The Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA) is leading the way in climate action and energy efficiency through its Retrofit and Emissions Reductions Project. This initiative strengthens urban Indigenous communities by upgrading Friendship Centres with sustainable building retrofits, energy efficiency training, and Indigenous knowledge integration—creating healthier, more efficient spaces that serve thousands of people across Alberta.
Since 2021, ANFCA has collaborated with SAIT Green Building Technologies and four Friendship Centres—in St. Paul, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, and Grande Prairie—to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy performance, and lower operating costs. The project has already achieved a greenhouse gas reduction of 20 tonnes annually, with ANFCA as a whole cutting an additional 35 tonnes of emissions per year. These savings allow Friendship Centres to redirect resources to vital community services, including housing, food security, health, and employment programs.