Sault website outlines green initiatives

A new web portal developed in Sault Ste. Marie outlines the initiatives the city is taking to become a greener community.

The Environmental Initiatives Map has been developed by the Community Geomatics Centre, which operates out of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre. It is available at maps.cityssm.on.ca or maps.cityssm.on.ca/Default.aspx.

The website is a highly detailed and interactive cloud-based platform supported by ESRI. The map highlights green projects and companies throughout Sault Ste. Marie, and is designed to serve as both an educational tool for students and sophisticated awareness-building tool for the community.

Information at the site includes a list of alternative energy sites and city environmental initiatives, which are broken down by project type, as well as energy-related companies and base maps. The map also features an interactive search tool and a section for green news.

The project was funded by the Municipal Environmental Initiatives (Green) Committee whose mandate is to reduce the city’s corporate carbon footprint.

“Building awareness of the tremendous energy projects in our region, and potential for future growth, is a vital component of the Smart Energy Strategy,” said Tom Vair, the innovation centre’s executive director, in a news release. “The Environmental Initiatives Map is an important new tool in our communications effort and we look forward to expanding this resource in the future.”