econext wants to work with businesses in Newfoundland and Labrador to help them address their waste management challenges.
“Sometimes there is value to be found in the things that we are sending right to the landfill,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “When a business is able to do something else with its waste streams – a number of positive things can happen.”
“From the commercial perspective, a business can cut costs, create new opportunities for local entrepeneurs, or even generate new revenue streams,” said Hanley, noting that addressing environmental impacts is good for business in a world where consumers are increasingly becoming concerned with them.
“In the bigger picture, waste diverted from landfills is good for the environment and good for the taxpayer because the life of landfills can be extended,” said Hanley.
Hanley said that econext is interested in helping businesses in the province explore their options. “It doesn’t hurt to see what might be possible; our team is standing by to help you explore the options.”
Interested businesses can get in touch with econext about their waste here.
econext is an association 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.
Throughout 2023, econext – in partnership with Memorial University’s Harris Centre and CLIMAtlantic – organized a series of regional climate workshops throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Climate change is impacting communities across Newfoundland and Labrador, but depending on where you live and how your area has evolved, we all see it affecting us in different ways,” said Kieran Hanley, econext’s CEO. “These regional climate workshops are helping us to gain a better understanding of what is most important in specific areas of the province, which in turn will help us to do our work to advance adaptation efforts and grow Newfoundland and Labrador’s green economy.”
Workshops took place in Grand Falls-Windsor, Port Rexton, Trinity, Port aux Basques, Codroy Valley, and Pasadena between April and November 2023.
NL Climate Services Specialist Sepehr Khosravi – Courtesy of The Gazette
“We have only scratched the surface in terms of our province’s geography,” recognized Hanley. “We are keen to explore opportunities to host workshops in other areas in 2024 and would be happy to explore ideas with any region or community that expresses interest.”
“econext regularly engages with municipalities and communities across the province to define climate change challenges and opportunities, helping in the pursuit of funding to address them,” said Hanley. The regional climate workshops will allow econext to identify specific initiatives that can be pursued on a regional basis and communicate them to other stakeholders who can help.
“We are grateful for our partnership with The Harris Centre and CLIMAtlantic for this initiative.”
econext approached the Harris Centre to organize, host and facilitate the workshops due to their long standing connections with communities and regions across the province. At each workshop CLIMAtlantic offered practical resources ranging from risk assessment to possible climate change adaptation options.
econext is an association of businesses that accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador and work on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. More information can be found at https://econext.ca.
On October 26, 2023 econext held its annual conference – the largest since the event’s inception in 2012.
“The growth of this event is indicative of the scale of the green economy opportunity that we have here in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “It is clear that from wind, to hydrogen, to critical minerals, to energy storage – our province is on the leading edge of clean growth.”
The event, attended by over 300 participants, featured panel discussions focused on: next steps in the province’s emerging clean energy industry; challenges and opportunities in its pursuit of net zero; remaining environmental challenges its municipalities are facing; and green economy innovation.
“Three key themes emerged from the event,” said Hanley. “First – Newfoundland and Labrador is on the verge of a number of truly internationally significant developments. Second, our clean electricity grid is helping us to attract investment and decarbonize – but immediate action is needed to build out that system. And third – while we can make a global contribution in its fight against climate change, we have some work to do at the community level to improve environmental outcomes here at home.”
Hanley said that the event’s growth is also a reflection of the increased awareness of climate change and the importance of taking action. “There is great optimism that the realization of these significant clean energy opportunities can help us to address lingering issues related to waste, wastewater, and of course climate adaptation.”
econext Chair Alex Templeton, Natasha Reid (Transition Accelerator), Jennifer Williams (Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro), Mike McCann (IOC), and Hon. Bernard Davis (Minister of Environment and Climate Change).
The event was carbon neutral via carbon offsets purchased from Sharp Management.
“We would like to thank all of our panelists, moderators, partners, and attendees for contributing to such a special event”
econext is an association 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.
In an effort to maximize and accelerate the decarbonization of Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore through the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), the Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced a new CCUS Innovation Challenge.
econext CEO Kieran Hanley participated in the launch of the CCUS Innovation Challenge, with his remarks captured below.
Thank you Minister Davis.
Good morning everyone. Thank you Premier Furey. Minister Parsons.
On behalf of econext, we are very pleased to be here today at the launch of the CCUS Innovation Challenge.
econext is an association that is working to accelerate clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador by supporting and driving environmentally sustainable economic development.
