January 2023

Membership Renewal Time

Please take a moment to sign up as a member for 2023. There is no cost and having lots of members gives us more clout when we are advocating for better climate policies or applying for funding. To renew your membership, simply click here to access the form.  If you do wish to chip in towards our operating costs for the year (website hosting, business cards, etc), we would gratefully accept donations by e-transfer to nanaimoclimateaction@gmail.com.

Annual General Meeting -- January 28

Please save the date for our in-person AGM and winter social on Saturday, January 28th at 5 pm at Pacific Gardens Co-Housing. A brief meeting will be followed by food, fun and musical entertainment by Tony Turner! Please bring a finger food dish to share. Please let us know if you will be attending by emailing nanaimoclimateaction@gmail.com.

Huge March and Rally for Old Growth Trees -- February 25

We're gearing up to have a strong presence from Nanaimo at the Rally for Old Growth, being spearheaded by Elders for Ancient Trees. This promises to be a huge gathering to put pressure on the BC government to protect old-growth forests and honour support for Indigenous Protected and Conserved areas. Please reply to let us know if you're planning on going, so we can coordinate travel and meet up at the rally. (Image: Elders for Ancient Trees)

Congratulations City of Nanaimo!

The Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) has released its 2022 “A List” of cities and Nanaimo is on that list, along with 121 other local governments from around the globe. Selected from over 1000 cities who disclosed information, A List cities demonstrate best practice standards in adaptation and mitigation to climate change, set ambitious but realistic goals and make progress towards achieving those goals. Local governments in these cities demonstrate bold leadership on environmental action and transparency, despite the pressures of challenging global economics.

CDP is a non-profit international organization, which runs the world’s leading climate reporting platform and progress accountability system, designed to encourage cities to ramp up their climate action. Achieving sustainability requires measuring, monitoring and managing your impact on the environment. “You cannot manage what you don’t measure.” 

Circular Economy Accelerator Program is at work in Nanaimo

The Circular Economy Accelerator Program  is an initiative of Vancouver Island Coast Economic Developers Association (VICEDA) and Synergy Foundation that aims to provide hands-on support for businesses who seek to adopt circular economy principles, reduce waste and emissions, and develop innovative practices.

This program assists businesses in identifying cost savings and value-added opportunities so that they emerge as sustainability leaders. It includes on-site assessments with a circular advisor and customized reporting about reducing waste, emissions, and energy consumption, as well as industry-specific workshops to explore circular best practices.

The Accelerator program is the first of its kind in Canada, and six of the twenty participants are in Nanaimo. City of Nanaimo Economic Development Officer, Amrit Manhas, is the coordinator of the program. She looks forward to its completion in the summer, when she will introduce these businesses that are leaders in the green economy, paving the way to a prosperous, sustainable, and resilient future for our community.

Petition To Stop Coastal GasLink Pipeline

The Greater Victoria Climate Hub and Decolonial Solidarity in allyship with Gidimt'en Checkpoint are hosting a campaign in opposition to the GasLink Pipeline, which is planned to pass through Wet'suwet'en territory and deliver 5 billion cubic feet of LNG (liquified natural gas) per day.

They are seeking signatures on their petition asking the government to immediately halt all CGL construction and engage in government to government negotiations. They are also calling for removal of the RCMP from unceded territory and an end the stalking, surveilling, and harassment tactics of the Wet’suwet’en people.

For more information and to sign the petition, please click here.

Another New Partner: Fridays for Future Qualicum

Fridays for Future Qualicum is a grassroots group and a local branch of the worldwide network of Fridays for Future International. Our main project is the ongoing "Climate Fridays," which consists of strikes every Friday from 8:30 to 3:00 at the Qualicum Beach Municipal Town Hall, where we work to educate our community and engage in meaningful conversations about climate change.

We are involved in several other projects, including working with the town to update Qualicum's sustainability plan, and various initiatives at the provincial and federal level. Fridays for Future is youth-led, with students involved from Grades 8 to 12, however, we welcome community members of all ages.

A primary component of our group is working with others who are involved locally. Fridays for Future works to create an inclusive and welcoming space for everyone who wants to contribute to a peaceful and science-based approach to making changes in our community, province, country and world in ways that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.

How Is Climate Change Affecting Our Young People?

