Join econext Staff and Board of Directors at our Member Summer Social!
Wed, 13 July 2022
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM NDT
econext Staff and Board of Directors are looking forward to networking with our members in-person once again! Join us on July 13, 2022 for our summer networking social with your fellow econext members!
Refreshments and light hors d’eourves will be served.
*Please note that while this event is free, registration is required. Capacity is limited, so please cancel your reservation if you can no longer attend.*
econext partnered with The Harris Centre in 2022 with participants from forestry, agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, local and provincial government, academia, research institutions, and others in the organization and delivery of a forum to explore potential “waste-to-value” opportunities for industrial organic waste streams in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The event was also in partnership with the NL Forestry Industry Association (NLFIA), the NL Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA), the NL Federation of Agriculture (NLFA), the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation (CCFI), and the Association of Seafood Producers.
The Harris Centre published a ‘What We Heard’ document stemming from the workshop to inform future activities and potential initiatives. Click here to download the report.
Following the travel disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, econext was eager to get back on the ground in the Caribbean to pursue partnerships and opportunities.
“While we continued to offer programming during the height of the pandemic including virtual meetings, webinars, and customized consulting services, nothing replaces the value of meeting face-to-face, particularly in relationship-based economies”, says Abbie Hodder, econext’s COO and Director of International Business.
The Spring Mission saw 11 delegate organizations from across Atlantic Canada engaging in over 165 meetings across five countries in the Caribbean region – Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname.
Hodder says firms in Atlantic Canada are well positioned to engage in Caribbean markets. “The products and services developed in this region can work well in other island and rural coastal environments, such as those found in the Caribbean.” Hodder notes the region faces similar challenges such as the impacts of climate change, coastal zone erosion, distance from markets, and economies that are resource dependent. “We have a long history of trade with the Caribbean, and we are working to continue and deepen that tradition.”
“Something that sets our program apart is the customized nature of our trade missions. Each delegate receives a bespoke program based on their unique objectives and opportunities. We don’t believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Atlantic Canadian companies are diverse, as are the markets we visit,” says Hodder. “There is a wealth of opportunity throughout the Caribbean in key sectors including the blue and green economy, infrastructure, and training and education. We believe that these opportunities can be successfully pursued through mutually beneficial collaborations between our regions, and that’s the crux of our programming.”
“It was a very productive trade mission,” says delegate Lisa Lovelady, Vice President Academic and COO of Academy Canada, “we look forward to following up on the new opportunities that were generated by our meetings. Academy Canada has established partnerships with local training providers as a direct result of the econext mission.”
In addition to the exploration of new partnerships and opportunities, many of the delegates were celebrating and expanding upon established connections. One such example is Velsoft’s partnership with the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Together they have recently launched the new online school “The Caribbean Tourism Institute”. Other partners such as the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association have now joined on to provide specialized skills training to the local tourism industry.
Another delegate organization, Work Safe Systems, has established a partnership with the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP), for the delivery of Health, Safety, and Environmental training and consulting. In partnership with Edgewise Environmental, they are developing unique programs to address climate action and the blue economy.
econext’s next Caribbean Trade Mission is set for November 2022.
Since 2014, econext (formerly NEIA) has been collaborating closely with the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology (IET) and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to deliver a suite of programming for Atlantic Canadian firms to pursue international business opportunities in the Caribbean region. econext’s Caribbean program is comprehensive, comprised of in-depth market research, information sessions, customized firm-level supports, and the coordination of incoming and outgoing trade missions. Atlantic Canadian companies with interests or questions about the econext Caribbean Program can contact Abbie Hodder at abbie@econext.ca or by visiting https://econext.ca/caribbean-program/
econext is an association of businesses that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca
econext engaged with 42 community stakeholders across the province to understand their climate action priorities. The purpose of the research was to help econext understand the current level of climate action taking place in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the future initiatives and projects that were being prioritized.
econext is celebrating Environment Week with the release of recent research it has undertaken to understand climate action priorities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“This spring econext engaged with 42 community stakeholders across the province to understand what their climate action priorities were,” said Kieran Hanley, CEO of econext. “Environment Week presents a great opportunity for us to share some of what we found with a larger audience.”
Hanley said that the purpose of the research was to help econext understand the current level of climate action taking place in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the future initiatives and projects that were being prioritized.
“Communities in Newfoundland and Labrador care a great deal about the environment and want to do their part to protect and enhance it,” said Hanley, “but these towns don’t always have the time and expertise available that’s needed to make things happen.” Hanley said that a key objective of the research was to better understand some of the barriers that communities faced in taking climate action.
Hanley said that econext hopes to be able to provide some support to communities across the province to help overcome those barriers. “We can help communities achieve some progress.”
