Effects of oil and gas development on density and reproductive success of grassland birds.

  Native grasslands in Alberta provide important breeding habitat for many grassland birds, including species at risk.  However, conservation agencies are concerned that the quantity and quality of remaining grasslands in southeastern Alberta may currently be threatened by expansion of energy development. The Antelope Creek Habitat Development Area (ACHDA) is composed largely of native grassland […]

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Clayoquot Sound Scientific Panel Review

In response to protests against logging of old growth forests in Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, the government of British Columbia appointed a Scientific Panel to develop guidelines for sustainable forest management and logging. On July 6, 1995 the Government of British Columbia accepted the report of the Clayoquot Sound Scientific Panel (CSSP) and committed to […]

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Bioenergy Demonstration at UBC Loon Lake Research and Education Centre

  The Malcolm Knapp Research Forest’s Loon Lake Research and Education Centre hosts 20,000 visitor-days per year and a bioenergy facility at Loon Lake would create opportunities for research, demonstration and training as well as provide new opportunities for the Centre to host educational retreats and conferences based on bioenergy conversion, installation, operation and maintenance. The […]

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Community Decision Making Related to Accepting Kite Based Electricity Generation

  Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) technology is a method of harnessing wind power using tethered kites.  The partner organization in this project is a developer of this kind of technology and has made significant innovations in producing utility grade power with a predictable power drop-off. As such, this technology is a great candidate for deployment […]

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How severe weather affects the auto insurance industry

In Canada, motorists are faced with a wide range of environmental conditions. Weather, in the form of rain, snow, other frozen precipitation, fog or strong winds, occurs 10 to 20 percent of the time, depending on the location and year. This project, which involves a three-way partnership between State Farm Insurance, the Institute for Catastrophic […]

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Adaptation of Harvested Wood Products from Climate Action Reserve’s Forest Project Protocol v.3.2 to Canadian forest types

  The purpose of this project is to take methodologies designed by the California Climate Action Reserve for calculating carbon storage within wood products, and adapt them for application within British Columbia. The project will involve a review of the methodologies from Forest Project Protocol v.3.2 (FPP), United States Department of Energy’s 1605(b) report and […]

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Developing a reliable model of biochar behavior in northern forest soils

  Understanding the fate of biochar in boreal soils is critical in order to develop appropriate application rates and carbon credits. Accurate models of biochar stability and carbon density are required for proper carbon accounting. The intent of this study is to model the long term stability of charcoal in northern forest soils. We will […]

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Water Issues in First Nation Communities

The world is facing a global water crisis, but the developing world is not the only one with a lack of access to safe drinking water; it is also an issue in many communities across Canada – particularly on First Nations Reserves. It should be a priority for Canada to reach 100% access to clean […]

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Growing Canadian Cleantech: Improving Seaforth Energy’s access to the Indian small scale wind turbine market

  Seaforth Energy is seeking to expand its small wind turbine business to the rapidly growing Indian market where ‘off-grid’ sustainable energy solutions are needed. In order to assess the feasibility of such an endeavor, this research project will examine the current Indian renewable energy policy and investment climate. However, Seaforth’s success in penetrating this […]

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