Kass grew up on Cape Breton Island and has recently completed the Bachelor of Arts and Science in Environment program at CBU.
She found her passion for environmental advocacy after learning about the environmental impact of our food choices, which inspired her to pursue environmental studies in more depth. She started with NSEN in May as a summer student, and is so excited to be re-joining the team as an intern this fall.
Kass is especially passionate about sustainable food choices, outdoor education, protecting biodiversity, and the psychology of environmentalism. Outside of work, she spends time with her dogs, Sam and Lincoln, who appreciate nothing more than to spend their time outside enjoying all that nature has to offer.
As NSEN's new lead staff, I'm really looking forward to nurturing and growing the network!
We launched theNSEN Volunteer Hubin 2021. Our goal is to see this new tool become a powerful one-stop-shop that benefits environmental initiatives in every corner of the province. Your participation can help make that happen!
All NSEN member organizations can post their volunteer positions on the Volunteer Hub, where our network of volunteers can view and apply for opportunities that fit their interests.
Shorebird protection program given boost from N.S. conservation fund
A Birds Canada program protecting shorebird roosting locations in Nova Scotia has received renewed funding from the province.
Space to Roost has been running since 2016. The program closes off certain areas of beach around the Bay of Fundy to allow migrating shorebirds like semipalmated sandpipers to rest and feed on their journey from the Arctic to South America.
Federal agency terminates environmental assessment of proposed N.S. gold mine
The federal environmental assessment agency has terminated its evaluation of the proposed Cochrane Hill gold mine on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore, but the company behind the project says it still plans to pursue it.
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada informed Atlantic Mining NS Inc. of the termination on Monday, stating the company failed to submit the required information and studies by its Aug. 28 deadline.
Fungi take spotlight at first-ever festival in Annapolis Valley
The mighty mushroom is being acknowledged not only as a delicious ingredient, but for its role in nature and medicine at a new festival in the Annapolis Valley this fall.
Megan Giffen is organizing Nova Scotia’s first-ever fungi festival to celebrate the mushroom -- a subject she says is largely misunderstood.
“Mushrooms are their own kingdom, so there’s this mystery around them,” Giffen explained. “They’re not part of plants, they’re not part of animals, so people don’t really understand them.”
Carbon tax likely coming to N.S. after Ottawa dismisses Houston's alternative
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston might think he has a better approach than a carbon tax, but the federal environment minister disagrees.
Less than two weeks after the premier presented Ottawa with a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on existing legislation the province has on the books — and without any price on carbon — the federal minister responsible has informed Houston that the plan is not acceptable because it lacks a pollution pricing plan.
EAC applauds new wind energy announcements, but raises concerns regarding locations and equity
Today the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables announced several new wind energy projects that will add approximately ten per cent more renewable electricity to Nova Scotia’s grid. The province awarded a total of five projects to the communities of Cumberland and Colchester County, Pictou and Antigonish County, Hants County, and Yarmouth County.
All projects are majority owned by Mi’kmaq bands of Nova Scotia and are expected to reduce more than one megatonne of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. The projects are also expected to reduce the cost of electricity for Nova Scotian rate payers by more than $100 million per year compared to burning coal for the same amount of electricity.
Environmental groups critical of work resumption of Cape Breton's Donkin mine
Provincial approval of the resumption of work at Cape Breton's Donkin coal mine after a two-year closure is being heavily criticized by environmental groups.
The underground mine, shuttered in March 2020 amid slumping coal prices and roof falls that led to repeated government stop-work orders, resumed operations on Tuesday.
"It's pretty absurd but it's not surprising," Tynette Deveaux of Sierra Club Canada said in an interview Thursday. "You'd like to think that governments learn from past mistakes but apparently not."
The South Shore Council of Canadians is co-hosting a series of events with the Healthy Bays Network, along with the authors of the newly published Salmon Wars: the Dark Underbelly of Our Favourite Fish. With the force of this damning industry exposé behind us, the authors call on our leaders to put a stop to the expansion of salmon farming in our own waters.
Join the South Shore CoC, co-hosts, and authors at one of six locations for the Salmon Wars book launch and coastal community event series.
There will also be a ticketed event at the Alexander Keith's Brewery on Lower Water Street in Halifax. The event will take place on Thursday, October 13th from 6-9pm. This event is hosted by Patagonia, Atlantic Salmon Federation and Healthy Bays Network.
Tickets will be available through Eventbrite. Details TBD.
Registration is open for Hike Nova Scotia’s fall slate of courses and webinars. In-person courses include: Field Leader - Hiking; Navigation Maps & Compass; and Leave No Trace Instructor. Webinars include: Walk Leader Training; Lost in the Woods; Intro to Hiking; How to Form a Hiking Group; and Happy Feet. Hike NS partners are the NS Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the Outdoor Council of Canada, Leave No Trace Canada and others.
KAIROS' Atlantic annual Fall Gathering is happening on October 1st. It is a hybrid event, both in-person at St Andrew's United Church, 6036 Coburg Rd. in Halifax and on Zoom. Through presenters, questions, small and large group discussions, participants will be invited to consider each of the four themes of water, land, air and food. Come together and join in protecting natures resources and building hope. Hope that is stronger than fear. Hope that changes everything!
