communityrenewal.ca/renouveaucommunautaire.

ca
Fossil-Fuel-Free Kristianstad
By Michael Lewis and Pat Conaty
n the ceuncll chan|ers el Krlstlanstaa, :eaen, ln
J))), the representatles el a unlue analanatlen
el a snall clt (pepulatlen ]],000) ana !5 near| tens
ana lllaes atherea te nake a nenenteus aeclslen:
the antea te nake Krlstlanstaa the llrst lessll-luel-lree
nunlclpallt ln the vestern erla.
:preaa eut eer an area el a|eut J,]00 suare
kllenetres ln seutheastern :eaen, thls rural alstrlct ls
hene te sene el the |est arlcultural lana ln Lurepe, a
leea-precessln lnaustr, ana the preauctlen centre ler
\|selut \eaka. tennlttln the scatterea pepulatlen el
77,000 te lessll-luel lreeaen as net senethln te |e
taken llhtl. \eertheless, ceuncll nen|ers ere
unanlneus, ana thelr \es ve tan attltuae, the stren
cennltnent ana lslen el the lecal eernnent stall,
ana a sstenatlc plannln ana cltlien-enaenent
precess ls nakln lt happen. !008, Krlstlanstaa
haa cut lts use el lessll luels ln hall.
l
Traffic in Kristianstad features the citys fleet of
biogas-burning buses and extensive use of
bicycles, thanks to bicycle lanes and pools.
Photocredit: BALTRIS, www.baltris.org
2012 mar 5 1
Je |e sure, the relen has shen slns el a
stren preressle streak slnce the nla-J)80s,
hen Krlstlanstaa Lner lta., a nunlclpall-
enea ener cenpan, |ean erkln te replace
ell lth |leluel (eea chlps). leluels hae alse
|een ke te the aeelepnent el a cen|lnea
peer ana heatln plant ln Krlstlanstaa. Majer
parts el the clt are serea | a alstrlct heatln
neterk, ana ne areas are centlnuall aaaea te
the ssten. Jhe |leluel-peerea heat ana peer
unlt \llerket, esta|llshea ln J))+ (see phete,
rlht), ls estlnatea te hae reaucea the
nunlclpallt`s enlsslens el car|en ale\lae |
J!0,000 tens ln the last J5 ears. Jhe eea
chlps cene lren nllls lthln a raalus el J00
kllenetres ana lren the aste el the lecal
haraeea lleerln lnaustr. \aaltlenall, te
lnpree sustalna|lllt ana ener preauctlen,
the nunlclpal aste cenpan, 8enhllnlnen
Krlstlanstaa, esta|llshea a |leas preauctlen
plant just eutslae ten ln J))7.
:lnce settln eut the lessll-luel-lree lslen ln
J))), Krlstlanstaa has steppea up lts lnestnent.
!008, 55 nllllen eures (a|eut t;o) nllllen)
haa |een lnestea er cennlttea, J] cane lren
:ealsh eernnent rants, ana the |alance
lren nunlclpall-enea cenpanles ana prlate
lnesters. Jhe ta|le at rlht shes the rane el
lnestnents |reuht lerara ln the llrst nlne
ears, ana lt lllustrates the rane el strateles
Krlstlanstaa ls enpleln te reallie lts lslen el
lessll-luel lreeaen.
\s a cenplenent te the cen|lnea heat
ana peer plant ln Krlstlanstaa, the lllae el
ljalklne eperates a alstrlct heatln plant usln
eea chlps. Jhe taret custeners are heusehelas.
lenass-luellea alstrlct heatln ls cheap ana
clean, |ut lt ls an ener ssten sulta|le enl te
aensel pepulatea areas. vhere sparser
pepulatlens nake alstrlct heatln lnelllclent,
eea pellets are the |est alternatle, ecenenlcall
ana enlrennentall. Jherelere, the nunlclpallt
has cenertea ++ ell-lea |ellers ln scheels ana
ether pu|llc |ullalns te |urn pellets. Jhls saes
],000 tens el car|en earl. ln J))8, nunlclpal
|ullalns rellea en lessll luels ler +8 ana en
|leluels ler !7 el thelr heat. !00! these
prepertlens haa shlltea te ) ana 78,
respectlel. \ rant preran les heusehelas
an lncentle te cenert lren ell te pellets.
