Toronto, Ontario — February 25, 2015 — The Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) and Summerhill Impact are again launching Grants in Gear, a national funding program that will be awarding up to $100,000 to not-for-profit organizations with innovative project ideas focused on environmental excellence in the automotive and transportation industry. Do you have an idea for a project that will make a difference for the Canadian environment on a local, regional, or national level? This year, four $25,000 grants will be available to Canadian not-for-profit organizations whose project ideas seek to achieve tangible results in emissions reductions or pollution prevention in the transportation sector and/or excellence in automotive recycling.
“Grants in Gear is designed to stimulate the innovative process and to allow implementable ideas to be conceived and presented for the benefit of not only their creators, but also automotive businesses, consumers and the public,” says Ian Hope, Executive Director of the Alberta Automotive Recyclers and Dismantlers Association (AARDA). “As one of the Review Committee members I am looking forward to seeing the new thinking that is certain to come forward in this year’s proposals.”
Those interested in applying for the “Grants in Gear” program can do so by emailing a PDF copy of their application to skerbel@summerhill.com by April 10, 2015. Launched in 2013, the funding initiative was a great success, providing four environmental organizations across Canada with the opportunity to achieve measurable impact through the implementation of their proposed ideas. 2013 Winners – Fraser Basin Council, who are delivering the “E3 Fleet: Gear Up!” project to provide customized solutions to reduce fleet emissions and improve the environmental and economic performance of three fleets throughout Canada. Recycling Council of Alberta, who is developing an offset quantification protocol to apply to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the diversion of waste through recycling. – Plug’n Drive (in partnership with WWF-Canada and the Canadian Condominium Institute – Toronto Chapter), who is identifying and addressing the technical, legislative and logistical issues that prevent the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in condominiums. – Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association (AREA), which is establishing an infrastructure to responsibly manage and recycle end-of-life vehicles from a remote northern community in British Columbia.
AREA also won the Green Recycled Parts Impact Award, for which they have received an additional $5,000 that is being used to expand their program to additional remote locations and engage First Nations Communities. To help execute the grant program, ARC is working with longtime, not-for-profit environmental partner Summerhill Impact. ARC and Summerhill have previously worked together on a number of successful initiatives including the Canadian Auto Recyclers Environmental Code (CAREC), the national Switch Out program, and Retire Your Ride.
“We’re excited to be working with ARC again on this amazing initiative,” says Shelby Kerbel, Program Manager with Summerhill. “It’s been great to start to see the positive environmental effects of the previous winner’s projects and to continue to see the conversation around automotive recycling, emissions reduction and pollution prevention evolve.”
“Partnering with Summerhill on Grants in Gear is a real pleasure for ARC and its Members. We love to highlight the good things we do in the auto recycling industry and this granting program gets our messaging out and helps other non-profits looking to do good environmental work,” says Steve Fletcher Managing Director of ARC. For more information on ARC, or to view the application form and submission guide for the “Grants in Gear” program, please visit autorecyclers.ca.
For more information on Summerhill Impact, please visit summerhillimpact.org.
