HOPA Ports helps tenants reduce emissions with Environmental Fund

Dayna, North End Resident and Reader

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Kristina Santone

“Being a part of the North End Breezes board for the past two years has been a privilege. The team does amazing work within the community and serves as a resource hub for all. They are committed, and most importantly, passionate about preserving the North End’s legacy, while also continuing to foster its growth. Whether you are new to the area, or a longtime resident, I encourage you to volunteer with the Breezes in some capacity if you’re able. This team is small but mighty and they are always looking for more support. I’m grateful for the relationships and community I’ve been able to build while serving on the board.

I’ll be joining Welcome Inn as the Executive Director and look forward to taking on a new role in the North End Community while staying connected to The Breezes. “

Federal Marine Terminal (FMT) employees at the Port of Hamilton are zipping around in small but mighty four-wheel electric utility vehicles.

“The green initiative program from HOPA allowed us to accelerate the deployment of this solution”, said Mathieu Lacombe, FMT Reliability Engineer. “We purchased six vehicles and forecasted a 15 to 25 MT CO2 emission reduction and approximately $20,000 (CAD) savings in fuel and maintenance costs.”

These “electric people movers” are part of a larger initiative at Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority to encourage responsible environmental stewardship among the entire port community.

“Every year, HOPA Ports allocates a quarter of a million dollars for innovative initiatives that are brought forward by our tenants that help them reduce their environmental footprint,” said Larissa Fenn, VP of Corporate Affairs at HOPA Ports. “Other examples of port tenants leveraging this program include waste heat reduction at Collective Arts, dust suppression at QSL and additional people movers at Heddle Marine. All of these are great uses of this program and examples of how it’s making an impact across the port lands.”

The Environmental Fund was created in 2022, awarding a maximum of $50,000 per project. Tenants are required to submit an application that is judged by a cross disciplinary team. The fund supports projects that go above and beyond what is required by regulation.

“FMT and HOPA are partners in many endeavours, with environmental protection at the top of the list”, said Kristina Ernst, General Manager at FMT Hamilton. “We purchased the EVs as a trial in hopes of taking our green initiatives to the next level for our staff and community.”

“It’s really important to HOPA that our neighbours are proud to live in a port city,” said Fenn. “Part of that is having the confidence that the port authority is taking care of the air, water and land that make up the port lands.”