Kristianstads Financial Resources and Partners
Financial source Budget % of total budget
Sum 54 757 895
Achieved Year Total Budget (Natl Govt)
In progress
Planned
Totals 54 757 895 6 992 163
Grants from the Swedish government 6 992 163 13%
Financed by investors 47 765 732 87%
Biogas for transport, new upgrading plant 2006 1 789 474 473 700
New boiler at the CHP plant in Kristianstad 2007 15 789 474 0
Extension of district heating system 2005-2008 4 315 789 647 400
Cycling, building infrastructure, and campaigning 2005-2008 421 053 0
Biogas for transport (cars, buses, and heavy vehicles) 1999-2008 878 947 357 000
Conversion of private houses to renewable energy sources 1999-2008 4 000 000 757 900
Climate information and mobility management 2005-2008 526 316 55 400
Insulation of private houses 2005-2008 1 136 842 352 600
Solar heating for private houses 2005-2008 547 368 168 400
Conversion of municipal buildings from electric heating 2005-2008 947 368 0
to biofuels
Biogas for transport (more filling stations) 2007-2008 1 105 263 331 579
New boiler at the district heating plant in hus 2007-2008 4 210 526 221 000
and new network in Tollarp
Extension of the biogas plant, Karpalund 2007-2008 1 542 105 230 500
New biogas plant, Nbbelv 2006- 2008 3 778 947 1 133 000
Biogas for transport (production on farms) 2005-2008 1 578 947 473 684
School buses running on biogas 2007-2008 505 263 0
Bioboiler in Nbbelv replaces 2000-ton gasol 2006-2008 8 947 368 1 790 000
Energy performance contracting for municipal buildings 2007-2008 2 736 842 0
(saves 30% energy)
2012 mar 5 2
// /s /a/e/es//a /a /aa4e/ a|e/|e/ a//|aa/ |e/a ea aaae/ /|/s /e/-//aa
4/s///c/ oaa/c//e///, caa/4 |ere /ee//:e4 sac| /e//4 //a/ess /aae/4s
|ecao/a /ass//-/ae/ //ee 0aa caa/4 /|/s |ere |eea eccao///s|e4 //
/e/ares/oea/ aes aa/ //eoe4 es e /a|//c aa4 ae/?
(photo) Of all Kristianstads investments, Allverket has generated the greatest carbon savings for
the municipality, some 75,000 tons within the first ten years. Photo: Stephen Salter PEng, Farallon Consultants Limited.
co-generation plant
leas ls anether ke secter, ana te
anaere|lc alester lacllltles are eperatln ln
the Krlstlanstaa relen. 0ne ls a nunlclpal
asteater treatnent plant. Jhe ether ls the
Karpaluna plant, |ullt ln J))7 | Krlstlanstaas
8enhllnlns \, the lecal nunlclpal aste
nanaenent cenpan, te sere prlnarll as a
treatnent plant ler aste lren the lecal leea
lnaustr. Jhls as the llrst te ce-alest nunlclpal
sella aste lren heusehelas (sertea lnte paper
|as) ana leea lnaustr aste teether lth larn
nanure ler ce-preauctlen el ener ana lertlllier.
\erae annual lnput te the Karpaluna alester ls
70,000 netrlc tens. Jhat lelas +0 laatt heurs
(0vh) el ener. \cceraln te Krlstlanstaas
8enhllnlns \, leeasteck lren the leea
lnaustr acceunts ler ]+ 0vh, heusehela aste
centrl|utes + 0vh, ana larn nanure lelas
! 0vh. 8euhl o],000 netrlc tens el alestate
ls preaucea each ear, the eulalent el a|eut
J,000 netrlc tens el artlllclal lertlllier. (\ete that
the aerae \nerlcan hene uses J0,000 klleatt
heurs el electrlclt per ear. 0ne laatt el
peer - J nllllen Kh - can suppert J00 henes.
Jhe +0 0vh preaucea | |leas, ll usea just ler
electrlclt, eula |e sulllclent te suppl eer
+,000 aerae l.:. henes.)
