Stoney Nakoda AV Club promotes electric vehicles with short video
“We always used to ride zero emission… with electric vehicles, we still can.” This text, accompanied by horses running on Stoney Nakoda land, is part of a recent film produced by the Stoney Nakoda Audio Visual Club for the Biosphere Institute’s ZEV project. Zero emission vehicles, or ZEVs, are vehicles that don’t produce tailpipe emissions, including full battery electric vehicles.
The Stoney Nakoda AV Club started as an after-school program for youth. The group’s first film was a zombie movie whose popularity attracted many others to the club. Now, the Club boasts 57 active members and over 180 members overall, who have produced over 100 short films, some of which are viewable on their Vimeo channel.
For this ZEV video, filmmakers Kelsey Two Young Men, Kes Lefthand, and Aiden Powderface used their expertise in story development, filming, and editing to craft a story. The team works well together because each member brings different skills. “We’re each unique; it looks like a jumbled mess, the way we work together, but it comes out smooth and in order,” says Two Young Men, about their working process. “The editing portion is what I love to do,” says Lefthand, “watching the story unfold as I’m making it.”
The video shows that the benefits of electric vehicles go beyond reducing carbon emissions: they are quiet, use at-home charging, and eliminate the need to buy expensive gas. “I liked how smooth the driving was, even on the gravel road,” Powderface notes.
The filmmakers note that driving electric vehicles is different and requires a careful eye on the level of charge, and there is still progress to be made in affordability, vehicle availability, and charging infrastructure on the Reserve. Still, they hope that one day these “greener war ponies” will be the vehicles of choice on Stoney Nakoda lands and beyond.
Natural Resources Canada and the Town of Canmore provided financial support for this project. A special thanks to Benjamin Paradis and Go Electric YYC for providing vehicles for filming.
Local events
April 9 - 16: Virtual Bear Week, WildSmart
April 11, 12:00-1:15pm - Building for electric vehicles in the Bow Valley, Biosphere Institute & BOWDA, virtual presentation & Q&A, Zoom, Free
April 20, 6:30-7:30pm: Solar and electric vehicles: A match made in heaven, Biosphere Institute, Webinar, Free
April 23, 2:00-3:00pm: Nature+Climate+Community Series: Connecting our ecosystems, Canmore Museum, Free
April 27, 6:00-7:00pm: The Yellowstone to Yukon Vision: It's big. It's bold. But is it working? Y2Y, National Museum of Wildlife Art, and Whyte Museum; Zoom, Free
May 4, 6:30-7:30: The future is electric: The EV industry in Canada and beyond, Biosphere Institute, Webinar, Free
May 28, 10:00-4:00pm: Save the date for our Electric Vehicle Expo!
June 25, 12-5pm: Save the date for Canmore's first Eco Solar Home Tour!
climate in the news
"Ice shelf collapse in East Antarctica" - via Earth Observatory NASA
"The small mountain town of Canmore is booming. But can large numbers of humans and wildlife coexist?" - via Globe and Mail
"Canada may have hit its long-awaited electric vehicle turning point" - via CBC
are you thinking of purchasing an electric vehicle?
Electric vehicles are part of our future here in the Bow Valley. The Biosphere Institute has prepared a webpage full of resources and information about the benefits of electric vehicles (for you and the planet!).
Check out the page here to learn more.
feature podcast
The Calgary Climate Hub runs a web series called A Climate of Change. The series takes a deep dive into taking climate action and talks to Canadian leaders and people making a difference at the local level. To view past episodes and RSVP to upcoming episodes, check out their page here: https://www.calgaryclimatehub.ca/a_climate_of_change
job alert
The Town of Banff is hiring an Environmental Intern to support Banff's 'Zero Waste Trail' campaign and other initiatives. For more details and to apply, click here.
Interested in doing more? Check out:
Town of Canmore's Environmental Sustainability Action Plan
Town of Canmore's Climate Action Plan
Town of Banff's Environmental Master Plan
Lead the way: become a Zero Waste Trailblazer
Or save money with Banff's Environmental Rebates!
