The Alberta government is teaming up with the Beaver Lake Cree Nation to install solar panels on three buildings in the community.
The panels will be installed on the Busy Beaver Community Store, Wah-Pow Treatment Centre and health centre. The province says the new additions should help save on utility costs and prevent about 1,250 tons of greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere.
“Beaver Lake Cree Nation is concerned with the present state of our environment,” says Beaver Lake Chief Germaine Anderson. “We recognize the importance of becoming energy-efficient and how moving to the green economy will better position us economically down the road. Our Treaty states that as long as the sun shines, the rivers flow, and the grass grows that we will continue our traditional way of life. The sun will continue to shine and be a part of all our lives, and we should be utilizing it with the present and future solar capabilities.”
The 153,000 dollar grant to build the panels is part of Alberta’s Indigenous Solar Program. Overall the province is making 35 million dollars in funding available to indigenous communities to adopt environmentally friendly infrastructure and technology.