Jhe nunlclpallt ls alse erkln te lncrease
the use el |leas as a ehlcle luel, lth heuse-
helas, cenpanles, ana nunlclpal unlts as the
taret narket. ln aaaltlen te ce-eralnatln
prenetlen ana eaucatlen, the nunlclpallt has
ellerea a rant ler up te 50 el the e\tra cest te
purchase |leas-luelea |uses. \s a result, ]5
|uses ana !50 ether nunlclpal ehlcles eperate
en |leas. \aaltlenal capaclt ler preaucln
|leas ehlcle luel as lnstallea ln !00o. Jhls
has ralsea lecal preauctlen te J0,000 lltres a
aa, annual preauctlen te + nllllen lltres, ana
has reaucea car|en enlsslens | an aaaltlenal
JJ,000 tens. \ recent assessnent repert
prejects that | !0J8, 800 |uses lll |e luelea
| |leas ln the relen.
Jhls car|en |enellt ls een |ler hen
ene censlaers here the leeasteck ler the
|leas rellner: o0 ls aste lren the
\part lren lntreaucln |leas as a luel, the
nunlclpallt ls lereusl erkln te chane
transpertatlen |ehaleur. :lnce there lll net |e
eneuh renea|le luel te llll teaa`s neea, the
nun|er el jeurnes naae | car nust aecrease.
Jhe nunlclpallt therelere runs seeral ne|lllt
nanaenent prejects. ler e\anple, Lurepean
Me|lllt veek alstrl|utes lnlernatlen a|eut car
peelln ana car sharln, ana enceuraes peeple
te take a |us er |lccle te erk.
eena these lnltlatles, lna peer ls
plaln an lncreasln rele. 0eneratln capaclt
Food
Farm
Fertilizer
Biogas
Organic wastes
arlcultural lnaustr, lnclualn a|attelrs ana
eeta|le aste, lth heusehela aste (o) ana
larn nanure (]+) nakln up the |alance.
Much el thls aste strean, alen lth the aste
ater ana the lanallll nentlenea earller, eula
etherlse |e naturall enlttln nethane, a
reenheuse as !J tlnes nere peerlul than
car|en. (:ee alaran |ele, at rlht.)
ten|lnea alstrlct heatln, snall-scale heatln,
ana |leas ler transpert lela an annual alrect
car|en reauctlen el a|eut J+0,000 tens.
currentl preauces a|eut o5 0vh el electrlclt
per ear. Jhe reth ln lecal electrlclt
preauctlen represents sulllclent electrlclt ler
o,500 aerae \nerlcan henes. Jhls lna
prelslen as put ln place ln !008.
Krlstlanstaa`s cennltnent te renea|le
ener ls just ettln startea. Jhe current
e|jectle ls te ceer the entlre annual electrlcal
aenana el the alstrlct nunlclpallt usln lecal
seurces. \nether 500 0vuh/ear el enshere
lna peer ls currentl ln precess, ana 500 0vh
2012 mar 5 3
w|ea // caoes /a eae/, /aaare//aa ///ce oe//e/s ///ce oe//e/s ///ce
oe//e/s` 6are/aoea/s |ere /a s|aa /ee4e/s|// ea4 s|e/e /|e oe/|e/ |,
se///a c/ee/ ///ces /a/ ce/|aa ea4 es/e|//s|/a e /ea/e/a/, //eoeaa/|
/|e/ a/// /re ae/raas /ares/a/s /|e //|/ /acea//res /a /ares/
(left) ajor parts of
Kristianstad with district heating (red pipes)
and cooling (blue pipes) from the burning of
wood chips. Diagram courtesy of Aberdeen
Heat & Power Company, Scotland.
Allverket serves m
(right) Karpalund co-digests
manure, food industry waste,
and organic household waste to
produce biogas for vehicle fuel
and district heating. Credit:
Municipality of Kristianstad.
District Heating
Biogas
nere ls slatea ler aeelepnent lren luture ellshere
lna peer. \na the sun has net |een leretten.
\ltheuh selar ls net et a najer strate, a pllet
lnstallatlen ls currentl preaucln JJ Mvh/r. \aaln
up the nun|ers lelas an lnpressle J,Jo0 0vh
lren renea|le seurces, eneuh te suppl ener ler
JJo,000 tplcal ]-|eareen henes - an anailn
result hen ene censlaers the tetal pepulatlen el
the alstrlct ls enl 77,000. (:ee alaran, a|ee.)
