May 2024

Greetings from Kevin Lindsay, NCAH Board Chair

Climate activism is hard work. For many folks on the front lines it can even be dangerous. Even for those of supporting change-making, policy change and climate communications at the local community level it can be stressful and anxiety-provoking. While I am usually personally energized by climate work, sometimes—often as the result of reading some of discouraging climate news—I find it hard to engage with the level of gusto it deserves.

I have heard from many of you that some days you feel downright hopeless. I don't blame you. But experts like Katharine Hayhoe and Michael Mann tell us that the antidote to climate despair is 'doing': "We can, and must, use our voices to advocate for change through voting, activism and informed dialogue" (from their article The antidote to doom is doing).

I'm sure you agree with me that engaging in dialogue can be tricky... even awkward. Often I doubt my own ability to talk intelligently about climate change, fearing I will jumble the facts... mix up the data points.

Never mind trying to convince a denier that we're in a climate emergency, entering into a friendly climate discussion with friends, family or neighbours can feel daunting enough. You know what you're trying to say and you certainly feel passionate about it, but for whatever reason you find it hard to talk about climate change, or maybe even bring it up in the first place. I get it.

At our first Climate Solutions Café this is exactly what we discussed. Thank you to NCAH members David Quigg, Lead Organizer, Sierra Club B.C. and Kari Nelson, Director/Facilitator of RegenerateBC for leading the discussion How to Talk About Climate Change (and Keep Your Friends). For those of you who attended, thank YOU for your participation!

Read on to learn about our next Climate Solutions Café. I hope to see you there!

In gratitude,

Kevin

June 15th Climate Solutions Café: How Economic Choices & Behaviours Affect the Climate

NCAH is excited to host a new monthly event designed to provide community members with an opportunity to discuss climate solutions. Climate Solutions Café offer a great way to gather to discuss creative—and sometimes surprising—climate actions and solutions. Climate Solutions Cafés take place monthly on Saturday mornings and feature expert speakers on climate solutions topics, as well as provide an opportunity for you to be in conversation with members of your community.

Our next café is entitled How Economic Choices and Behaviours Affect the Climate. If you're reading this newsletter, chances are you already endeavour as an individual or household to make responsible choices when it comes to participating in the economy. From buying local and/or generally consuming less in an effort to reduce dependency on carbon-intensive supply chains—to ensuring our savings don't support the fossil fuel industry—many of us are thinking about the power we have as consumers and investors.

The session will include a panel discussion with speakers addressing everything from sustainable apparel choices to regenerative business models, and climate-friendly investment considerations. There will even be a little Doughnut Economics thrown in! There will be also opportunities for small group discussion.

Climate Solutions Café Details:

Location: Vancouver Island Regional Library, Nanaimo Harbourfront, 90 Commercial Street, Nanaimo, B.C.

Day & Time: Saturday, June 15th, 10:30 - 12:00

Be sure to RSVP at this link as space is limited. And yes, coffee/tea and a light vegan breakfast will be provided!

How Well is the City of Nanaimo Achieving its City Plan Goals?

In 2022, the City of Nanaimo adopted a bold and ambitious strategic plan to guide its development for the next 25 years. The plan is underpinned by the commitment to provide for citizens’ social, economic, and healthy well-being without exceeding the ecological capacity of the natural environment. It is also meant to guide decisions, budgeting and approvals made by the city to achieve the identified goals and priorities.

A monitoring system is essential if we are to know that actions and decisions are moving towards those goals. Data obtained from monitoring allows citizens to evaluate the success of the plan and support or hold our elected officials accountable.

Of particular interest to NCAH are the key ecological indicators associated with climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions and tree canopy, as well as social indicators like active transportation and food security. The data will be presented using a color-coded system, with red indicating that we have exceeded the ecological ceiling or fallen short socially, and green indicating we are within the bounds of the ecological ceiling or delivering socially.

Once this information is made public later this year, NCAH can leverage the data to identify areas where we can take action. In the interim, expressing our encouragement to council for their support of open and transparent reporting and engagement on the City Plan Monitoring Framework will underscore the importance of this work. We look forward to staying on top of this work and keeping our membership updated!

Watch the presentation here (starts at approximately 10:53).

Burnaby City Council Votes 8-1 to Support Class Action Lawsuit

On May 13th, Burnaby City Council voted 8-1 to support a class action lawsuit brought by BC local governments against the world’s largest fossil fuel companies. With Lower Mainland municipalities facing billions of dollars in climate change-related expenses, Burnaby is seeking to recover essential resources for BC communities and hold major polluters accountable for their role in climate change.