Between 2019 and 2021 econextworked with six municipalities in the province to help them quantify their greenhouse gas emissions, develop plans to address them, and even made small investments into each community to help them get started.
“The conversations that we have had with communities across the province in taking on this research have helped us to understand what some of the priorities are for them in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation,” said Hanley. “Our next step is to do what we can to help them take some next steps.”
econext is an association of businesses that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and works on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
The Trade Commissioner Service is hosting a promotional webinar on June 16th at 11:00 EST targeting Canadian Cleantech companies interested in Europe and in the following subsectors: renewable energy, water technologies, circular economy, smart mobility & smart grids technology.
The webinar will consist of the TCs organizing each initiative explaining what to expect, how to register, how to combine attendance at multiple events, and responding to questions.
We’ve called this joint promotion the “Canadian Cleantech Mission to Europe November 2022”, which is the umbrella name for these 4 TCS initiatives:
Cleantech Forum Europe in Brussels, Belgium on Nov. 8-10th (led by Charlotte Moreau, from BRU)
Ecomondo in Rome, Italy, on Nov. 8-11th (led by Patrizia Giuliotti, from ROME)
Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Nov. 15-17th (led by Yves Belliveau and Nadia Rego from MDRID)
ENLIT in Frankfurt, Germany, Nov. 29 – Dec. 1st. (led by Arndt Ulland and Pieter Bouwer from BRLIN)
We kindly ask you to invite clients potentially interested in any of them to the information webinar on June 16th at 11:00 EST.
See the PDF below for more information and register HERE
The global pursuit of net zero is positioning Newfoundland and Labrador to be a significant contributor to emissions reductions around the world.
Join us on October 20, 2022 to hear about the latest developments for Newfoundland and Labrador related to renewable energy, hydrogen, mining, waste management, and emissions reductions in the offshore.
This is the best opportunity of the year to network with clean technology and environmental services stakeholders in industry, government, and academia.
The econext 2022 conference will feature panel discussions with decision-makers and industry leaders on the following topics as they relate specifically to Newfoundland and Labrador (NL):
In December of 2021, the Government of NL released its renewable energy plan. In this session hear from key decision makers on the progress that has been achieved since December – and what the next steps are in helping NL reach its renewable energy potential.
Green Hydrogen and NL’s Opportunity
NL has the potential to become a first-mover and global leader in the production of green hydrogen on a substantial scale. In this session, hear from a panel of prospective developers on what they see as being opportunities for the production and export of green hydrogen from NL.
The Latest on Offshore Wind
This session will provide attendees with an update on offshore wind development in Atlantic Canada from two perspectives. Industry representatives will give an overview of the advancements they are seeing on the ground, while the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada will provide an update on the regional assessment that is being developed for the region.
The Role of NL’s Mining Sector in the Global Energy Transition
A global energy transition will demand the production of more raw materials for wind turbines, batteries, and other clean energy technologies. NL is home to many of the minerals required, and thus presents an opportunity for economic growth for the province. This session asks two questions: how do we reduce the environmental impact of our industry today, and how do we balance future industrial development with the pursuit of net zero?
Innovation in Waste Management
NL faces significant challenges in the management of its waste – the primary obstacle being economies of scale. In this session, hear about the progress has been achieved in the province through 2022 in exploring new innovative approaches to dealing with waste streams – as well as new initiatives and new companies that are already at work!
Charting a Net Zero Future for NL’s Offshore
In this session led by The Net Zero Project, you will hear about the results of work undertaken through 2021-2022 to outline net zero pathways for NL’s offshore industry, the role that carbon offsets will play in that pursuit, and the importance of digitalization and technology.
More information on the econext 2022 conference agenda is coming soon.
Your ticket will include a continental breakfast and lunch. Online-only registrants will receive a Zoom link to participate in the conference live. All registrants will have access to conference session recordings on-demand following the event.
Information on tickets being made available to students will be released closer to the conference date.
Conference Sponsorship
Are you interested in supporting econext‘s work and its 2022 conference? Click here to download the options available to you. Contact Matt Rumboldt at matt@econext.ca to discuss your interest.
In 2022 econext worked with Springboard Atlantic Inc. to determine opportunities to identify value from waste across four primary resources sectors within Atlantic Canada including fisheries, aquaculture, forestry, and agriculture.
The intent of the project was to identify waste management challenges faced by these sectors and the potential role of research and development (R&D) in addressing these challenges by extracting value from waste streams.
The scope of work included extensive stakeholder engagement through interviews with industry, the preparation of a summary report on value from waste opportunities, the evaluation of potential challenges including the development of an evaluation matrix and prioritization of challenges, the drafting of potential “challenge” statements to guide potential Springboard engagement in R&D on behalf of industry, vetting of challenge statements with industry and institutions, and finalization of challenge statements.