Je aate there has |een ne ealuatlen el the
lnpact el these nultlple lnltlatles en the nunlclpal
ecenen. ueeer, lennart Lrlers, the nanaer el
lessll-luel-lree Krlstlanstaa, netes that a let el
nene has |een saea at the heusehela ana
nunlclpal leels | cenertln lren ell te |leener.
Mereeer, the cenerslen lren ell te alstrlct heatln
er te eeachlp heatln has a er shert pa|ack
perlea. ln centrast, lna ana selar lll llkel |e
nere e\pensle ln the shert tern, unless, as Jhenas
lrleanan aenanas, e start te prlce harecar|ens
ln acceraance lth thelr true cest te all el us ana
the ecesstens e aepena en. ll ana hen that
happens, Krlstlanstaa lll |e ell aheaa en the
transltlen cure ana nakln nene. lnaeea, len
the nunlclpallt`s current plans, lt lll seen |e
e\pertln clean ener te aajacent relens.
ln Krlstlanstaa, the nunlclpal eernnent has |een
the ke aent el chane.
lt junp-startea ana sustalnea the lnestnent el
tlne, talent, ana reseurces.
lt plaea ke plannln, ce-eralnatln, eerslht,
ana llnancln reles.
*
Reflections on Resilience

lt usea lts enershlp el te le-car|en ener

cerperatlens er stratelcall: ene lecussea en
aste, the ether erkln te aeelep renea|le
ener preauctlen. Jhelr enershlp ena|lea
Krlstlanstaa |eth te alrect lnestnent ana te
capture cashlle ler centlnueus relnestnent
ln the renea|le ener strate.
lt leeraea natlenal ana lecal prerans ana
lnestnent reseurces te create a |lena el
alllerent klnas el nene tallerea te speclllc
e|jectles.
lt has |ullt lts strateles |asea en a cenpre-
hensle, len-tern perspectle.
lt neasures ana reperts en eutcenes ler
car|en reauctlen, ener elllclenc, ener
preauctlen, ana cest salns.
\ lae rane el partnershlps has |een createa
ana lelaea te e\tena capaclt ana |reaaen
partlclpatlen.
\eta|l, all the alerenentlenea lacters are true
ler anether leaaer ln ener lnneatlen: Klrklees,
Lnlana. :tartln ln !000, lts Metrepelltan teuncll
actea en lncentles lren the Lurepean lnlen te
nake aranatlc preress ln lecal ener elllclenc.
lt lncerperatea a seclal enterprlse, Klrklees Lner
:erlces (KL:), te hanale sene el the plannln
ana all the aeller lunctlens. KL: has lnteratea
an arra el partners ana teels (crealt, aalce,
lncentles, re|ates) te secure the partlclpatlen
el ast nun|ers el le- ana nlaale-lncene
heusehelaers, lnpree ener elllclenc ln thelr
henes, arle aen car|en enlsslens, ana create
lecal je|s. (:ee
, , Ma !0, !0JJ.)
eth Klrklees ana Krlstlanstaa are slnlllcantl
centrl|utln te the reslllence el thelr respectle
cennunltles ln seeral as. (:ee slae|ar, ne\t
pae, Jhe 7 lrlnclples el 8eslllence.) Jhe
alerslt ana neaularlt el thelr ener sstens are
raalcall enhancea at the heusehela, cennunlt,
ana su|relenal leels. Jhelr lnestnent eutcenes,
ln terns el car|en enlsslens, ener salns,
ener preauctlen, ana ecenenlc ellects, are alrect
ana anple elaence el sherter leea|ack leeps at
erk. Jhere ls a alstlnct sense that cltliens,
eranliatlens, ana lnstltutlens are en|arkea en a
learnln precess that ls steaall enhancln thelr
capaclt te |eth act ana aaapt, ln shert, seclal
capltal ls |eln strenthenea. Jhe lnneatlen ana
L
Klrklees, lK: \n area-|asea
appreach te ener elllclenc, heusln alleraa|lllt,
ana je|s
Kristianstad Renewable Electricity (GWh/year)
Hydro power Combined heat & power Windpower
1
9
9
4
1
9
9
6
1
9
9
8
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
4
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
8
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Rsum : Kristianstad exempt
de combustible fossile
La ville de Kristianstad (population de
77 000) dans le sud-est de la Sude, est
le berceau dindustries agricoles et de
transformation alimentaire vivantes ainsi
que dAbsolut Vodka. Ctait aussi la
premire municipalit du monde
occidental dcider dliminer son
utilisation de combustibles fossiles.
