On March 15th, we held our second KTCC webcast in the current training series. This one was a demonstration of the whole conversation, from start to finish! With such a large group, we included three breakouts as well as some parts that were presented to the whole assembly. If you missed it, there will be a set of videos available soon.
Presentations
Natsuki Kyokane of Africa Climate Action Initiative and Community Climate Action North Etobicoke and Lyn Adamson of ClimateFast led the discussion on the urgent need for action. See a sample of their presentations below.
Natsuki's slides, Climate Action and Global Impact, made it clear that we need to act and that we can make a difference!
Anne Keary presented on the importance of collective action and the power of working together! See her slide deck here and a sample below.
Chat Brainstorm
We also held a group exercise and did a lightning brainstorm together in the chat. See some of the ideas shared below....
- Focus Area 1: Keeping carbon in the ground; Green Energy; Just, Low-Carbon Economy of Care
- Focus Area 2: Waste and an Equitable, Healthy, Circular Economy
Question 1: What are some actions you could take on an individual level to address the climate emergency?
- reduce/avoid food waste
- buy less, conscious consumption
- barter, mend, upcycle materials!
- get a heat pump, put up solar panels!
- vegan, vegetarian
- eat local, grow your own food
- get into bicycling!
Question 3: What changes do we need to ask for from our economy, industry and business to enable a livable, low-carbon future for all?
- make business pay for recycling, less packaging
- buy local, buy less, local production of goods
- affordable retrofits for old houses and apartments
- enable neighbourhoods to mass buy heat pumps
- higher building standards, share homes
- keep fossil fuels in the ground, divestment
- share food that would be otherwise wasted
- paid sick days, livable/living wages
- green jobs such as house retrofits
- environmental programmes in all businesses
- build ghg emission targets into financial reporting
- business lobby government for a climate crisis plan
- commitment to keep sensitive areas safe
Question 2: What do we need to see, at the community level to help us take action together?
- community gardens, community kitchens/markets
- mending workshops, repair cafes
- build social networks, join a group
- more climate education
- local solar grids, “volume buy” of solar panels
- city subsidized car and electric bike shares
- safe housing, land rezoning for tiny houses
Question 4: What actions do we need to advocate for on the government level, to enable swift, equitable and widespread change?
- actually do what they say they will do
- changing wide systems!
- end homelessness
- proportional representation
- take a risk and partner with other parties
- end fossil fuel subsidies, ban further extraction
- legislate ecocide
- cap and trade, carbon pricing, carbon budgeting
- tree planting and land conservation
- make it easier to recycle and compost in hi rise
- green economic recovery to covid
- be bold and mobilize with a WW2 styled footing
- sponsor education of workers in green energy
There was one more question for the group - What would a better, low-carbon future, a livable world for all look like?
- compostable potties, no waste laying around!
- everything is being reused in someway or another!!
- breathable air, pure water, better health
- slower, quieter, reduction of light pollution
- free public transport, less reliance on individual cars
- high speed electric rail to visit family in BC!
- species don't go extinct, respect of wild places
- more gardens and green space for all
- nature being embraced, not destroying ecosystems
- it’s a Renaissance
- a strong sense of community, share with our neighbours, strong social support network
- no homeless people
- defunding the police
- no floods, fewer natural disasters
- more time for arts, celebrate all cultural events
- local access to fresh food sources
- more, better jobs, not being alienated by our work
- basic income guarantee, a major wealth tax
- economy not based on growth, trade/sharing norm!
- an economy based not on profit but on wellbeing
- Indigenous sovereignty
- free child care
- multi-generational, multi-economic living
- federal and provincial governments both support
We closed the night with a final breakout where we asked everyone...
Stay tuned for a summary of Webcast 3: Technical Nuts and Bolts!