Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Western Canadian municipalities are turning to solar to power water and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) as a means to decarbonize and cut costs. The trend is particularly strong in sunny Alberta and Saskatchewan, where electricity is traditionally produced by natural gas or coal. Lumsden, a Saskatchewan town with a population of 1,800, turned to solar when its outdated lagoon system near a river meant stepping up to a mechanical WWTP.
Food waste at CFB Esquimalt’s galleys, once scraped into green bins and hauled to the landfill, is now being decomposed on site. Two Power Knot LFC biodigesters installed at Nelles Block Galley decompose biodegradable garbage and turn it into grey water. Two more will be installed at Work Point’s Venture Galley as part of the base’s green initiative. “Anything that can protect our environment, reduce our carbon footprint and CO2 emissions, and cut costs at the same time is a great initiative,” says PO2 David Keneford, Nelles Block Galley Manager.