C'tait en 1999. En 2008, Kristianstad
avait coup son utilisation de combus-
tibles fossiles de moiti. Comment fait-
elle pour saffranchir des combustibles
fossiles?
Mme si le secteur priv et le
gouvernement national ont t
importants au succs de Kristianstad
jusqu prsent, la municipalit a t le
principal agent de changement. Elle fut le
catalyseur pour linvestissement en
temps, en talents et en ressources.
Kristianstad Energy Ltd., une compagnie
appartenue par la municipalit travaille
depuis les annes 1980 pour que le
biocombustible et non le ptrole soit la
source locale de chaleur et dnergie. Un
deuxime actif municipal, Renhllningen
Kristianstad, produit du biogaz partir de
dchets organiques industriels et
mnagers depuis 1997. La municipalit a
aussi investi dans lnergie olienne et
solaire afin dun jour rpondre
compltement la demande locale
dlectricit partir de sources
renouvelables. Dans le cadre de
stratgies globales long terme, la
municipalit a intgr des fonds
nationaux et locaux dans ses initiatives.
Elle suit de prs leur impact sur la
production dnergie, les missions et les
conomies. Elle utilise des partenariats
pour accrotre la capacit locale
impliquer lensemble de la population.
Tout comme Kirklees au R.-U. avec
ses programmes defficacit nergtique,
Kristianstad donne des exemples de
presque tous les sept principes de
rsilience en action : diversit,
modularit et une mesure de redondance
( chevauchement ) pour se dfendre
contre les chocs au systme dans son
ensemble; des boucles de rtroactions
serres; et un accent important sur le
capital social, linnovation et la valeur
marchande de tous les services que
lcosystme fournit gratuitement.
*
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why we need a green revolution and
how it can renew America (New York: Picador), p. 302.
2012 mar 5 4
e\perlnentatlen unaertaken ln each settln
hae lea the enaenent, learnln, ana
capaclt el the nultl-stakehelaer ana cress-
secter partnershlps hlch hae |een ltal te the
success te aate. 0ne ets a stren sense el the
seclal sellaarlt ecenen at erk.
0utstanaln ln Krlstlanstaa`s case hae
|een the achleenents hlch lle lren the
nunlclpallt`s capture el ecenenlc ana
llnanclal |enellts. lt ls lnterestln te penaer
hether, ltheut |eln an ener, thls lar-llun
alstrlct nunlclpallt ceula hae realliea such
rapla preress tearas |ecenln lessll-luel
lree. ue ceula thls hae |een accenpllshea ll
relnestnent as net lranea as a pu|llc eea
eal? Jhe slnple truth ls that the prlate
|uslness secter ceula net ana eula net
unaertake such a len-tern precess unless
prelaea lth uarantees. \er ls lt llkel that
secter eula hae relnestea centlnueusl.
\s lrleanan sas, hen lt cenes te ener
lnneatlen, prlce natters, prlce natters, prlce
The 7 Principles of Resilience
Diversity
Modularity
Social Capital
Innovation
:
. Diversity is a major source of
future options and thus of a systems capacity to respond to change and
disturbance in different ways. Resilient systems would celebrate and
encourage diversity. They would both offset and complement the current
trend toward homogenizing the world. They would encourage multiple
uses of land and other resources.
:
In resilient systems, everything is not
necessarily connected to everything else. Overly
connected systems are susceptible to shocks that are
rapidly transmitted throughout the system. (The
recent global financial crisis is an excellent example.)
The modularity of a resilient system enables it to
mitigate or absorb the repercussions of disaster.
:
The
resilience of social-ecological systems is rooted in the
capacity of people to respond effectively to challenges
together, not singly. In other words, trust, strong networks,
and leadership are critically important.
