Sustainability Report 2022/2023

The NCRA/ANCREC has conducted their first Sustainability Report. You will be able to read the full report below which will break down the carbon emission created by the NCRA/ANREC from April 2022 to March 31st, 2023. We are proud to announce that the NCRA/ANREC is a carbon neutral organization, and commits to this going forward through our budgeting and actions to support climate-positive impacts.

As a sector we must take accountability for the environmental impact we create around us, therefore we urge stations to use this report as a resource as we continue to set an example as a community.

We hope this report serves as inspiration for other stations to look within their operations to calculate and review their carbon footprint and finally assess the best ways to offset them. See the press release for more information

You can view the full report here: Sustainability Report 2022-2023 (April 1 to Mar 31)

         What Can Campus and Community Radio Do?

• The NCRA/ANREC invites that all of our stations get an understanding of their current environmental footprint. It’s important to have an effective baseline and resources for this to be achieved.
• The NCRA/ANREC has formed a Climate Committee, together they developed an Environmental Sustainability Policy in 2022. Now they are looking for volunteers and junior staff to join the committee. 

          Current members of the committee are Glen Ingram (CICK), Luke Smith (CIUT, Henry Lewis (CIUT), Alexander Campagnolo (CFFF), Ugonna Chigbo (CKUW), Connor Ashton (CJSF) and Eloisa Veliz (NCRA/ANREC). If you would like to join the committee reach out to eloisa@nrca.ca

The Carbon Neutral Pledge

The NCRA/ANREC is examining leading by example by committing to the Carbon Neutral Pledge. The NCRA/ANREC will be examining its carbon footprint, including its office, and the travel and in-person events we host.

We will be taking concrete measures to reduce our carbon impact. A key part of this pledge is to account for the carbon cost of travel. When looking at a flight, we will evaluate if the airline offset’s the carbon cost of the flight, and if they do not we will be adding the cost of the carbon offset to the ticket price. For us, including the carbon cost of travel is important to know for the overall cost of travel, and staying within budget.

The NCRA/ANREC will also take a look at how we can offset or reduce the carbon cost of our physical office (We already share space with other nonprofits, use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, reuse scrap paper).  

Our hope is over the next 12 to 18 months to become carbon neutral as an organization. 

We would like to invite stations to join us in this effort and sign on to our Carbon Neutral Pledge.  We appreciate that accounting for increased costs, such as the carbon offset is going to be more difficult now than ever, but we hope that stations will show leadership and courage in joining us in this initiative. 

Sectoral Efforts to Tackle Climate Impact

The Climate Committee has found some great resources to help and guide stations towards more sustainable operations. 

• The Climate Impact Self Audit (a quick checklist you can use to measure your station’s climate impact)
• Easy Tips (The NCRA/ANREC met with Angela from Carbon 613/Envirocentre and did a walk-through of a local station where she suggested some easy tips for all stations)
• Building a Culture of Sustainability a list of potential sustainability campaigns you can implement into your station.
• Carbon Impact Measurement Tool it is a free and easy to use site that helps you visually understand your carbon impact.
• Keynote: Brighid Fry: On Our Role in the Climate Crisis (An informative session which touches on the climate impact and what steps can be taken to lower our emissions.)
• Creating Sustainable Swag and Merch Training (An e-learning course around creating sustainable swag and merch. The majority of stations create branded t-shirts, or hand out giveaways at their fundraising events. But how can stations source material that has a lower impact on the climate? This short training outlines some key solutions for stations to consider.)
• How An Average Station Can Help The Climate (An e-learning course which breaks down a stations's climate self audit and created a list of examples on show how our sector can help reduce our climate impact.)

•  Easy Wins
  • If there is green space around your station or transmitter try growing a mix of local flowers that are bee and butterfly friendly to support your local environment. 
  • Introduce a policy which outlines when things should be printed, and clear policies on recycling for your station. 
  • Change your lightbulbs to energy-efficient lightbulbs! Or for studios or space which are less used, try introducing motion sensor lights. 
  • Prioritize catering vegetarian food when catering for events for the public or volunteers. 
  • When studios or workstations are not in use, such as overnight, introduce a policy to turn them off.
  • There are a number of things which stations can do which are low-cost and can have a big impact on your station.

Earth Day (April 22nd)

Fill the airwaves with the sounds of birds, frogs, insects, and airplanes. Immerse listeners in the vitality of the 24-hour circadian rhythm of the ṮEḴTEḴSEN marsh in unsurrendered W̱SÁNEĆ territory (Saturna Island, British Columbia). The broadcast, created and produced by artists Brady Marks and Mark Timmings, engages its audience in real-time, promoting a powerful re-engagement with the living environment. In a troubled world, the Wetland Project slow radio broadcast offers time to pause, listen to the Earth and contemplate what’s at stake. It has become a life-affirming Earth Day tradition for many of the 25 stations that have participated over the past six years.

Wetland Project was a huge hit last year and CFUV is more than happy to bring it back … our listeners loved the natural soundscape. Thanks for connecting us once again!
            — Arcade Pallot, Program Director, CFUV, Victoria, 2022

The response from our community was overwhelming … For staff and listeners alike, the 24-hour broadcast was both wondrous and joyous. It helped shift our perspective—and isn’t that exactly what great radio and great art should do?
            —Tina Pamintuan, General Manager, KALW, San Francisco, 2020

My favourite day of the year. What a hoot. We look forward to participating again next year! 
            — Chad Brunet, Program Director, CJSR, Edmonton, 2022

We received a lot of community buzz … The dawn bird chorus and night frog song are simply stunning. There’s always something wonderful to listen to. It’s a powerful piece of “slow radio”!
— Bryan McKinnon, Executive Director, CFRO, Vancouver, 2018

Since the mid-1980s, I’ve been invited to try out various attempts at creating commercially successful platforms for so-called virtual reality … The most recent, as well as the most memorable, consisted of my listening to an extended high-resolution recording of the ambient sounds in and around a bog on Saturna Island. No goggles required, no mask, no helmet. … my first “next television” quiver since the Walkman.
— William Gibson, Wetland Project: Explorations in Sound, Ecology and Post-Geographical Art, 2022

The files and resources required for the broadcast—whether you choose to air the full 24-hour cycle or just a few hours—are FREE and easy to download by contacting info@wetlandproject.com. Ideal for remote broadcast!

Going Digital - !earshot Distro

The NCRA/ANREC has created a free digital music distribution service our stations, !earshot Distro. We know (from survey data) that the majority of stations are either entirely digital or moving to a digital music library. We also know that stations are still discarding hundreds of CD’s to landfills, in addition, stations are paying hundreds of dollars to heat the space their music libraries are taking up, for larger stations we’ve seen an average of around 400-500 square feet.

For the NCRA/ANREC providing support to go digital is vital. As part of this effort, we’ve rolled out !earshot Distro access for individual programmers. Stations already have access to add their own programmers to the system, and if you don’t have an account (or need some assistance with it) please let us know and we will be happy to help.