It’s Time for a New Story (and a New Look).

Rebecca Solnit tells us that “in order to do what the climate crisis demands of us, we have to find stories of a livable future, stories of popular power, stories that motivate people to do what it takes to make the world we need”. 

We desperately need a new story. The story that society cannot run without burning fossil fuels no longer serves us. As most of you are aware, a big part of Nanaimo’s story is its coal legacy. Coal was the primary resource that gave Nanaimo its start in the 1800s, and it continued to be mined here into the 1950s. It’s a chapter that is thankfully behind us, but the role Nanaimo plays in contributing to climate change has not diminished. Canadians are only second to the U.S. in terms of per capita carbon emissions. We wrote a new story here in Nanaimo previously. Can we do it again?

Nanaimo Climate Action Hub (NCAH) is in its fifth year as an organization supporting local climate action. Much has happened since we formed (in the middle of a pandemic!). We have witnessed an increase in extreme weather events such as catastrophic ‘heat domes’ and ‘atmospheric rivers’ – the result of climate change. We have also seen increased fossil fuel project expansion in our province. At the same time, we’ve seen nine municipalities vote to Sue Big Oil. And here in Nanaimo we have opted to adopt the Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC) ahead of the provincial schedule. Climate action is a story of catastrophe, wins, setbacks… and opportunity. But the new story is forming.

The story of climate action in Nanaimo is just beginning. We are experiencing great momentum as an organization, and in collaboration with other organizations throughout Nanaimo who are focused on climate action. We are honoured and motivated to act as a ‘hub’—creating connections between community members, municipal and provincial political bodies, and other activist organizations.

I’m a big fan of visual storytelling – and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. To that end, I am happy to share NCAH’s new brand identity. Thanks to the design talents of member, local entrepreneur and sustainability expert Zack Simon, our new logo tells the story of Nanaimo Climate Action Hub today and the work we need to continue to do. The intent of the logo is to convey how action grows more action. It represents the self-sustaining system, of which we’re all a part—facilitating the work and helping each of us to grow and evolve. Its circular constant flow of energy creates conditions for new possibilities… new stories, represented by the outstretching of new leaf growth.

I am grateful to you, our members and partners, and look forward to continuing to write our story together. Unlike some of the childhood stories we were told, there are no solitary heroes in this one. It is only through community, collaboration, and commitment to caring for what we most love that we will realize the fruits of our labour, and the continued unfolding of our new story.