In recent years we have found ourselves increasingly busy in helping Newfoundland and Labrador explore how it can fight climate change in terms of both strategy and technology.
Our analysis, through our Net Zero Project tells us that net zero by 2050 is simply not achievable in Newfoundland and Labrador (or the world) without initiatives that result in negative greenhouse gas emissions – or, projects that take carbon out of the atmosphere.
Carbon capture, utilization, and storage is a promising technology that can help us get there. It’s a technology with which we have some expertise in this province, and there is great opportunity for green economic development by focusing our efforts on solving this global issue.
And therefore, econext is thrilled with the creation of the CCUS Innovation Challenge. Targeted investments in innovation like the one being made today will help put our province on the leading edge of cleantech development on an international basis.
These technologies need to be advanced in order for us to reach net zero… and as luck would have it, we have no shortage of creative minds in our private sector and have experts in our post-secondary institutions – like Dr. James – that can move the needle forward.
And while some of the focus, rightfully so, is on the development of CCUS as it relates to our offshore oil and gas industry, the long term opportunity here for our province extends beyond that into some exciting areas of technology and we can’t wait to see what comes from this Innovation challenge.
To say that the future is bright for climate action in our province is a bit of an understatement.
From the low-carbon oil that we export, to the future production of clean fuels like hydrogen, to energy storage interventions, to mining the critical minerals that are required for electric vehicles batteries and other clean technologies, to carbon capture utilization and storage… our tiny province of Newfoundland and Labrador is going to have a mighty impact in the world’s fight against climate change. This will be great for our province’s environment and economy.
And so, a congratulations is deserved for Premier Furey, Minister Davis, and Minister Parsons on the launch of the CCUS Innovation Challenge.
Newfoundland and Labrador is positioning itself as an international leader in the energy transition, and timely and aggressive investments like this one go a long way in supporting that.
Between September 22-24, 2023, the inaugural econext Ideathon took place, seeing over 50 undergraduate students from Memorial University compete to come up with the best idea to solve energy efficiency challenges in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL).
“One of the biggest challenges the world will face in its pursuit of net zero will be how we manage our energy use and the same goes for NL,” said Kieran Hanley, CEO of econext. “What better way is there to come up with some new creative ideas than to engage with the talent in our university?”
Over the course of the weekend, 12 teams made up of undergraduate students across several disciplines developed their ideas and pitched their solutions to a panel of judges for the top prize of $3,000.
“Teams had access to subject matter experts from industry who volunteered their time as mentors,” said Hanley, “plus a series of workshops to help them refine their ideas and present their solutions.”
First Place Winner
The first-place prize, sponsored by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, went to Eco-Elect (Tyara Andhin, Hannah Doyle, Kamsi Ifeanyichukwu, and Saju Vijayakanthanwho) pitched an economic inverter battery service and solution to help balance electricity demand at the residential level.
Second Place Winner
The second-place prize, sponsored by Hatch, went to Gravity (Samuel Adeoye, William Church, Mathew Emshey, and Lumi Oyelowowho) pitched a community-scale gravity-based energy storage system using existing infrastructure.
Third Place Winner
The third-place prize, sponsored by Mysa, went to TBA (Draco Dunphy, Syed Anas Minhaj Kazmi, and Fahim Yasir) who pitched a product and program to have EV owners in the province install smart charging systems to help avoid all EVs being charged at the exact same time.
The event’s opening ceremonies were sponsored by Aker Solutions, with TakeCharge sponsoring and providing support throughout the event.
“The level of excitement we saw this weekend and the quality of the solutions presented was remarkable,” said Hanley. “Our clean energy future is bright. Congratulations to all of those who participated.”
The econext Ideathon was made possible through partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, and with support from the Government of Canada.
More events will be taking place in 2024-25. If you are interested in partnering on a future event, please contact Alex Rumbolt at alex@econext.ca.
econext is an association 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 Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization bringing together some of Canada’s largest companies and leading post-secondary institutions. Since 2015, BHER has worked to harness the strengths of Canada’s business and post-secondary education sectors to build opportunities for young Canadians, boost innovation and drive collaboration. Learn more at www.bher.ca. Visit our WIL Hub for ways to explore, invest in and create quality WIL opportunities.
econext has formed a partnership with Marine Institute’s The Launch and the Town of Holyrood to inform job seekers on emerging opportunities in the green/blue economy.
“Our program has a number of components,” said Ogaga Johnson, econext‘s Director of Workforce Development. “The centerpiece of our work is the demonstration of the technologies and services of businesses that are active right here in Newfoundland and Labrador’s blue/green economy.”
