Lunenburg Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Program Go to Project... MAIN PROJECT PAGE NEW PROJECTS • Active Transportation in Bridgewater • Atlantic Whitefish Recovery Project • Green Office Challenge • Environmental Education Field Program • Development of a Restoration Plan for the Gold River, NS • Mahone Bay Roseate Tern Recovery • Monitoring and Assessment of Water Quality in the LaHave River Watershed ONGOING PROJECTS • Mapping • Mushamush River Restoration PAST PROJECTS • Baywoods • Caring For Our Coast - Coastal Education • Clean Boating • Coastal Islands Conservation • Ernst Brook Restoration • LaHave River Waters • Lunenburg County Climate Change Challenge • Lunenburg Bay Marine Enivornmental Prediction System (MEPS) • Lunenburg Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Program • Oil Spill Response • Shale Pit Restoration • Species at Risk Conference 2006 • Town of Lunenburg Water Pollution Prevention Brochure and Display Panels ... The Green Office Challenge ... Pollution affects everyone in Nova Scotia by contaminating our water, land, and air. We all contribute to pollution in one way or another, through the choices we make at home, at work, and in all aspects of our lives. By re-thinking our actions and making small changes in the way we do things we can all work to prevent pollution. Pollution Prevention provides both environmental and economic rewards by reducing waste, increasing efficiency, and cutting energy and water consumption. The overall purpose of this project is to partner with a Nova Scotia Municipality to develop a comprehensive pollution prevention program that encourages water pollution prevention, water conservation, and protection of municipal infrastructure by reducing the discharge of hazardous materials and pollutants to the municipal sewage system. The Lunenburg Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Program is a three year pilot program which, when completed, will be rolled out to other communities in Nova Scotia. Main objectives: • Establishment of a Green Business Network with in the Town of Lunenburg. • Conducting Home Energy Audits - This program involves an assessment of the current status of a home by trained “EnerGuide” coordinators. • Water Metering - This program involves metering 10 homes for water use before and after the installation of water conservation kits. • Establishment of a Sewage Treatment Plant • Development of a Water Conservation Garden • Education of water pollution, water conservation, and energy conservation. Project Success: • The development of a Wasterwater Treatment Plant in the Town of Lunenburg. • Development of a “Virtual Tour” of the Lunenburg Wastewater Treatment Plant. • Development of information panels located in the lunenburg Wastewater Treatment Plant. • Development and implementation of the Green Office Challenge in Lunenburg. • Completition of 30 Home Audits The Green Office Challenge A friendly competition between businesses in the Town of Lunenburg to measure what business is contributing the most in helping to reduce harmful impacts on the environment. Students from the Grade 6 class at Lunenburg Junior Senior High School were recruited to introduce and implement the challenge to local businesses. Students were divided into groups of 4 and each was assigned a particular business. The underlying hope was to bring the youth of Lunenburg together with the business community to achieve a common goal. Students from the school were given basic instructions and a list of questions to ask each business. A total of three visits to each business were set up over a 3 month period, 1 per month. On the first visit students asked a list of questions (pre-determined) and scored each business out of 26 possible points (one per question). Over the next few weeks students were asked to develop recommendations for improvement at their designated business. On the second visit students provided recommendations which would hopefully be put into action by the participating businesses prior to the third and final visit. At the final visit to each business, students asked the same set of pre-determined questions and once again scored the business out of 26 with the hopes that they had incorporated the recommendations and improved their environmental practices from the initial visit. Students were then asked to analyze the information they had collected and prepare a presentation. The students and teachers decided to produce PowerPoint presentations on each of their designated businesses. A panel of judges was selected from the local area and each group presented their findings. The ultimate winner was selected by the judges based on the most improvements made by the business. The winning team and business were presented with a trophy and T-shirts for their efforts. A celebratory pizza and cake party was held for everyone involved in the project. Thank-You and Congratulations Thank you to all the participating businesses: • Lunenburg Fish Company • St. John’s Restoration • Claussen Walters Real Estate • Lunenburg Pro Hardware • TD Canada Trust Bank • Lunenburg Town Hall • Raymond Wilde Accounting • Lois Onley Insurance Congratulations to Lois Onley Insurance for winning the 2004 Green Office Challenge! Special thanks to all the students in the Grade 6 class at Lunenburg Jr. Sr. High School and to teachers Angela Stewart and Donna Sampson. This project was a combined effort from the following groups: • Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation • Lunenburg Board of Trade • NS Department of Environment & Labour Last Modified: Mon, Dec 13, 2004