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Shannon Ripley and Daniel T'seleie, members of Ecology North's team of employees, show off some plants outside the office, where they focus their work on sustainable living and environmental awareness in Yellowknife and the NWT. - Cara Loverock/NNSL photo

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The climate and landscape of the North is a large part of what makes living here enviable. As beautiful and unique as the environment in the NWT is, it is also threatened by things like climate change.

Recognizing this is the Yellowknife-based, non-profit, environmental group, Ecology North. It was founded in 1971, in part by current Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley.

"It started right from the beginning as a non-profit organization focused on environmental issues but also with a really strong link to local communities," said one of Ecology North's three full-time employees, Shannon Ripley.

The organization includes longtime program director Doug Ritchie, climate change planner Daniel T'seleie, as well as part-time employee, Colleen Smith, coordinator of the Youth Ecology Club, and a number of volunteers.

"We probably have about 20 to 25 people who help us out as volunteers in different capacities," said Ripley. She said with Earth Week starting today the volunteers will be a big help.

"Earth Week is a great set of events to get people to think about their footprint, to think about their lifestyles, the actions they're taking and how they impact the environment," she said.

Some of the many activities organized by Ecology North taking place during Earth Week, April 22 to May 2, include a film screening, coffeehouses, a composting workshop, nature walks, community discussions and information sessions.

Ripley said the main priorities of the organization's programs are public education, sustainable living and climate change.

"We're really proactive in climate change work, so right now one of our main goals is supporting Northwest Territories in planning for and preparing for climate change. So thinking about what changes communities are going to experience and how they can best prepare for that," she said.

One project starting up this summer is the Yellowknife Centralized Composting Pilot Project between the city and Ecology North. Ripley said the project came out of plan by two of the organization's volunteers.

The volunteers got funding from the GNWT Department of Environment and Natural Resources for a study into centralized composting options.

"That whole four-month project was done in really close cooperation with the staff at the city ... The city's put in some funding and they got some from the Green Municipalities Fund and they're going ahead with the project this summer," said Ripley.

The city has pledged $20,000 to Ecology North each year for the next three years.

Doug Ritchie said the money from the city is generous, but it's only about 10 per cent of the average $200,000 overall funding revenue the organization usually needs to survive each year.

"Essentially Ecology North, sort of all of its funding is project-based funding," he said.

Ritchie explained that the group usually has to apply and receive money on a project-by-project basis, from a variety of donors. This year they have funding from the TD Friends of the Environment Fund, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, the city and various other Yellowknife groups.

"Every year it's a zero-based exercise," said Ritchie. "It's always a question of 'do we have enough.'"