Environment and Conservation
Executive Council
November 23, 2009
Innovative Camps Bring Climate Change Message to Young
Girls
With assistance of
$100,400 from the Newfoundland and Labrador Green Fund,
the Women in Resource Development Corporation (WRDC)
will help bring the climate change message to Grade 7
females throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Through
the Girls in Renewable Energy and Alternative
Technologies (GREAT) program, which will consist of a
series of science exploration camps, young girls will be
encouraged to think about the energy future and climate
impacts of energy consumption patterns in the province.
�This organization
continuously provides leadership by encouraging the
participation of women in the trades and technology
sectors,� said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister
of Environment and Conservation. �Their objectives are
further complemented by teaching young girls to think
about how their actions in these sectors can affect the
environment. These camps may also introduce them to
career opportunities and motivate them to work in this
field in the future.�
WRDC was established in
1997 to foster an environment that will increase the
participation of women in the trades and technology
sectors in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2002, the
Educational Resource Centre (ERC), the charitable branch
of WRDC, was created to offer non-traditional training
programs to young girls and women.
For the GREAT program,
WRDC-ERC will partner with corporations in the energy
field, the education system and various government
departments to deliver the camps to rural and urban
areas of the province. Locations will be selected based
upon the interest expressed by schools, and the time of
year for the camps will be selected based on school
schedules so as to ensure the time away from the
traditional classroom has a minimal impact.
�This is an exciting time
for women in the trades and technology sector given the
impact we can have on sustaining our environment,� said
the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Minister Responsible
for the Status of Women. �I am pleased to see Women in
Resource Development Corporation continuing to remove
barriers for women and engaging young girls in important
issues such as climate change. Through this work, we are
ensuring that our environmental efforts will be
strengthened as a result of equal participation of both
women and men.�
�I look forward to
encouraging these girls to make a difference to the
environment through careers in renewable energy,� said
Mary Clarke, Community Outreach Coordinator, WRDC. �This
program will introduce them to careers in engineering,
design and trades, as well as teach them to think about
our future energy usage and impacts on our climate.�
Funding for the project
comes from the Newfoundland and Labrador Green Fund, a
three-year, $25 million program which is supported by
both the federal and provincial governments. This
funding is to support projects geared toward
environmental sustainability and which provide real
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
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Media contacts:
Melony O�Neill
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca |
Erin Molloy
Communications Specialist
Women�s Policy Office
709-729-6225, 693-7938
erinmolloy@gov.nl.ca
|
Mary Clarke
Community Outreach Coordinator
WRDC - ERC
709-738-1138, 687-1160
mclarke@wrdc.nf.ca |
|
2009 11 23
2:05 p.m.
|