MEDIA CO-OP
Share a story
  • Articles en français
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
  • Articles en français
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Videos
  • NB debrief
No Result
View All Result
NB MEDIA CO-OP
No Result
View All Result
Home Environment

The Sackville connection: Building and sustaining a healthy rural New Brunswick

by Brian Beaton
July 9, 2019
Reading Time: 4min read
The Sackville connection: Building and sustaining a healthy rural New Brunswick

Mount Allison University student Catherine Priemer, with EOS Eco-Energy, at the Sustainable Home show climate strike booth in Sackville on July 6, 2019. Photo by Brian Beaton.

A Net-Zero home produces as much power as it consumes. A Passive Home is super-insulated and uses less power but does not necessarily produce power. At the Sustainable Home Show in Sackville, NB on July 6, visitors learned from experts about some of the different options available to homeowners in the province to make their living spaces more sustainable.

The EOS Eco-Energy and Énergie renouvelable de Beausejour Renewable Energy Co-op Ltd. teams in Sackville hosted the first of what they are hoping will be an annual Sustainable Home Show at the local Tantramar Civic Centre.

The home show entrance was lined with an information display about the work of the team at EOS Eco-Energy. Their programs and services highlight the level of engagement and progressive desires of a community well-served by this not-for-profit organization. The displays included one by the Sackville youth supporting the local Student Strikes for the Climate, reminding all the visitors about importance of taking action to create a sustainable environment for everyone’s future.

The impressive exhibition of innovators, pioneers, entrepreneurs, community groups, organizers and others, all shared a common desire: to create a healthy and sustainable environment for themselves and their communities.

Along with the creative displays, the event included a full schedule of presentations by knowledgeable local experts, sharing their information, experiences and wisdom. These sessions, held in the room adjacent to the exhibits, provided the opportunity to become more comfortable with the language and the issues everyone in rural New Brunswick is experiencing as they consider investments in their homes and communities.

In his presentation ‘Solar Energy and Bulk Purchase,’ Fundy Solar owner Woody Thompson said he will do the math for you to determine how many solar panels are required to make your home a net-zero home. He will even write the application to NB Power to get your power meter converted to regulate how much energy is being produced by your solar panels and how much energy is being used from the grid. Come March 30 of each year, you will get a summary statement stating how much power you are paying for from NB Power. If all the calculations and the weather behave properly, that dollar figure is supposed to be ZERO.

Eric Tusz-King’s presentation ‘Investing in and Financing Renewable Energy’ introduced the audience to a local innovative investment opportunity for New Brunswickers. The Beauséjour Renewable Energy Co-operative Ltd. is selling membership shares to offer New Brunswick residents the opportunity to invest in local renewable energy projects (minimum of $1,000 per share). Tusz-King explained how the coop was formed to assist local and regional projects transition to the use of renewable energy options. “It will provide an avenue for local investment (and return on investment), local jobs, and contribute to the sustainability and resiliency of the local community,” he explained.

 Other presentation sessions included:

  • Starter Guide to a Sustainable Home in Atlantic Canada by Ashley Abernethy, RISE
  • Water Quality by Kelli-Nicole Croucher, EOS Eco-Energy
  • Flood Risk Reduction at Home by Amanda Marlin, EOS Eco-Energy
  • NB Power Home Energy Programs by Jo Gagnon-Levesque, NB Power

For those curious to learn more about e-bikes, solar power, off-grid living, heat pumps, waste reduction, flood prevention, electric vehicles, local water quality and so much more, a slow walk with stops at the different tables would have taken visitors hours to complete with the amount of information available from everyone sharing their work. The list of vendors and displays was extensive on the events information page with businesses from across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The buzz throughout the hall, the conversations at the various displays, the questions being asked, the wealth of information available all point to a desire for a bright and healthy future for everyone across New Brunswick. Now the challenge will be to replicate this exciting experience in every rural centre across the province and especially in the legislature. The politicians will likely continue to hear from climate action advocate Megan Mitton, the local MLA who spent most of the morning with her family visiting everyone at the Sackville event and smiling with pride at what her rural community is doing to address the climate emergency we all face.

Brian Beaton is researching rural broadband infrastructure for the RAVEN project, as a doctoral candidate at UNB. He is the calendar coordinator for the NB Media Co-op.

Tags: Brian Beatonenergyenergy efficiencyEOS Eco-EnergyMegan MittonNet-ZeroPassive HomesSackvilleslider
Send

Related Posts

Local News Matters — Incubating local news in the Maritimes [video]
Media

Local News Matters — Incubating local news in the Maritimes [video]

June 14, 2025

A one-day symposium will bring together journalists, publishers, media experts and others in Sackville, N.B. today to discuss the future...

Poilievre’s anti-journalism stance worries Canadian author
Media

Poilievre’s anti-journalism stance worries Canadian author

April 15, 2025

Veteran journalist Jo-Ann Roberts says she’s upset by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s attempts to undermine the legitimacy of professional journalism...

NB Power review: few details and no climate action requirement
Energy

NB Power review: few details and no climate action requirement

April 14, 2025

Ongoing concerns about energy poverty and spikes in NB Power bills sparked public protests earlier this month. On Monday, Premier...

‘Low-income tenants can’t keep their lights on,’ activists tell NB Power [video]
Poverty

‘Low-income tenants can’t keep their lights on,’ activists tell NB Power [video]

April 2, 2025

Anti-poverty campaigners from NB ACORN are calling for a moratorium on NB Power rate hikes and a ban on winter...

Load More

Recommended

The Millennium Scoop: an ongoing crisis for Indigenous families

The Millennium Scoop: an ongoing crisis for Indigenous families

7 days ago
New Brunswicker deported from Egypt following crackdown on March to Gaza [video]

New Brunswicker deported from Egypt following crackdown on March to Gaza [video]

3 days ago
Délai prolongé! COOP Média NB offre d’emploi : Journaliste vidéo autochtone

Toujours pas de justice cinq ans après le meurtre de Chantel Moore

7 days ago
Local News Matters — Incubating local news in the Maritimes [video]

Local News Matters — Incubating local news in the Maritimes [video]

3 days ago
NB Media Co-op

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • Calendar
  • Archives

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Join the Co-op / Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • COVID-19
  • Videos
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Politics
  • Rural

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

X
Did you like this article? Support the NB Media Co-op! Vous avez aimé cet article ? Soutenez la Coop Média NB !
Join/Donate