The Climate & Local Energy Action Network Lab is a research group led by Dr. Chad Walker at Dalhousie University's School of Planning. Read more about Staff and Students below. For more information about research opportunities, please visit 'Grad student opportunities'. 

What fuels you? For me, it is a natural curiosity about our planet and how it responds to change. My interests revolve around renewable energy, environmental health and justice, remote sensing, and GIS techniques. My goal is to advance the field of environmental research and improve community well-being through impactful and interdisciplinary work. Originally from Ghana, I am thrilled to have been accepted into Dalhousie University's School of Planning with Dr. Chad Walker and the Climate and Local Energy Action Network Lab (CLEAN Lab), where I plan to further explore these interests and make a meaningful contribution to the field.

Project: [Em]powering Communities: An Analysis of Particpation, Inclusivity, Equity and Support for Solar Energy in Halifax

Hello, my name is Myah (She/Her), a Master of Planning student at Dalhousie University. My passion lies in justice, equity, sustainability, and climate change resilience. I am focused on building a career as a professional planner within the renewable energy sector and assisting Canada’s renewable energy transition. Currently, I am working as a research assistant in the CLEAN Lab, assessing levels of participation and equity within Halifax's solar energy transition. Our team is working to identify pathways toward a Just solar energy transition for Halifax and beyond.

Project: [Em]powering Communities: An Analysis of Particpation, Inclusivity, Equity and Support for Solar Energy in Halifax

My name is Alitta Patles. I graduated with a double major in anthropology and history from Cape Breton University and I am currently studying for my Master of Planning Studies at Dalhousie University with Dr. Chad Walker. I live in Eskasoni and I am a Mi’kmaw. Currently, I work at the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) as a Research Liaison Coordinator. In my work at Dalhousie and the Sharing Our Knowledge project, I really want to focus on the aquatics and to bring in Netukulimk and Etuaptmumk into the research. These Mi’kmaw cultural concepts are related to sustainability and practicing a reciprocal relationship with the environment. L’Nuey defines Netukulimk as “the use of the natural resources provided by the Creator. It encompasses Mi’kmaq sovereign law and guides individual and collective beliefs and behaviours in resource protection, procurement, and management to ensure sustainability and prosperity for future generations” and Etuaptmumk or Two-Eyed Seeing is defined as “learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing - and seeing from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing”.

Project: Sharing Our Knowledge: Incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems to built governance for climate resilienccy