Johnson said that the demonstration activities will give 180 job seekers, especially those from underrepresented groups, a chance to see firsthand the exciting and innovative work that companies are doing to understand and reduce environmental impacts on the environment.
Other program components will help meet emerging training needs by developing a plan for the Town of Holyrood to take advantage of evolving workforce needs and raise awareness about the job opportunities with the blue/green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Newfoundland and Labrador has immense expertise providing ocean technology solutions,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “As the world pivots to the fight against climate change, these companies are well positioned to play a role in that. This program will allow the project partners to understand those green training needs and develop programs to apply them in the blue or ocean context,” said Hanley, noting that the project would benefit econext members, The Launch, the Town of Holyrood, and job seekers.
“We believe this initiative is a huge step in achieving our goal” said Mayor Gary Goobie “Our goal is to establish a cold ocean research and innovation hub, allowing companies and institutions to complete research, analyze data, and develop products to further enhance the global ocean industry while providing economic opportunities and growth in the region”.
The Town of Holyrood strategically established the Oceans Holyrood Initiative (OHI) to enable those engaged in ocean-related activities to have access to cold, clean water to develop technologies and techniques that positively affect the ocean sector.
Mayor Gary Goobie further said “Together with our partners econext and the Marine Institute, the Town of Holyrood is excited by the potential this project holds to bring our Town closer to realizing its goal of ensuring sustainability and growth for the future.”
“The Marine Institute is proud to collaborate with econext on this exciting project that will bring together NL’s Ocean tech community, training providers, and community organizations to create inclusive workforce development opportunities in the blue and green economies.” said Kelley Santos, Director of The Launch. Santos said that the Marine Institute’s Ocean innovation centre, The Launch, located in the Town of Holyrood, will provide access to workspaces, technology, vessels, and technical support for ten local oceans companies to “demonstrate their technology and provide training opportunities for their teams, collectively strengthening our capacity to sustainably manage our oceans from right here in NL.”
Matthew Grimes, Director of Business Development and Research at Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University said “econext’s mandate to support environmental technology and innovation is closely aligned with the Fisheries and Marine Institute’s work to foster economic development in ocean-related sectors. The Fisheries and Marine Institute has extensive experience in responding to industry needs and delivering community-based education and training. Through this partnership with econext, we can do even more to support Newfoundland and Labrador’s growing ocean and green economies.”
“The Government of Canada invests in economic diversification to help communities thrive and create new opportunities for people. This funding will help ensure that communities are driving their economic future while helping workers to develop the skills they need to get the jobs they want,” said Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault.
Information on upcoming events on October 12, 17, 19, and 24 can be found here. For partnership, inquiries, or more information about the program, please contact Ogaga Johnson at ogaga@econext.ca.
About econext econext is a not-for-profit association that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador, working on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development.
About The Launch The Launch is the Marine Institute’s and Memorial University’s Ocean Innovation Centre, a state-of-the-art living lab that provides access to the world’s harshest cold-ocean environments and supports the development of ocean technology through R&D, testing, and demonstration to prove its real-world readiness. Users can train for safety and survival and operate technologies in conditions that accurately reflect those faced in the field. Developed by world-leading experts at Memorial University’s Marine Institute, The Launch provides the ultimate “proving waters” to put equipment, people, and ideas to the ultimate test.
About the Town of Holyrood
The Town of Holyrood is located on Canada’s east coast, making it the ideal location for all ocean-related industries. With access to some of the coldest waters in the world, a pristine harbour with world-class research facilities, and ample land and real estate available for development, Holyrood is the place to be.
This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Community Workforce Development Program.
Four companies have been awarded exclusive rights to crown land in Newfoundland and Labrador to pursue wind-to-hydrogen projects.
“This is a major milestone for Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean energy sector,” said Kieran Hanley, CEO of econext. “In fact, this has international significance – our province is on the forefront of a new global green hydrogen energy industry.”
econext has already been hard at work identifying the jobs and skills that would be required for the emerging industry, and helping to prioritize opportunities for R&D and innovation. “Stay tuned for news on the work that we have been doing on these fronts,” said Hanley.
Much still has to occur before proposed projects advance, including environmental assessments, financing, approvals, and more. “Our Annual Conference will explore in detail what’s next for the sector,” said Hanley. econext‘s conference is taking place on October 26 in St. John’s – click here for more information.
“Congratulations to those proponents who have the opportunity to progress their projects in the near term,” said Hanley. “And to those who were unsuccessful this time around – we hope you continue to pursue clean energy developments in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
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.
