Partnering and collaborating with the National Pollutant Release Inventory

The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) team organizes a number of activities in collaboration with museums, government, industry, international organizations, academia, non-governmental organizations, and more. The activities are tailored to each group to promote a broader understanding of the NPRI and pollution tracking in Canada.

The NPRI team can:

• deliver information sessions
• offer mentoring opportunities to students
• host a booth or deliver presentations at events
• provide tailored products to help inform your visitors, clients or partners

The following are examples of activities that we have organized with various partners over the years.

Museums

The NPRI team collaborates with museums to raise awareness of the impacts of pollutants released into the air, water and land. Examples of activities include:

• Canada Agriculture and Food Museum
  • An educational activity kit for high school students that presents the impacts of land cultivation and livestock farming on the environment
  • An exhibition panel on tracking pollutants in Canada for the soil lab
  • Two articles published on Ingenium Channel focusing on the NPRI and pollution created through Canadian food production

Festivals

The NPRI team participates in a number of festivals that promote science to youth across Canada.

Examples of festivals include:

• Festival Eurêka! in Montréal: we hosted a booth with interactive activities to help youth learn about the sources and impacts of water and air pollution
• Various Canadian science fairs (for example, Expo-sciences): we formed part of a panel of judges to evaluate student science projects

Conferences

The NPRI team attends conferences and events to raise awareness and increase understanding of pollutant release data. Examples of conferences include:

• HEC Montreal’s Careers in Sustainable Development Conference: discussed possible uses of NPRI data and prospective careers in sustainable development within the federal public service
• The International Civil Aviation Organization Innovation Fair: discussed possible uses of the NPRI database to better understand pollutant releases in the aviation sector and possible applications for further in-depth sector analyses

Students

The NPRI team hosts a number of activities that target students of all ages in order to increase awareness of pollution and pollution prevention.

Each year, the NPRI team launches an Academic Challenge aimed at university, college and cégep students. With mentoring from Environment and Climate Change Canada staff, students are challenged to find innovative ways of using and analyzing NPRI data. Learn more or apply to participate in the Academic Challenge.

Indigenous peoples

The NPRI team aims to initiate discussions between those affected by pollution, researchers and policy-makers about the sources and impacts of pollution near Indigenous communities across Canada. With input from regional organizations, a series of interactive story maps were developed to examine facilities located near Indigenous communities in Québec and the pollutants they report to the NPRI.

International collaboration

The NPRI team plays a key role in advancing the development of Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) internationally, by participating in meetings and mentoring other countries to develop and implement their own PRTR. The team is an active participant in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Working Group on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers. The team also collaborates on a regular basis with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, which tracks and compares pollutant releases and transfers declared by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Consultations

The NPRI team consults with stakeholders regularly to continually improve information products and how they are communicated. The NPRI established a working group comprised of members of environmental non-governmental organizations and community groups, including Indigenous peoples. This engagement helps inform the NPRI’s communication for information products and build potential partnerships.

The NPRI organizes a biannual workshop for data users to better understand the challenges of compiling and disseminating data as well as identify possible ways of improving the program. Read about the latest consultations on the NPRI’s Consultation and engagement webpage.

Contact us

If you are interested in knowing more or want to collaborate with us for an outreach activity, please email us at inrp-npri@ec.gc.ca with your contact information and the type of activity you would like to organize.