The following are green initiatives projects undertaken by the community of Hearst.
The construction of our Green Business and Technology Center has begun. It is a 2.8 million dollar project that will house a bioscience lab, a multimedia space and a Green Business Incubator Space. The Regional Information Utility Network office will also be located in that building. The Center will be a green building and will be powered by solar wind, biomass and geothermal energy, and a 10 kW MFIT. The Center will focus on education, small scale research, demonstration, partnerships, business development and incubation in the green business sector.
A total of 10, 10 kW solar PV MFIT projects or installed or being installed, and we have approximately 5 that we know of, that are under review.
The fast growing willow plantation research project with NRCan and SSIC is coming to an end. Results of the research will be released at a tech transfer event being held in Hearst September 28th, 2010.
A 10 MW solar farm will be constructed in 2010.
A 10 MW biomass energy plant (Hearst Bio Energy LP) is awaiting Economic Connection Test from Ontario Power Authority. The owners have developed a process to burn heritage piles in the area.
A district heating study to provide heat to Columbia Forest Products to replace natural gas, and to heat municipal and school buildings along the river is near completion.
The municipality is currently evaluating the possibility of using some roof tops of their own buildings for energy production.
The Municipality has three trained energy auditors, which conduct energy audits in the community.
The local Green House will be installing geothermal energy in one green house for growing vegetables destined to the local market.
Lac Wood Industries is now producing bio fuel in the form of premium wood pellets for the domestic market.
2 local contractors offer solar PV, solar thermal and geothermal supply and installation services and several retailers of renewable energy products.
As part of our Community improvement plan, phytoremediation remediation (using plants to decontaminate) of the former shell bulk plant brown field will be performed.
The town now recycles all plastics (1 to 7), paper, metal, oil, tires, paints and stains (water & oil based), batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and electronic devices.
AGRIVA, a local organization that promotes local food and local products in the area, are very active in the community thanks to a very dynamic group of volunteers. They hold a market every two weeks on Saturday mornings. On average they have 25 local producers that sell their products.
Several green initiatives are being proposed under our Sustainable Development Plan that will be presented to the community in the next month. Such as community composting, bio gas production initiatives, carbon sequestration initiatives, carbon foot print tool for local businesses and industries and eco-industrial network strategy to name a few.
