The final webinar in Season 2 of the Climate and Artist Series will tackle the question: ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ A panel of leading solution advocates will outline their unique answers to this question from 11 am to noon Wednesday, November 25th.

Unlike COVID-19, there is no vaccine for curing the climate crisis. At best, we have to become carbon neutral by mid-century to have any change of managing this existential threat. 

On November 19, 2020, the federal government tabled legislation committing Canada to become carbon neutral by 2050. This final webinar will outline some solutions which we will be exploring in more detail in Season 3 starting in January, 2021.

Bob Sandford, Global Water Futures Chair in Water and Climate Security at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, will start the discussion by graphically demonstrating the urgency of taking action now for achieving carbon neutrality. He will illustrate the real possibility of uncontrolled release of methane gases due to thawing of permafrost regions. 

Methane has a huge impact on climate but if not controlled by rapid reduction in human sources of carbon could threaten the prospect of carbon neutrality by mid century. Bob will also comment on how artists are beginning to depict this crisis to engage the public emotionally. 

Washington, DC lawyer and leading political analyst, Mace Rosenstein, who has effectively reviewed the US election in past webinars, will update us on the state of the US election and the prospects of a Biden Administration successfully achieving carbon neutrality. 

Jon O’Riordan, a former Deputy Minister of the Environment and our Climate and the Arts partner, will illustrate the vital importance of resorting ecological health to damaged ecosystems not only to increase carbon storage, but also buffer against more extreme climate events.

Jon’s brother, Tim O’Riordan, who is President of the Norfolk Association of Local Councils connecting all 722 Parish Councils in Norfolk and John Pennell, Chairman: Well Being Initiative, Norfolk Association of Local Councils, will join us from the UK to demonstrate how local Parish Councils in England are encouraging citizens to reduce their individual carbon footprints by ‘one tonne by ’21’ when the Paris Climate Accord is reviewed.

Webinar host, Frances Litman, will comment on how a change in universal consciousness is an essential element in achieving carbon neutrality.

Finally, hear from three youth, a British Columbian, an Albertan and an American, organized by Katia Bannister, who will share what is next to come for youth climate activists, especially after the recent elections for the premier of B.C. and the president of the United States. How do youth think the results of these elections will impact community organizing at the grassroots level? How, moving forward, do youth organizers and activists hope to influence policy? And how can the Creatively United Community help? 

Learn more about these powerful youth activists as they seek to answer the question: Where do we go from here?

Mackenzie Cumming (she/her) is 15 years old and resides in Calgary, Alberta. Despite having only formally joined the climate movement in February of 2020, she has been advocating for climate action and social justice since elementary school. She is a youth organizer with Fridays for Future Calgary and Climate Strike Canada.

Katia Bannister (she/they) is a 17 year old youth climate activist and community organizer from Thetis Island, B.C., on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish and Hul'qumi’num speaking people. She leads the Cowichan Valley Earth Guardians crew, organizes with the Vote16BC campaign and works with the BC Youth Council. She is passionate about restoration and conservation work, blogging, and photography. Visit her blog here.
 
Natalie Bookout (she/her) is a 14 year old activist with Sunrise Movement, Extinction Rebellion Youth, and volunteers with Greenpeace international.

The webinar will be capped by a viola performance by Jon O’Riordan’s nephew, Evan Hesketh. 

Breathing New Life Into Our Rivers

Learn from members of one of Canada’s leading international river basin negotiating teams how they are working to restore ecosystem health in the Canadian portion of the Columbia Basin following the damming of the River in the 1960s.

This inspiring and informative webinar also explores how Living Lakes Canada, a grass roots group, is monitoring water quality, training both Indigenous and non Indigenous communities, and sharing all data on an open source data hub.

Speakers include: Barbara Cosens, a Professor of Law and Water Policy at the University of Idaho; Nathan Matthew, Chief of the Secwepemc First Nations community for over 20 years; Kat Harwig, international, national and regional environmental advocate for issues relating to sustainable tourism, endangered species, corporate social responsibility and water based ecosystem health; Raegan Mallinson, a Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) certified Program Manager and Trainer; and Santiago Botero, a geographic information systems team member. Hosted by Jonathan O’Riordan, former Deputy Minister of the Environment.

