Green Action Centre is an environmental organization based in Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

. It works to promote greener living through environmental education for households, workplaces, schools, and communities. It also develops and advocates environmental policies for Manitoba communities. Its primary areas of activity include green commuting, composting and waste, sustainable living and resource conservation.

History

Green Action Centre was founded in 1985. It was originally called the Recycling Council of Manitoba. It was a lead organization working to promote recycling in Manitoba, and helped introduce the Blue Box Recycling System

Blue Box Recycling System

The Blue Box Recycling System is a waste management system used by municipalities to collect source separated household waste materials for the purpose of recycling....

 in Winnipeg. In 1989, it helped form the Manitoba Recycling Action Committee to promote Producer Responsibility in Manitoba. In 1997 it changed its name to Resource Conservation Manitoba. The organization changed its name again from Resource Conservation Manitoba to Green Action Centre in September 2010. Today, the organization is involved in a broad range of environmental initiaives both regionally and across Canada.

Organization Structure

Green Action Centre describes itself as "a non-profit, non-governmental hub for greener living based in Winnipeg, serving Manitoba." It is a registered charity. It is governed by an elected board of volunteers. Green Action Centre has approximately 400 individual members. Green Action Centre is a member of the Manitoba Eco-Network

Manitoba Eco-Network

The Manitoba Eco-Network is an environmental, non-governmental organization, and registered charity located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Canada. It is a regional affiliate of the Canadian Environmental Network, based in Ottawa. The Manitoba Eco-Network is a network for approximately 50...

 and Green Communities Canada.

Active and Safe Routes to School

The Active and Safe Routes to School program works with schools and communities to help them encourage kids to walk and bike to school. The program promotes active transportation in order to keep children healthy, safer, and to ensure they have clean air to breathe.

Composting

Green Action Centre runs a compost promotion project to provide information, resources and support for composting across Manitoba. They offer free public workshops for residents including backyard composting, winter composting and worm composting. The organization also coordinates a Master Composter program that provides in depth training on composting to individuals who become volunteer composting trainers. Green Action Composting also works with schools and communities to develop individualized programs.

Environmental Speakers Bureau

The Environmental Speakers Bureau offers classroom environmental presentations for schools in Winnipeg. Topics include recycling, litterless lunches, composting, climate change, water and the ecological footprint concept. Presentations are offered for age ranges from Nursery to Grade 12. The program delivers over 300 presentations annually to schools in Winnipeg, as well as offering presentation materials to schools across Manitoba.
This program is supported by Manitoba Conservation and Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba.

Living Green Living Well

Living Green Living Well is a program that offers ideas and tips for households, schools and businesses to help reduce their environmental impact. The project offers presentations to community organizations and workplaces on environmental topics including green cleaning products, climate change, greenwashing, pesticides, sustainable agriculture and water conservation. The program also runs a blog commenting on environmental news affecting Manitoba.

Workplace Commuter Options

Green Action Centre works with companies and their employees to promote commuter options other than single passenger automobiles. The program helps employers develop supportive policies and programs to support biking, busing, carpooling or other forms of transportation that reduce the greenhouse gas impact of commuting.
Green Action Centre’s Workplace Commuter Options program has worked with:

• Assiniboine Credit Union
• Boeing Winnipeg
• Health Sciences Centre
• Integrated Designs
• International Institute for Sustainable Development
• Manitoba Hydro
• MTS Allstream
• National Leasing
• Public Works and Government Services Canada
• Taylor McCaffrey LLP
• Transport Canada
• United Way of Winnipeg

Seasonal programs

Green Action Centre runs several seasonal programs throughout the year, often in partnership with national organizations.

Car Free Day

Green Action Centre is the local organizer for Car Free Day in Winnipeg. Car Free Day takes place on September 22 and takes place in many cities across North America and around the world. It encourages motorists to give up their car for a day. In Winnipeg, Albert Street in the Exchange District, is closed to automobile traffic for the day.

Commuter Challenge

The annual Commuter Challenge takes place during Environment Week (first week of June) each year. It is a competition that encourages participants at registered workplaces to use environmentally friendly methods of travel to and from work during the week.

In 2010, Green Action Centre with the support of the Manitoba Conservation launched a year round commuter challenge. This program allows commuters to track their greenhouse gas reductions throughout the year.

Waste Reduction Week

Waste Reduction Week is a national event across Canada that encourages businesses, communities, schools, organizations and individuals to reduce their waste, recycle and undertake other environmentally friendly initiatives. The event takes place during the third week of October each year.

Green Action Centre coordinates activities in Winnipeg for the event and is one of the coordinating organizations across Manitoba.

Green Action Centre receives support for the program from Manitoba Conservation, Manitoba Hydro and the City of Winnipeg Water and Waste Department.

Walk to School Month

International Walk to School Month (“IWALK”) promotes walking and cycling to students during October each year. Green Action Centre coordinates IWALK in Manitoba.

Policy Committee

Green Action Centre has a policy committee made up of board members, staff and volunteers that develops policies on environmental issues in Manitoba. Some of the policy areas developed by the committee include: waste reduction, pesticides, climate change, land use planning, energy policy, and food and agriculture.