A researcher at UVic is seeking participants born between 1994-2004 for a study about how climate change is affecting young peoples' relationships with nature. Please check out the details here if that's you!"

Please Support Us!

We have an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 Old Victoria Road in Nanaimo. You can donate the money from returnable items by asking the clerk to credit the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub account. Thanks in advance for your support. It makes a huge difference!n is a new Teck. Change the text.

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

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We respectfully acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Stz'uminus and Snaw-Naw-As First Nations.

December 2022

Membership Renewal Time

Membership renewal for 2023 is now open - please take a moment to sign up. There is no cost and having lots of members gives us more clout when we are advocating for better climate policies or applying for funding. To renew your membership, simply click here to access the form.  If you do wish to chip in towards our operating costs for the year (website hosting, business cards, etc), we would gratefully accept donations by e-transfer to NanaimoClimateAction@gmail.com." 

Could Have We Avoided the Climate Crisis if oil companies had acted differently with the information they had decades ago?

“This huge oil and gas company [Imperial Oil] figured out how to solve this [climate] crisis decades ago and then made sure that never happened.”

If you are curious about big oil’s decades old campaign of disinformation, UBC Sustainability hosted an excellent interview with Geoff Dembicki, an investigative journalist and author of The Petroleum Papers: Inside the Far-Right Conspiracy to Cover Up Climate Change.  The host, Dr. Carol Liao, says “you experience a swarm of emotions as you realize we have lost decades because of the spin.” Geoff’s book is the result of several years researching climate change, interviewing key players, and combing through hundreds of industry documents, emails and letters, many of which were confidential but thanks to watchdog groups, such as the Climate Investigations Centre, are now available online.

What can we do? Check out Sue Big Oil, a campaign by West Coast Environmental Law, bringing citizens together with the aim of convincing local governments to jointly launch a class action lawsuit targeting the world’s largest oil companies. They need to pay their fair share of the massive costs created by wildfires, floods, droughts, the displacement of people and the destruction of communities and infrastructure. 

-- Review by Laurie Friskie

Building Alliances to Strengthen Our Voice

We know that we have the most impact when we partner with other organizations that have a commitment to climate action. One of our partner organizations is Nanaimo GreenFaith Group, part of "an international network of people from diverse faith and spiritual traditions working together to improve local environmental sustainability as well as broader climate solutions for our common home, Earth."

The local GreenFaith group is made up of individuals from over a dozen faith groups within Nanaimo. Over the past few years, they have hosted interfaith ceremonies to mark events such as Earth Day, Peace Day and the beginning of the COP26 conference in Scotland. Several times, they have worked with the City of Nanaimo to plant trees in public places around Nanaimo. Below are pictures from the recent tree planting at Beban Park on November 19.

To follow the work of Nanaimo GreenFaith Group, like their Facebook page.

Another Partnership

We are pleased to announce that we have recently welcomed Mid-Island Council of Canadians chapter as a partner organization. The national mission of the Council is to bring people together through collective action and grassroots organizing to challenge corporate power and advocate for people, the planet and our democracy. 

Looking Ahead...

Annual General Meeting -- January 28

Please save the date for our in-person AGM and winter social on the evening of Saturday, January 28th. A brief meeting will be followed by food and fun! Location and time details will be in our January newsletter.

Huge March and Rally for Old Growth Trees -- February 25

Elders for Ancient Trees is planning "the largest rally Victoria has seen for years" to put pressure on the BC government to keep their commitment to protect the last old-growth forests in the province. NCAH members will be heading down with our banner, and we'd love for you to join us if you can. Look for further details in future newsletters. block. Change the

Support Us!

We have an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 Old Victoria Road in Nanaimo. You can donate the money from returnable items by asking the clerk to credit the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub account. Thanks in advance for your support. It makes a huge difference!n is a new Teck. Change the text.

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

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Sign up to be a member or volunteer to organize hub events and initiatives:

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We respectfully acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Stz'uminus and Snaw-Naw-As First Nations.

November 2022

So Many Votes for the Climate!

