What is the Data Quilt?

The BC First Nations Climate Action Data Quilt is a comprehensive database, mapping tool, and interactive platform that weaves together First Nations climate action initiatives in the land colonially known as British Columbia.

You can find the Data Quilt here.

The Quilt has been developed in a partnership between the West Coast Climate Action Network and Cree8iv Collaboration Inc., dba DEVA Training & Staffing Solutions, funded by a grant from the Glasswaters Foundation.

Over time, the Quilt will become more comprehensive. Its current coverage extends from the Heiltsuk First Nation’s community-wide heat pumps initiative to the Tŝilhqot’in National Government’s solar initiative, and 303 other projects. It includes First Nations projects for community energy planning, renewable energy initiatives that reduce the use of diesel fuel, political initiatives that oppose fossil fuel pipelines on unceded Indigenous territory, and sustainable housing initiatives.

As it grows, the Quilt will include additional data on renewable energy, sustainable housing, sustainable food and farming, sustainable forestry, climate adaptation, climate education, and resistance to fossil fuel projects that cross traditional Indigenous territories.

The Quilt has been compiled using publicly available information. We are in the process of confirming and expanding the data by contacting the various project owners. WE-CAN is committed to the First Nations Principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession), which state that First Nations should have ownership and control over the collection of data concerning their communities, and how that information is used. Our goal is ultimately to transfer the Data Quilt to First Nations ownership.

Who is WE-CAN?

The West Coast Climate Action Network is a growing network of 244 climate action groups and organizations which share a deep concern about the climate emergency, and the threat it poses to nature and humanity. Our purpose is to support, amplify and promote the work of our member organizations, which are working to remove the causes of the climate crisis, and support the solutions Earth needs. To contact WE-CAN about the Data Quilt, email katherine@westcoastclimateaction.ca 

Who are Cree8iv Collaboration Inc and DEVA?

Cree8iv Collaboration Inc. was founded by Sharon Marshall, a Cree/Métis entrepreneur who lives in Lantzville on the traditional lands of the Snaw’naw’as and Snuneymuxw First Nations on Vancouver Island. DEVA Training & Staffing Solutions is a social enterprise under the Cree8iv umbrella, founded by Sharon, to provide  temporary recruitment, digital literacy and virtual administrative training services for Indigenous women through a 20-week online training program. Jessica Jack, from the Okanagan Indian Band, works with DEVA to diligently verify the accuracy of the information, and to update the dashboard with new initiatives as they emerged. 

How Can I Add to the Data Quilt?

If your First Nation or Indigenous organization is engaged in a climate initiative in one or more of the categories listed above, and you would like to add some stitches to the Data Quilt, we would love to hear from you.

Please fill out this form or contact Sharon Marshall at sam@digitaldeva.org.