Burnaby is the sixth and largest municipality in BC to pledge its support for the proposed lawsuit, and the first in the Lower Mainland.

While all BC local governments are encouraged to support the proposed lawsuit, the Burnaby resolution specifically calls upon other large municipalities with at least 150,000 residents to join. Those cities are Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Kelowna, Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver.

“Youth are really worried: climate change is upon us, and it’s getting worse,” said Kate McMahon, Burnaby For Our Kids. “Burnaby is already struggling with the costs of climate change, so we are very glad to see Burnaby joining and challenging other communities to ensure young people and next generations have the resources needed to deal with climate change.”

Read the entire story at: Environmental groups applaud Burnaby City Council’s vote to sue Big Oil for climate costs.

The City of Nanaimo Wants to Chat About Zero-Interest Loans for Home Energy Retrofits

The City of Nanaimo is developing a home energy financing program to provide homeowners with low or zero-interest loans to support heat pump conversions, solar panel installations and other retrofits. They want to know if Nanaimo residents are interested in such a program, particularly if the loan is paid back through property taxes.

If you are a Nanaimo homeowner thinking about switching from an oil, gas or propane furnace to a heat pump or installing solar panels within the next 18 months, and you are willing to be a focus group participant, please contact Dave Stewart, RPP, Environmental Planner for the City of Nanaimo at sustainability@nanaimo.ca

Heat Pump Meeting with Nanaimo MLA Sheila Malcomson

On May 17’24, several members of NCAH’s Heat Pump Team met with MLA Sheila Malcolmson to present her with a t-shirt and discuss the newly announced expanded heat pump program, which will allow more British Columbians to switch their home heating systems from oil, propane or natural gas to cleaner heating and cooling options.

The expanded program is good news, but we think the government should make installers provide fully itemized quotes so that consumers can make informed choices. Hopefully, the new program will include this requirement.

Nanaimo Community Gardens 2024 Gleaning Program

Surplus fruit to share? Don’t let it go to waste! The Nanaimo region Gleaning Program has been successfully reducing food waste since 1993 and is among the oldest in the province!

There are several orientation sessions for both new gleaners and returning gleaners. Visit Nanaimo Community Gardens Gleaning Program for orientation dates, location, and important instructions. Note: if you want to join this program, the orientation sessions for new gleaners have already started so check the dates on their website asap. Call Lee at 250-816-4769 if you have questions about the program or the orientations.

The Gleaning Program 2024 is jointly operated by Nanaimo Foodshare Society and Nanaimo Community Gardens Society and funded by the Province of British Columbia. It’s also made possible through the work of many dedicated volunteers, tree owners and farmers.

Zero Carbon Step Code in Lantzville

Calling on Lantzville residents, their families, and friends… and all people concerned about GHG emissions!

Lantzville recently voted to adopt the same BC Energy Step Code levels as Nanaimo, which is great news, but they have not voted on the Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC). Staff have been tasked with providing more information for a discussion, which will likely occur in July.

If you live in Lantzville please write to council in support of the ZCSC. Email district@lantzville.ca, addressed to the attention of Council. If you have family or friends who live in Lantzville please encourage them to write to council. If you share our concern over rising GHG emissions, write to council. The vote will be close given that 2 of the 5 members of council have already expressed concern about adopting the ZCSC.

For more information about the ZCSC, read our blog “BC’s Zero Carbon Step Code” and our letter to Nanaimo City Council. An excellent list of the benefits derived from the ZCSC can be found in A Joint Industry Letter to B.C. Municipal Councils. And for a really deep dive, listen to the podcast The New Zero Carbon Step Code, hosted by zebx, a “neutral and unbiased organization”, whose mission is “Working to rapidly accelerate the knowledge, capacity and passion for zero-emissions buildings in Vancouver and British Columbia.”

Exciting New E-Bike Share Program Launches in Nanaimo

On May 1, the City of Nanaimo launched its first e-bike share program in partnership with BCAA’s Evolve E-Bike Share. The 2024 pilot program aims to improve transportation in Nanaimo by providing residents with a new, convenient, sustainable, and affordable mobility option.

Beginning with 16 Parking Zones strategically located throughout Nanaimo's downtown area, in the Old City Quarter, recreational spots like Maffeo Sutton Park and Bowen Park, as well as key commercial and residential centres, the program will gradually expand to cover more areas such as Vancouver Island University and the Hospital. BCAA plans to expand the service to the BC Ferries Terminal and Hullo Ferry Terminal by summer.

Full article here on City of Nanaimo website.

Looking for an easy way to support Nanaimo Climate Action Hub?

We have an account with the Regional Recycling South Return-It Depot at 839 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!

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

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