Thank-you to everyone who took the time to vote on October 15th, and to spread the word about our candidate questionnaire or the Climate Vote Nanaimo endorsements! Across BC, 148 climate champions (from the West Coast Climate Action Network's registry) were elected. Locally, we are excited that the following climate champions were elected:

Nanaimo City Council: Tyler Brown, Hilary Eastmure, Ben Geselbracht, Erin Hemmens, and Paul Manly

RDN Electoral Area A: Jessica Stanley

Parksville City Council: Mary Beil, Joel Grenz, and Sean Wood

Qualicum Beach Council: Anne Skipsey

Nanaimo-Ladysmith School Board: Naomi Bailey, Tania Brzovic, Greg Keller, Leanne Lee, Charlene McKay, Chantelle Morvay, Leana Pellegrin, and Tom Rokeby

Qualicum School Board: Eve Flynn, Barry Kurland, and Elaine Young

Collaborations for the Environment 

Nanaimo Climate Action Hub is committed to being a strong voice in the Nanaimo area for initiatives to combat climate change. We know that our message is magnified and reinforced when we join forces with other organizations working to combat climate change. As a result, we have taken these actions:

• We signed on to Dogwood's open letter asking the BC government to end all natural gas hookups in new buildings by 2024
• We signed on to the United We Stand for Old Growth Forests declaration by Elders for Ancient Trees. More information about the campaign can be found here. (Please note the date of the rally has been postponed and will be in the new year.)

Nanaimo Climate Pledge

The Nanaimo Climate Pledge is launching this November! A project of the NCAH, the first phase of the project aims to discover what methods of communication best encourage households to take action to lower their GHG emissions, before we launch the project across the Nanaimo area and then to all of BC.

And we need your support! Here’s what you can do:

• Visit our website to learn more about the project and take the Pledge. 
• Talk to your friends and family about the project.
• Share our promo video on your social media.
• Invite us to give a talk or distribute our brochures at your club or organization.
• Sign up to be a Climate Connector (see our website for details).

 Thank you for being part of the climate solution!

Reusables VI

We enjoyed having Kelli from Reusables VI tell us about their zero-waste take-out container system at our last meeting. To try Reusables for free for three months, use this Promo Code: 3FREE

Just download the Reusables app from the App Store or Google Play and register.  You'll need to add a credit card to activate the account (just in case you don't return containers).  Choose the monthly option in order to use the promo code. You won't be charged membership fees for three months.  You can cancel anytime.

Benefits to becoming a Reuser

• No more pile of single-use containers at the end of your meal.
• Food stays hot longer in our stainless-steel containers.
• Avoid the chemicals in single-use plastic and compostable containers.
• You can reheat leftovers in the oven in our Reusables.
• Support the restaurants that are supporting the environment.

www.reusablesvi.com

Facebook @reusablesvi

Instagram @reusables_vi

Looking Ahead...

Fracking the Peace documentary screening

The BC Greens Field Team will be hosting a screening of Fracking the Peace, a powerful new documentary by Stand.earth, following the people whose lives, water, and land have been changed by fracking. Fracking and its related industrialization on Treaty 8 Territory in Northeastern B.C. has had a devastating impact on local communities. It has harmed their physical and mental health, threatened traditional hunting and fishing practices, and put the water and land at risk. Watch the 3-minute Fracking the Peace trailer. We hope this will be a good opportunity to connect on an important issue.

Bowen Park Complex Clubhouse, 500 Bowen Road, Nanaimo
November 04, 2022, 06:00 PM — 08:00 PM

This event is free to attend and light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP here.

Surviving and Thriving as a Climate Activist

Championing climate action is hard work! It can be frustrating and overwhelming, but it can also be very inspiring and satisfying. Join us as some of the strongest advocates in the Nanaimo area share their experiences and hard-won wisdom at a presentation by the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. is a new Text block. Change the

Support Us!

We have an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 Old Victoria Road in Nanaimo. You can donate the money from returnable items by asking the clerk to credit the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub account. Thanks in advance for your support. It makes a huge difference!n is a new Teck. Change the text.

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

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Municipal Election Issue  |  October 2022

Vote for the Climate on October 15th!

All-Candidates Meeting Focused on Climate Change 

The BC Greens Nanaimo Riding Association held an All-Candidates Town Hall on September 28. The theme of the event was Toward a Sustainable Nanaimo and 24 candidates participated, 4 for mayor and 20 for city council. To find out about the meeting, you can view the video or read the article in Nanaimo News Bulletin.

