Manitoba Eco-Network

The Manitoba Eco Network is an environmental non governmental organization (ENGO) and registered charity located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is a regional affiliate of the Canadian Environmental Network, based in Ottawa, Ontario. The Manitoba Eco Network is a network for approximately 50 ENGOs throughout the province. The stated goal of the Manitoba Eco Network is to "promote positive environmental action by connecting people and groups in our communities." In practice, it attempts to achieve this goal by providing services to its member groups and the public indirectly through its varied projects. The Manitoba Eco Network does not lobby and is non partisan; however, some of its member groups are partisan organizations and may lobby government or participate in government consultations. The Steering Committee of the organization is elected at the Annual General Meeting and is composed of representatives of member groups and one or two individual members. Funding is provided by the Government of Manitoba, the Government of Canada, various foundations and granting agencies, membership fees, donations, and through fundraising events. In 2019, cuts to Manitoba's environmental programming budgets threatened the organization's future.

The Alice Chambers Memorial Library is a public library of environmental information. It contains several thousand items, including books, journals, DVDs, and periodicals. In addition, the library is a public registry for development proposals in the Province of Manitoba. The Eco Network has also partnered with another library in Manitoba (Ducks Unlimited) to offer an inter library loan program. At that time, it was a partnership between several environmental NGOs attempting to educate the public about the effects of environmental issues on the health of children. It was then called "The Children's Environmental Health Project".

Climate Change Connection is an initiative to provide public education and outreach to Manitobans about [Climate Change]. This organization takes the position that man made climate change is occurring. The organization was "started in January 2002 as part of Canada's effort to meet our Kyoto Protocol objectives." Climate Change Connection is partially funded by The Province of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro, which is the main Manitoban electricity utility.

The ecoDriver Manitoba program is the result of a partnership between Resource Conservation Manitoba and the Manitoba Eco Network. According to the ecoDriver website, it is "a public outreach and education program aimed at helping Manitoba drivers save money by reducing their fuel consumption and at the same time decrease CO2 emissions." It was established in 2009 in a partnership with Manitoba Public Insurance and The Centre for Sustainable Transportation.

The Manitoba Eco Network publishes the Eco Journal five times per year, which features articles about Manitoba's environmental issues. It serves to provide a platform for individuals and groups to reach out to the community and share issues that may not be frequently covered in mainstream local press. This also provides an educational service to the community. The Eco Journal is published both in printed form (on post consumer recycled paper) and online. A voluntary subscription fee of $30 is charged, which also includes an individual membership. The GIS/Mapping Centre specializes in Graphical Information Systems (GIS), and has produced several interactive online maps (and printed maps) for public use. The Winnipeg Green Map was produced to help the public identify environmental businesses, transportation methods, projects, and initiatives in their communities. It is available online and is built on a platform using Google Maps. The Spence Neighbourhood Green Map is a more detailed version of the Winnipeg Green Map, focusing solely on the Spence Neighbourhood region of Winnipeg. The Manigotagan River Map was produced to encourage use of Manitoba's natural Manigotagan River for recreational purposes such as canoeing, and to promote the river's preservation. This map is unique and gives a lot of details for each rapid. An online map also provides many more photos and more information.

In October 2007, The Manitoba Eco Network held an environmentally themed youth forum called Greenspace with the intention of stirring more youth involvement in the organization. There was a strong response, and several participants requested that a support group should be formed. In response, The Manitoba Eco Network launched a new website and project called The Manitoba Environmental Youth Network. To better engage the younger demographic which the network aims to support, the website was built in the form of a self contained [social network] on the Ning platform.

The Manitoba Eco Network's Water Caucus is intended to support other environmental organizations in Manitoba with interests in water issues. It plays a similar role with water themed environmental organizations to the role the Manitoba Eco Network plays with all environmental organizations, in the sense that it is a non advocacy group, but some of the groups it supports do have advocacy or partisan components. As part of its services, the Water Caucus provides an information directory on water issues to the public and a series of informative publications.