Small Business Support

Did you know that the wasted wood from a single logging slash pile could be converted to the energy needed to run 15 homes for a year?

Have you ever considered what "food sovereignty" means, and what it would take to get there? Do you look at the state of housing and wonder how we can build safe, efficient, culturally-appropriate homes in the North? Could you imagine any of this contributing to building a resilient local economy, an invested, connected and engaged community, or a truly protected watershed?

Skeena Energy Solutions is a grass-roots initiative aimed at supporting Northern communities’ exploration of Energy, Food and Shelter security. What if we could generate those three essentials right here at home, in our own region, communities, or back yards?

SES was launched in 2013 as a result of several proposals for gas and oil pipelines that would put our wild salmon economy at risk. SWCC was opposing bad development, but we wanted to go further. We wanted to propose good development: projects and initiatives in our region that meet a triple bottom line of economic viability, social justice and environmental responsibility. We don’t just want jobs in our region; we want meaningful work built off a foundation of our shared values.

We have done feasibility studies on biomass heating and power generation, we have tested and workshopped solar PV for residential rooftops, and researched plastic-to-oil conversion to see if any of these are good fits for our community. We also supported the building of two community greenhouses in our area, and in 2018 partnered with Gitwangak Hereditary Chiefs to develop a 2 acre community market garden. We are now engaging and partnering with other groups and non-profits who align with our Northern needs and values to adapt and test more solutions that we want to develop here.