Climate Action Win: Nanaimo-Ladysmith School Board Approves Bold New Environmental Plan

Last Wednesday, the school board voted to approve a new Environmental Stewardship Action Plan that sets an example for school districts around the province on how to take meaningful action on the climate crisis. Congratulations to Jessica Stanley and the rest the Environmental Stewardship Committee, and thank-you to everyone who sent messages in support of this plan!

Climate Strike! 

On Friday September 23, we supported local youth at their Fridays for Future protest in front of city hall with our signs and our enthusiasm.

Volunteer to help your community find hope in the climate crisis

The reality of the climate crisis can be overwhelming. 76% of Canadians say they are worried about climate change, but most people don’t know what they can do to make a difference. The Nanaimo Climate Pledge is launching in November, 2022. Sign up to be a Community Climate Connector to learn how to help the people in your personal network face the reality of the crisis and see how they can make a difference. Email us at NanaimoClimatePledge@gmail.com for more information.

Looking Ahead...

Invitation to Join the Nanaimo Youth Climate Action Hub

Nanaimo youth climate action hub's first official meeting will be on Oct 14th from 330 to 430pm, at the Maffeo Sutton gazebo. For all people ages 10-20 to come together to help take action on climate change. Bring your ideas!

Reusables Vancouver Island

Join us on Friday, October 15th at 5pm on zoom for a brief informational presentation from Kelli at Reusables Vancouver Island, a reusable takeout container service operating in Tofino, Ucluelet, Nanaimo and Victoria. Please RSVP to nanaimoclimateaction@gmail.com to receive the zoom link. 

Support Us!

We have an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 Old Victoria Road in Nanaimo. You can donate the money from returnable items by asking the clerk to credit the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub account. Thanks in advance for your support. It makes a huge difference!n is a new Teck. Change the text.

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

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Sign up to be a member or volunteer to organize hub events and initiatives:

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                       August 2022

Support for School Board Environmental Stewardship Action Plan

We had another great response to a “call to action” to send emails of support to the School Board (SD68) for their draft Environmental Stewardship Action Plan. On Wednesday, July 7^th, the Board voted in favour of advancing the draft to the next phase, which is public consultation. Feedback will be welcome until August 31, 2022 via email consultation@sd68.bc.ca .

Announcement of Circular Economy Accelerator Program 

In July 2022, the City of Nanaimo decided to support a new and exciting program that will allow local and regional businesses to do a deep dive into the Circular Economy and reap the many benefits of pursuing this economic path. There is room for 20 businesses to participate in the first offering of the Circular Economy Accelerator Program aimed to begin at the end of September, 2022, and be completed within one year. Workshops will discuss what is a Circular Economy (CE), how their business fits into the CE, what are the benefits, and make connections with leaders in specific industries. One of the key deliverables from this program is the development of a very practical resource/tool kit specific for each business which will set goals and determine action plans to reduce energy use, carbon emissions and waste, as well as, identify cost savings, value-added opportunities, and sustainable best practices. 

Applications must be made no later than August 31 and more information can be found at Circular Economy Accelerator Program — Vancouver Island Coast Economic Developers Association

What can we do as members of the NCAH to help get the word out on this win-win program?

1. Talk to businesses you know and see if they might be interested in applying. Better yet send them the link and let them know that your loyalty to them would increase if they were part of the circular economy supporting a more resilient community and finding solutions to the climate crisis.

2. Send this announcement to your friends and encourage them to talk to businesses they know.

3. Send a message to Nanaimo City Council and Amrit Manhas (Economic Development Officer) and let them know that you are happy to hear about the Circular Economy Accelerator Program and wish that it will be expanded because it is very much needed. Also ask what you can do to help this program flourish.

4. Write to the provincial government about your approval of this initiative. Send your letter to Honourable Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, and Honourable George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to name a few.

5. Educate yourself on what is a circular economy and talk about it with friends and family. Find out how you can advocate for a CE. You can start with this link on the principles of a CE CIRCULAR ECONOMY | Project Zero

Looking Ahead...

Summer Potluck Picnic Update

Our picnic will be held on Sunday, August 21, from 11 am to 3 pm at Pacific Gardens Cohousing, 347 Seventh Street, Nanaimo. Please bring food to share, a chair for sitting outside and your own plate and cutlery.

We are really hoping to share food, conversation and friendship with all the members of NCAH.

Slackin' Off in August

There will be no organizers' meetings in August. We'll be back to to regular meetings in September on the second and fourth Fridays of the month. 

Support Us!

