To encourage and facilitate communication and cooperation among member groups in order to advance their work to protect the Earth and to promote ecologically sound ways of life, and to strengthen the environmental movement in New Brunswick.


Who We Are

The New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN), established in 1991, is a communication network that links together over 110 non-profit environmental organizations.

The role of the NBEN is to improve communication and co-operation among environmental groups and between these groups, government and other sectors. The NBEN is not an advocacy group and does not take positions on any issue. Rather, the NBEN provides educational opportunities for its member and associate groups and encourages the growth of the environmental movement in New Brunswick.

The NBEN is governed by a Steering Committee that is elected by member groups, at the annual general meeting. The Steering Committee consists of eight representatives. Two representatives are chosen from each of the following groups: Youth, First Nations, Francophone and Anglophone.


Our Approach

The NBEN’s approach is that of catalyst, facilitator, and leader, providing:

  • Facilitation – Facilitation of consensus-based processes in which diverse partners are able to find common ground and work toward common goals.
  • Strategic advice – With its extensive experience in the environmental movement, the NBEN is provides input and advice to its partners and to assist its partners in the strategic directions of their initiatives.
  • Networking & communications services – The NBEN provides access to on-line tools and teleconferencing services.
  • Administrative support – The NBEN organizes and schedules meetings and teleconferences, develops outcome-oriented meeting agendas, synthesizes meetings and teleconferences through minutes or reports, maintains up-to-date participant lists including contact information, which is available in the Eco-Directory.
  • Engagement –The NBEN is always mindful of potential gaps in participants in any given initiative, and continually works broaden its reach and increase involvement.
  • Bilingualism – The NBEN provides all of its services in both official languages.
  • An in-depth reference library serving as an exclusive tool for all NBEN members and associate groups - groups can upload documents of interest for other members to enjoy!


Caucuses and Collaborative Efforts

The NBEN’s main communication and collaboration mechanisms include issue-based caucuses and collaborative efforts.

  • Caucuses facilitate communications among member groups and can provide relevant and expert input on specific environmental issues of importance to provincial policy-making and broader public education. Currently, the NBEN facilitates active caucuses on watersheds, herbicide spraying, modular nuclear reactors, and environmental rights.
  • Collaborative efforts are an innovative and unique model of collaboration developed by the NBEN over the last decade that provide an opportunity for agencies that share a common goal to advance the development of policy and programming that is relevant, broadly supported, and implemented on a cross-sectoral basis. The NBEN serves as secretariat for four active collaborative efforts on sustainability education, children’s environmental health, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity.

As a responsive and flexible organization, the NBEN initiates new caucuses and collaborative efforts and sunsets others depending on the changing needs of citizens’ environmental groups and other partners. The NBEN is always on the lookout for new partnerships and collaborations, and seeks new, improved, and innovative ways to facilitate communications among grassroots environmental groups and with other sectors.

 © 2018 NBEN / RENB