Additional Q&A not covered during the webinar can be found on our website.

Creative Community Partnerships Help Reduce Carbon and Waste and Save Natural Spaces

Creatively United is committed to championing solutions at the community level to support a shift to carbon neutrality by 2050. Both the federal and provincial governments in British Columbia are committed to achieving carbon neutrality. A number of local councils have issued climate emergencies to the same effect.

The trouble is that we are now running out of time. No level of government has ever achieved its carbon reduction targets. Meaningful change toward carbon neutrality will require concrete changes in policies and actions by 2030 or humanity will face irreversible changes to climate and nature.

This brief outlines how Creatively United, in partnership with the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund, is engaging in creative community partnerships to make necessary policy changes. We will illustrate our roles with a case example of municipal solid waste management at the Hartland landfill in Greater Victoria.

Under Provincial legislation, the CRD is responsible for managing the Hartland landfill thought a statutory Solid Waste Management Plan. The BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change must approve such a plan. The plan is currently being revised by the CRD for submission by the spring of 2021.

The CRD is considering an expansion to the landfill before 2045. This expansion will remove 73 acres of natural forest; threaten endangered wildlife and impact recreational use of Mt Work Regional Park.

There are a number of viable policy alternatives for extending the life of the existing landfill which are consistent with achieving carbon neutrality. These include operating waste to energy facilities which would eliminate most waste disposal and significantly reduce carbon emissions; supporting waste reduction strategies in keeping with carbon neutrality and changing the financial formula from tipping fees which encourage waste disposal to user fees which discourage waste generation.

Creating Community Partnerships 

A month ago, the Mount Work Coalition, a not-for-profit organization, were the only local community voice opposing the proposed expansion plans for the landfill. Creatively United initiated a partnership with the Coalition and brought in other community groups, including the South Island Climate Action Network (SICAN) and the Esquimalt Climate Organizers (ECO), plus numerous individuals.

Together, a fact sheet was created with answers to technical questions about the waste to energy facility being proposed by the Municipality of Esquimalt. The new community coalition also wrote letters of support to the project and made short presentations to the Esquimalt Council on November 16. 

These efforts resulted in Esquimalt Council approving a budget for completion of a business case analysis of the waste to energy project and supporting the establishment of a Round Table consisting of representatives from the Municipality; the CRD and the Ministry of Environment together with technical experts and public input. A neutral expert would facilitate the Round Table.

The combined strength of the community groups working with Mt Work Coalition was instrumental in obtaining Council support.

Next Steps 

There are 13 local municipalities in the Greater Victoria Region. Creative community partnerships will be required across the region to educate local citizens about these policy shifts and encourage bolder steps by all local governments to reducing waste and managing the regional landfill within its existing footprint.

Creatively United has agreed to play a major role in enabling these policy shifts with support of community coalitions.

About Creatively United & Our Partners

The Creatively United for the Planet Society is a registered non-profit society. Since 2012, we have brought together more than 10,000 people from throughout the region who care about happy, healthy, and resilient communities. We have done so through eight zero-waste sustainability showcases, numerous community events and educational talks, collaborative partnerships, a video series, and the CreativelyUnited.org free community information network, resource and solutions sharing hub. 

The Gail O'Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund, supported by The Victoria Foundation, is dedicated to changing human consciousness towards global environmental change by combining science with the creativity of the performing arts.

The Ecoforestry Institute Society (EIS) is a registered non-profit, charitable society comprised of a volunteer Board and a strong core of community volunteers. They are dedicated to the principles and practices of ecoforestry – demonstrating that we can harvest trees and plants from the forest while maintaining healthy and integrated ecological systems.

Please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe for free to our YouTube channel to see all our videos from 2012 to now.

Please show your support by making a donation.