A big thank-you to everyone who emailed the mayor and council over the weekend in support of the resolution to call on the BC government to follow through on the recommendations of the Old-Growth Strategic Review. They were flooded with messages - including 77 people who cc'd us and I'm sure there were others as well outside of our group.
 
We received this message from Councillor Ben Geselbracht: "Thank you for getting the word out.  It made a very big difference."
 
For more on the recent vote and its resulting changes, check out this Nanaimo Bulletin article. The movement is growing, with other local governments including Lantzville, Metchosin, Saanich, and the city of Victoria looking at similar resolutions. 

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Meet the local organizations who presented on their work creating climate solutions in our community at our January 30th event:

Nanaimo Foodshare Society 

Established in 1997 and registered as a charity in 2000, Nanaimo Foodshare Society connects the community with resources, skills, and knowledge to create change that increases healthy food for everyone.

Specifically, we:

• Build community capacity to provide healthy foods to everyone
• Bring the community together to share resources
• Build food skills
• Work with community partners to address hunger in the community
  
  

Through our programs, we support local sustainable food, help build food policy and develop coordinated community strategies to improve food security. 

www.nanaimofoodshare.ca

​Transition Nanaimo 

Transition Nanaimo is a Not-for-Profit Society which is working to accelerate Nanaimo’s transition to a thriving, low-carbon future.

We are part of the global Transition movement which has over 1,400 Transition communities in 50 countries and join other Transition communities on Vancouver Island including Alberni Valley, Cowichan Valley, Salt Spring Island and Sooke.

Our goal is to bring people together to explore how we can make Nanaimo a sustainable and resilient community that is prepared to thrive in the lower-energy, post-carbon world that is coming as we transition away from fossil fuels.

www.transitionnanaimo.ca

​The Mid-Vancouver Island Electric Vehicle Association

​The MVI EVA is registered under the BC Societies Act to represent EV owners and enthusiasts on beautiful Vancouver Island. Our territory encompasses Mill Bay to Bowser, Nanaimo to Tofino.

It is our purpose - to promote, encourage, develop and support the adoption and use of electric vehicles. We advocate to industry, government, agencies and other bodies, on matters which impact and interest the members.

We believe that the transition of roadway transportation to electric vehicles will rapidly help conserve our natural environment, slow climate change and help us move to a more sustainable future. Immediate reductions in CO2 and other dangerous pollutants will be gained with every fossil-fuel burning vehicle replaced. The members of this Association are dedicated to accelerating this transition to the best of our abilities.

www.islandev.org

Dover Bay Secondary Eco Club

Eco Club is a student-lead group that provides students, teachers and the community with an opportunity to create a greener future. It’s where like-minded people come together and make changes. It’s an easy-going club that allows for many leadership roles, fun and a new family! Our mission is to have a voice for the environment and make memorable impacts. Join us on our journey! Think globally, act locally!

​www.doverbayecoclub.weebly.com 

​Nanaimo Recycling Exchange

Started in 1992, the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange (NRE) Society has a legacy of helping the community reduce waste. A trailblazer for recycling in Nanaimo, the NRE was instrumental in developing markets for products, establishing local recycling systems, and contributing to the development of a strong recycling economy in the central Vancouver Island area.

Since the closure of the NRE’s recycling depot at Kenworth Road in March 2018, the non-profit NRE continues to serve as a research and recycling hub focusing on zero-waste recycling.

www.recycling.bc.ca

VIU Eco Club

We're a VIU club dedicated to creating local, positive change for the environment!

www.facebook.com/viuecoclub/

Council of Canadians - Mid-Island Chapter

Since 1985, the Council of Canadians has been a home for people who believe a better Canada is not only possible, but necessary. The Council’s work has always been built on a strong foundation of timely and strategic campaigns for the values, social programs and progressive policies we all believe in. 
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We celebrate our strong 35-year history and look forward to an even brighter future with the enduring support of our members, supporters and chapter activists. 

www.canadians.org/chapter/mid-island-nanaimo-chapter 

Nature Nanaimo

Our mission is to foster an interest, appreciation and enjoyment of nature, and promote the conservation of healthy, natural ecosystems in the Nanaimo region.

www.naturenanaimo.ca

Extinction Rebellion Nanaimo 

Extinction Rebellion is a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

www.rebellion.global/groups/ca-nanaimo/

Island Community Solar Cooperative

We are a new social enterprise representing the changing needs and values of communities. We are a for-profit financial (investor) co-op, conceived to promote distributed, clean, solar electricity generation on and around Vancouver Island.

Our 2019 solar PV bulk buy-install program gave homeowners and businesses the opportunity to join together on the purchase of their solar systems and save up to 15% on the cost of a system.

Through our solar PV lease program, our end goal is to provide large community electricity consumers (Clients) with a means of owning a solar PV system without an initial capital investment while providing green long term Investors with a consistent and reliable return on their investment. We offer everyone a way to invest in solar and in return receive reliable and green financial benefits, whether or not an individual’s own home is suitable for a solar PV system. By investing in solar locally, we are helping Vancouver Island become more energy independent. We currently generate only about 25% of the electricity demand we use right here on the Island. The rest is imported from the mainland via submarine cables.

www.islandsolarcoop.ca

Community Climate Connectors

Also called "The 2% Solution", this encouraging call to action believes that if 2% of us step forward to become Climate Leaders in our personal lives, reducing our emissions to close to zero, once we are ready, we can learn to be Community Climate Connectors on the streets where we live, and help our neighbours to do the same. 

In this way, 2% of Nanaimo’s residents could help 100% of Nanaimo’s residents to eliminate their climate pollution by 2030. 

Nanaimo Climate Action Hub

The Nanaimo Climate Action Hub officially launched on November 21st, 2020, with the goal of advancing climate action in Nanaimo and the surrounding areas through advocacy, local initiatives, and collaboration with other organizations. We hope to continue improving how humans interact with the environment by involving as many people as we can who have unique talents, experiences, and perspectives. We welcome all interested community members in Nanaimo and the surrounding areas, and hope to help amplify the voices of politically under-represented groups including youth and BIPOC in climate conversations.  

www.nanaimoclimateaction.ca​

Can we Re-Imagine Nanaimo as a climate-friendly city? What new actions, policies and initiatives do we need? There are local climate initiatives all around the world where citizens organize together to accelerate climate action. At this event hosted by Heather Baitz from the Citizens' Climate Lobby, we are launching a Climate Action Hub in Nanaimo.
 
Join us on November 21, 2020 to discuss ideas for city climate solutions and to make Nanaimo a more climate resilient city, starting with a First Nations welcome by Tsumqwatun (Lawrence Mitchell), a poem by Sonnet L'Abbe and then speakers Paul Manly MP, Sheila Malcolmson MLA, Nanaimo City Councillors Ben Geselbracht and Tyler Brown, Rob Lawrance from Re-Imagine Nanaimo, VIU Eco Club Co-Founder Emma Simard-Provencal, and climate author and organizer Guy Dauncey. The event will close with a poem from Nanaimo's Youth Poet Laureate, Valina Zanetti.
 
The event is sponsored by Nature Nanaimo, the BC Climate Alliance, the Citizens Climate Lobby, the VIU EcoClub, the Mid Vancouver Island Electric Vehicle Association, Transition Nanaimo, the Nanaimo Chapter of the Council of Canadians, and the Yellow Point Ecological Society.