:
Resisting
change is counterproductive in a resilient system. Instead, by offering help to
those who are willing to change, the system fosters innovation. When events
begin to erode rigid connections and behaviours, innovation opens up new
opportunities and resources for creative adaptation.
A resilient world would promote and sustain diversity in all forms
(biological, landscape, social, and economic)
A resilient world would be made up of
components that can operate and be modified indepen-
dently of the rest.
A resilient world would promote trust,
well-developed social networks, and leadership.
A resilient world would place an emphasis on learning,
experimentation, locally developed rules, and embracing change.
natters. 0eernnents hae te she leaaershlp
ana shape the narket | settln clear prlces ler
car|en ana esta|llshln a reulater lraneerk
that lll le nereus lnesters, lecussea en
llnanclal return, the rlht lncentles te lnest.
ln the a|sence el a nuch hlher ana
censlstent prlce, prlate lnestnent lll renaln
nutea. ln the neantlne, ln the case el
Krlstlanstaa, lt ls the nunlclpallt`s enershlp el
the neans el preauctlen hlch has |een central te
lnplenentln sstenatlc ana prellta|le |uslness
strateles ana te centlnueusl relnestln ln the
lnterests el cltliens. Jhe nunlclpallt ls nakln
nene, reaucln car|en, ana raalcall lncreasln
the reslllence, the ecelelcal health, ana the
ener sell-rellance el the relen.
MICHAEL LEWIS is editor of , Executive Director of the
Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, a founding
member of the Canadian CED Network, and lead investigator
for the BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA).
Contact him at ccelewis@xplornet.com.
i4
PAT CONATY is a
research fellow at the New Economics Foundation and a
research associate with Co-operatives UK. Reach him at
pat.commonfutures@phonecoop.coop.
/
+
/
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is an ejournal about Inspiring, Innovating, Inciting,
and Inventing ways of life and work that permit
humanity and the planet to thrive in this century of
unprecedented challenges. is a publication of the
Canadian Centre for Community Renewal.
Fossil-Fuel-Free Kristianstad and Kirklees,
UK are excerpts fromThe Resilience
Imperative: Co-operative Transitions to a
Steady-State Economy
Click here to pre-order!
, by Michael Lewis and
Pat Conaty (forthcoming, New Society
Books, 2012). It explains how we can power
down our economies to a more local and sustainable level
and thereby meet the challenges of climate change and
rising energy prices.
Overlap
Tight Feedback Loops
Ecosystem Services
:
Redundancy in institutions increases the diversity of
responses possible in the face of disturbance and crisis. As a result, overall flexibility
and the effectiveness of adaptation increase. By contrast, top-down, centralized,
efficient structures with no redundancy tend to fail when faced with
change outside the scope of their mandate. In short, messy is better
than streamlined. Similarly, exclusive private property rights are
at the heart of many strategies of resource use. Resilience
increases when wider access and a mix of common and
private property rights compromise this exclusivity.
:
. Feedback loops
refer to the communication flow within a system.
Information about the impact of a particular process or
event is returned to the system to enable it to correct
itself next time. Resilience in a social-ecological system is
characterized by focussed effort to maintain, or tighten, the
strength of feedbacks. They allow us to detect thresholds
before we cross them.
:
The market economy does not price services emanating from the earth and its
ecosystems (e.g., pollination, water purification, nutrient cycling). These ecosystems
are therefore not valued within the narrow cost-benefit analysis characteristic of
resource development. Such pricing is critical in order to estimate cumulative impacts
on different scales and time horizons, and to assess the effect which a development
will have on the integrity of ecosystem services.
A resilient world would have institutions whose governing structures include
redundancy. It would also have a mix of overlapping common and private property
rights, increasing access to land.
A resilient world would possess
tight feedback loops (but not too tight)
A resilient world would consider and assess all
the ecosystem services which the market economy currently disregards.
2012 mar 5 5
B.C.-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance
BALTA
Fossil-Fuel-Free Kristianstad is sponsored by the
Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships (CSERP),
to celebrate its 6-year contribution (2005-11) to our
understanding of the importance of Canadas social
economy to the resolution of fundamental social and
economic issues. This article also drew generous
assistance from the BC-Alberta Social Economy Research
Alliance (BALTA). Both research partnerships gratefully
acknowledge the financial support of the Social Sciences
and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).