The Ecology Action Centre has organized a climate strike on behalf of Nova Scotians on Friday, September 23. Participants will meet at Victoria Park in Halifax at 11am and march together en masse. After amassing over 10,000 people for the climate strike in 2019, EAC is hoping to round up even more participants this year to show that we still care about a livable future.
Join the Sierra Club and their co-hosts on September 28 at 8pm for an illuminating conversation with Stanford University professor Mark Jacobson, co-author of numerous reports on how to get to 100 percent clean and renewable energy using wind, water, and sunlight. As Jacobson explains, this is not some idealistic or futuristic undertaking—we have the technology already.
Join Transition Bay St.Margarets on September 22 from 7 to 8:30pm for an interesting chat about all the things you can eat that you probably didn’t know about!
HINT: It’s a long list with some yummy surprises!
They'll chat about the parts of vegetables you usually throw away, plants already growing in your yard or ornamental beds, and common wild plants found just about everywhere.
This event is free (donations appreciated!) and requires registration. TBSM will be conducting this event on Zoom, and the link will be provided via email at time of registration.
Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours along with the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Watersheds Canada are inviting the public to a guided hike at Sandy Lake on October 1 at 1pm.
Calls to Action
RCEN is announcing the creation of a new Caucus, and is looking to gain interest from environmental NGOs and other related organizations from across Canada.
The Toxics Caucus is facilitated through a partnership with the New Brunswick Lung Association and funding from Health Canada. The goal is to support Canadian Civil Society Organizations and disproportionately impacted populations to engage in the Chemicals Management Act and broader environmental health initiatives.
Those interested in becoming a Caucus member, can send an email to the team at RCEN to be added to the email list for future communications about the Toxics Caucus.
Every Wednesday we share a Nova Scotia Nature Photo on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Have you taken photos of beautiful places around the province? Share them with us for a chance to be featured on our page!
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change is inviting interested Canadians to apply to join the independent Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB). As a member of the NZAB, you would participate in briefings, meetings, and engagement activities to inform the development of advice for the Minister.
NZAB members are appointed for 1 to 3-years on a part-time basis (roughly 8-10 hours / month) and are compensated for their time at rates set by the Governor in Council.
The Afterwords Literary Festival is hosting a climate conversation that is available to attend in person on October 2, or via livestream the same day. It's happening in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, at the McInnis Room at Dalhousie University, and features four writers—Catherine Bush, Waubgeshig Rice, Madhur Anand and Kim Stanley Robinson—who are thinking and writing about climate, the environment, our place in it, and how we can best move forward together.
Small Change Fund is a national charity that partners with Canadians on protecting the environment, relieving poverty and supporting Reconciliation.
Applications are now being accepted for their Nova Scotia Change Makers Program, which will invest up to $2,000 for three Nova Scotia-based projects. In return, project partners will match this contribution through crowdfunding on the Small Change Fund platform.
The CUFC will be held from October 3 to 5, 2022 in Charlottetown, PEI. The conference will be an in-person forum where city and park planners, architects, arborists, researchers and health scientists may learn and share with a vision of building a better future for Canada's urban forests. The CUFC 2022 theme isUrban Forests and the Challenge of Climate Change: Building Resilience.
For more information, visit the CUFC website or twitter.
Has anyone noticed that there is a climate emergency?
Come out CBRM citizens, and use your voice! Join us in calling on our municipal government to act like there is a climate emergency. We want a multi-sectoral emergency roundtable that plans, acts, and is accountable to the citizens of the CBRM on climate change issues.
The Climate Change Task Force Unama’ki/Cape Breton will host the first Fridays for Future rally on September 23, 2022. The rally begins at 3:00pm in front of City Hall on Esplanade. Then walk, wheel, pedal, march, and chant to Island Folk Cider House on Nepean St. There will be information sharing, music, and creative offerings. At 7:00pm attend the film viewing “The Wisdom to Survive'' at the Eltuek Arts Centre and engage in meaningful discussions. Refreshments will be served.
*In case of inclement weather, there will be no march and the event will begin at 4:00pm at the Island Folk Cider House.
For more information, email the Climate Change Task Force.
SCRAP tells the stories of people who each have a connection to objects that have reached their ‘end of life.' Together their stories convey a deeper environmental and human message about our relationship to things, the sadness we feel at their eventual loss, and the joy of we can find in giving them a new purpose. The film raises awareness about the fate of the things we use and explores how artists and other creative thinkers can be a part of giving new life to the things we discard.
The film will be screening at Lunenburg Doc Fest on Friday, September 23rd at 9:00am. Director Stacey Tenenbaum will be in attendance.
What are people doing about climate change in rural Nova Scotia? How are communities leading the way in moving from ideas to action? In this one-day conference, RCFNS highlights the work of several communities dealing with a wide variety of climate change issues to create a circle of informed, innovative, and supportive problem solvers. We set the context with RCFNS' impact giving programs and introduce community members to national initiatives on climate change, truth and reconciliation and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
We will discuss deep issues underlying climate change work in rural Nova Scotia, such as building trust and mutual benefit between communities with diverse experience and knowledge bases and what the future might hold. And to top off the day, attend an exciting dinner, concert and discussion led by award winning Cape Breton country music artist Drake Jensen. Join us as we set a path towards a healthy, just, and sustainable future!
The Coady Institute is offering 3 webinars to raise awareness about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the relevance to affordable housing in Nova Scotia.
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