This June econext, in partnership with Memorial University’s Research Innovation Office (RIO), held an event that explored opportunities to connect industry needs with research expertise.
“One of econext‘s primary objectives is to stimulate clean growth innovation in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO. “One of the ways that we do this is by working with our members to understand their challenges and opportunities, and then engaging with local research institutions to see if we can find a match.”
The event featured a number of econext members presenting on their challenge or opportunity to an audience of pre-identified researchers at Memorial University. Researchers then presented on their areas of expertise and interest. “The next step is for us to do what we can to match-make and encourage collaborative research projects between industry and academia.”
Last week’s event had a thematic focus on ‘batteries’ – for storage, EV charging and even recycling. “Electrification and energy storage are concepts that are both key to our province’s net zero objectives and clean energy growth,” said Hanley. “This is an area where econext will be very active in acting as a catalyst for innovation in the province.”
“The team at RIO works to bring industry partners and Memorial researchers together to help solve real challenges in today’s world,” said Dr. Paula Mendonça, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Memorial University. “Through our ongoing partnership with econext, we are able to enhance awareness about the world-class expertise and facilities available at Memorial. We look forward to future conversations and support clean energy solutions in the region.”
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.
RIO helps identify resources and facilitate connections to move ideas towards opportunities via industry connection, funding, IP support and programming. More information can be found at mun.ca/RIO.
econext COO Abbie Hodder with His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
For Immediate Release June 28, 2023
Atlantic Canada and the Caribbean have a significant history of interregional trade and partnership in sectors spanning cable and telecommunications, banking and finance, energy, and education.
In May, as part of its twelfth trade mission to the Caribbean region since 2015, econextformalized a partnership for the mutual benefit of the two regions.
“We are excited to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) as part of our trade mission,” said Abbie Hodder, econext’s COO and Director of International Business. “There is ample potential for collaboration between the four provinces of Atlantic Canada and the 11 OECS countries, and we look forward to putting this MOU into action.”
Atlantic Canada and the OECS have common regional strategic objectives. Beyond the promotion of trade and partnerships, the regions can exchange valuable information and experiences in areas of common interest including the support of local economies to becomes globally competitive, resilient, inclusive, and increasingly green.
The May 2023 trade mission consisted of eleven delegate organizations from Atlantic Canada engaging in over 150 meetings across four countries in the Caribbean region – Barbados, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. econext’s missions are multi-sector, but there is a strategic focus on green economy, blue economy, infrastructure, and education and training.
Firms in Atlantic Canada have many synergies with their counterparts in Caribbean markets. Hodder stated, “The products and services developed in Atlantic Canada 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 our commitment is to sustain and enhance this bond through meaningful reciprocal engagement.”
econext’s next Caribbean Trade Mission is set for November 2023. For information on how you can participate, please contact Abbie Hodder at abbie@econext.ca.
About OECS
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is an international organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance among independent and non-independent countries in the Eastern Caribbean comprising Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Martinique and Guadeloupe.
About econext econext is a not-for-profit association that accelerates clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador, working on behalf of over 200 members to foster environmentally sustainable economic development. A priority for econext is helping its members engage internationally; the association has helped develop relationships between Atlantic Canada and Caribbean markets since 2014 .
econext has released a discussion paper which explores the economic development opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador that are associated with the emerging clean fuels industry.
“We believe that clean fuels production presents an enormous opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador, its economy, and its communities,” said Kieran Hanley, econext‘s CEO – referring to the wind energy to hydrogen projects being proposed within the province.
Hanley said it is important to view the potential benefits of the emerging industry beyond just those that come with construction and operations and the export of a commodity. “Newfoundland and Labrador has the potential to be among the first in the world to produce clean fuels at this scale, and with that comes a series of time-sensitive opportunities to position ourselves as leaders in innovation and training and attract more green industry.”
“The purpose of this discussion paper is twofold,” said Hanley. “First, we want to create a greater awareness of the opportunities that are before the province, and second we want to get decison-makers and stakeholders thinking about how we go about pursuing those opportunities.” Hanley said that the discussion paper is intended to be the start of the conversation, and is not a definitive or conclusive report. “We welcome any and all feedback that can help us better understand these opportunities.”
“I would like to thank all of the econext members who provided their time and many of the ideas that are represented in the paper,” said Hanley. “econext looks forward to doing its best to advance many of the opportunities identified on your behalf.”
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.
