Assessing the feasibility of industry wide incorporation of eco-certification into the Sustainable Winemaking Ontario initiative

This project will assess the potential for a certification program to enhance the Wine Council of Ontario’s voluntary initiative Sustainable Winemaking Ontario. This will involve an investigation of the barriers to implementation and acceptance, consumer interest and purchasing behaviour, the optimum format for a certification program and corresponding labelling and the types of indicators that […]

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Using Native Plants to Treat Municipal Wastewater for Small Communities in Saskatchewan

A rural Saskatchewan resort community has contracted with Erin Consulting, Ltd, to offer environmentally friendly solutions to their wastewater treatment and management challenges. To that end, an intern from the University of Regina has been identified to help offer design options using native Prairie plants that can remove nutrients and pathogens from the water. The […]

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Ecological determinants of sustainable aquaculture in British Columbia

Aquaculture (the farming of marine and aquatic organisms) is the fastest growing agri‐food sector in the world and is regularly cited as a primary solution to addressing growing global food deficiency. In British Columbia the aquaculture industry is dominated by two species, Atlantic salmon and Pacific oyster. While the potential economic benefits of this industry […]

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Estimating relative trends in cetacean abundance and distribution from data collected for an opportunistic sighting network (BCCSN)

British Columbia's coastline is home to eighteen species of cetaceans and three species of sea turtles. Nine of these are at risk of extinction. To conserve these species, it is crucial to learn more about their distribution/abundance and habitat use. The British Columbia Cetacean Sightings Network (BCCSN) was established to gather sightings of these species […]

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Ice Throw from Wind Turbines

In cold climates there is a perception that ice fragments could be thrown from rotating large wind turbines and create a hazard. While turbines should be shut down in icing conditions several authorities now require calculation of the risk associated with this potential hazard, in terms of numbers of ice fragment strikes per unit area […]

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Identifying suitable sites for multiple focal species using multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) and ecological niche factor

In response to the continued loss of biodiversity and natural cover in the landscape the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has developed the Terrestrial Natural Heritage System Strategy (TNHSS), which has been implemented since 2007. The Strategy, based on contemporary ecological principles, developed a set of models and tools that allowed for the development […]

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Population Estimation of the Western Conifer Seed Bug by Mark Release Recapture, and Calibration of a Visual Monitoring Technique

The western conifer seed bug is an important seed orchard pest in southern interior British Columbia, where it is responsible for significant seed loss, particularly in lodge pole pine and Douglas‐fir. In order to develop an economic damage threshold, i.e., when it would be economically justifiable to apply a pesticide treatment to protect the seed […]

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Waste carpet resource management costs and opportunities

The general purpose and nature of the project is about the economic and environmental costs and opportunities associated with carpet recovery and manufacturing in Nova Scotia. This project encompasses dimensions of research and development, landfill diversion, and value added manufacturing. There are an increasing number of initiatives taking place in the United States, the United […]

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Modelling Population Dynamics of the Itcha-Ilgachuz Caribou Herd

This project will use computer modeling techniques to examine the population dynamics of the Itcha-Ilgachuz caribou herd in west central British Columbia. This large herd is a potential source, from which caribou could be transplanted to small endangered mountain caribou herds in Southern BC to help boost their numbers. Previously acquired data on the Itcha-Ilgachuz […]

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Identifying Suitable Sites for Multiple Focal Species using Multi-criteria Evaluation and Ecological Niche-factor Analysis in Toronto and Region

In response to the continued loss of biodiversity and natural cover in the landscape, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has developed the Terrestrial Natural Heritage System Strategy (TNHSS), which has been implemented since 2007. The Strategy, based on contemporary ecological principles, developed a set of models and tools that allowed for the development […]

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Biocarbon gasification for fuel cell applications

The goal of this research project is to develop a gasifier to provide a gcleanh (e.g. low in tars) syngas for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. The intern will be involved in designing and building the prototype gasifier, and in designing experiments to determine the relationship between operating conditions and syngas quality. SOFCs have […]

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