The Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) is an umbrella organization representing immigrant-serving agencies and organizations that work with newcomers across the province.

For this project, AAISA formed a partnership with Empower Me Alberta to address the gap for newcomers in energy conservation education, specifically targeting the South Asian community in the Edmonton Area.

In addition to its unique community-oriented focus, the core benefits of this program are

(1) a proven approach to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in underserved communities and,

(2) in-language, community specific education and awareness on how to reduce residential energy consumption.

This project delivered important energy conservation and climate change messaging to South Asian newcomers to Edmonton, who to date have not been receiving this information. While this information is widely available, it is most often in English and through mainstream media. As members of this demographic consume media outside of the mainstream channels, communication and delivery must be specific, trusted, familiar, and targeted.

With the support of the EcoCity Edmonton grant, this project overcame trust and language barriers by connecting to the community through community presentations, workshops, and individual home visits. Experience has demonstrated that the project’s unique, community-based approach ensured it becomes embedded in Edmonton’s South Asian Community. The community adopted the program, treating it as their own and ensured the messaging is passed on to their members.