We have an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 Old Victoria Road in Nanaimo. You can donate the money from returnable items by asking the clerk to credit the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub account. Thanks in advance for your support. It makes a huge difference!n is a new Teck. Change the text.

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

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Sign up to be a member or volunteer to organize hub events and initiatives:

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                       Happy Canada Day!

Community Climate Connectors has a new Program Manager

Effective June 6, NCAH is pleased to have hired Whelm King as Program Manager for our Community Climate Connectors project.

Whelm is a seasoned business leader and project manager. The project will take a multi-pronged approach to assessing how best to motivate households within the Regional District of Nanaimo, including the City of Nanaimo, to reduce their GHG output. We have high hopes that the project will demonstrate a path forward to lowering household GHGs!

A New Way To Support Us!

We have just established an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 Old Victoria Road in Nanaimo. You can donate the money from returnable items by asking the clerk to credit the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub account. Thanks in advance for your support. It makes a huge difference!

Looking Ahead... 

Summer Potluck Picnic Update

Our picnic will be held on Sunday, August 21, from 11 am to 3 pm at Pacific Gardens Cohousing, 347 Seventh Street, Nanaimo. Please bring food to share, a chair for sitting outside and your own plate and cutlery.

We are really hoping to share food, conversation and friendship with all the members of NCAH.

Slackin' Off in August

There will be no organizers meetings in August. We'll be back to to regular meetings in September on the second and fourth Fridays of the month.

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

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                       May 2022

Low-Carbon Energy Systems Campaign WIN!

On April 25th, members of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub, the Council of Canadians Mid-Island Chapter, and the Nanaimo Unitarians made a strong presentation to Nanaimo's Mayor and Council in favour of a low-carbon energy systems (LCES) bylaw. Their presentation was preceded by a Fortis BC Lobbyist presentation in favour of gas, and was followed by a Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment presentation warning of the health harms of heating with gas. Over sixty of you sent emails to the Mayor and Council urging them to regulate cleaner heating systems in new construction. Our presenters followed up with the Mayor and Council over the next few weeks to provide detailed information and have further discussions about the advantages of an LCES bylaw.

On May 9th, the Governance and Priorities Committee passed a motion put forward by Councillor Ben Geselbracht to add this policy statement into the green buildings section of the new city plan: "support, prioritize and advocate for low carbon energy systems in all new construction".  This high level policy will set up direction for staff to work on a Low Carbon Energy Systems (LCES) Bylaw once the city plan is finalized. It means as soon as an LCES Bylaw is accepted we will be decarbonizing our space (and most likely water) heating systems in all new construction! For those who are curious, the meeting can be found here.  The discussion on the motion starts at 3:50:00 and goes to 3:58:00.

Our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reductions of 50% by 2030 can't be reached through energy efficiency alone. We must quickly switch from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) to utilizing high efficiency electric energy systems like heat pumps. There are several benefits in taking this path:

• Stops one source of increasing GHG emissions in new construction,
• Eliminates costly retrofits to switch from a fossil fuel heat system to a decarbonized system in the future,
• Stimulates green, clean technology, businesses, and jobs in Nanaimo,
• Is a healthier alternative energy system,
• Provides cooling in the summer which is an adaptation to future heat domes.

 A big thank-you to Shelley Serebrin, Frances Deverell, and Brian Short for spearheading this successful campaign, and to everyone who voiced their support!

Forward Nanaimo '22 Recordings are Now Available

The Forward Nanaimo '22 series of four workshops has now concluded. In case you missed any of the sessions, recordings are available at https://forwardnanaimo.ca/ along with links to the Jamboard notes from the breakout room discussions.

Wrap-up/Networking Meeting 

We will be meeting up in person for a celebration, networking, and further informal discussion on how we can move our region forward on Friday, May 27th at 5pm at Brud House cafe (1861 Dufferin Crescent in Nanaimo). In addition to the food and drink listed on their website, they are now licenced to serve beer and cider (see their facebook page for up-to-date info). If you'd like to attend and haven't already signed up, please RSVP here. 

Looking Ahead... 

NCAH is having a picnic in August. We have decided it will be a potluck event but there are a couple of other decisions that we would like your help with.

Please complete a very short survey at the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RYFSNVW

Thank you so much!

The Picnic Committee

This newsletter is a publication of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. For more information, please click below:

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