| Montreal, 24/07/2002 – Promotion of solar coffee dryers in rural Mexico, wind power in Canada and energy efficiency in the United States will be supported by grants announced today by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America.
These projects are among sixteen community-based environmental grants awarded by the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation (NAFEC) to nongovernmental organizations in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Funds totaling US$400,000 were awarded in this latest round of grants. Nearly 200 organizations submitted proposals for community-based environmental projects.
The fund, which has made 176 grants totaling US$6.22 million, was created in October 1995 by the three North American environment ministers to support community-based projects that promote the goals and objectives of the CEC.
Grantees are chosen by a committee composed of six members, two from each country. Committee members look for projects that produce concrete results and ideally make the link between the community and the North American continent.
The CEC was established by Canada, Mexico and the United States to build cooperation among the NAFTA partners in implementing the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the environmental side accord to the NAFTA. The CEC addresses environmental issues of continental concern, with particular attention to the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by continent-wide free trade. The CEC is equally funded by the NAFTA partners and is based in Montreal, Canada.
For more information about NAFEC, please visit: http://www.cec.org/grants.
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