Grant: College & Community Social Innovation Fund

The Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and Acadia First Nation (AFN) are conducting a collaborative research project to study and improve energy resiliency and sustainability in AFN communities. The goals of this work are to better understand the energy needs and concerns in AFN, develop an energy sustainability plan, and build capacity for implementation of energy resiliency and sustainability through project-based training.The Energy Resiliency Project will be led by community advisors from AFN and the NSCC Applied Energy Research team. It will include an energy resiliency study of the community, development of a community energy plan, and an innovative pilot project in construction trades training. The priority training project and learning exercise will be to design and build a house together that meets the Passive House Standard, the most energy efficient housing standard for cold climates in the world.This three-year project will launch AFN into the forefront of energy sustainability for new housing in Canada, leading to economic and environmental benefits for indigenous and non-indigenous communities across the country.