Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
Mayor, Councillor, Municipal, MLA and Government Contacts
Writing a letter to voice your opinion is not only therapeutic but can make a difference. The more of us who do it, the more likely some action will come of it.
We have conveniently compiled lists of emails for councillors, mayors, CRD directors and MLAs.
Fostering Behaviour Change – Developing Effective Strategies
Careful strategy development is the cornerstone of effective programs. Too often, behavioral change programs are developed based on hunches rather than reliable information regarding the barriers and benefits to a behavior. Developing effective community-based social marketing strategies involves a good deal of humility. Avoid the temptation to assume that you know what strategy will work. Instead, carefully explore the barriers and benefits to the behavior you wish to promote before considering what strategies to utilize.
Community Based Social Marketing
Community-Based Social Marketing is helping humanity make this transition more gracefully. The cornerstone of sustainable and healthy communities is behaviour change. Sustainability requires that individuals and businesses engage in diverse actions, such as reducing waste, increasing water and energy efficiency, altering transportation habits, and protecting native species. Healthy lifestyles require individuals to make smart food choices, exercise, avoid smoking and excessive sun exposure, and engage in a myriad of other actions.
Lighter Living Action Pack
This guide supports neighbourhood action to advance lighter living. In this guide, you’ll find resources to help you and your neighbours identify the assets
in your community, work together well, gather support, and overall, have fun! Share your experiences and get in touch with the OneEarth team at info@oneearthweb.org.
Sustainable Lifestyles
This publication offers proven actions for creating and inspiring more sustainable lifestyles. Based on research and project work in Bogota and Marrakech, it provides the rationale, resources and ideas for developing initiatives that cover core lifestyle areas of food, mobility, housing, consumer goods and leisure as well as in general sustainable lifestyle areas. This publication prioritizes high level impact options and suggests low effort actions to get started and move things in the right direction.
Sustainable Lifestyles in the Workplace
Workplaces can support and motivate tangible shifts in their employees’ and customers’ lifestyles towards sustainability. These efforts target those working with companies, organizations and individuals who are open and willing to adopt sustainable lifestyles practices but need some help or guidance along the way.
CRD Climate Action To-Go Kits
The Climate Action To-Go Kits are a fun and easy way to learn about what you can do at home to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Across the region we consume enough energy and fossil fuels to emit more than 1.4 million tonnes of GHG emissions each year. Our transportation, building lighting and heating, and waste generation choices have a big impact on the environment and on our wallets.
Biodiversity Heritage Library
The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL is revolutionizing global research by providing free, worldwide access to knowledge about life on Earth.
Common Vision Common Action Solutions Statement
Common Vision, Common Action is a grassroots initiative in the capital region of British Columbia, Coastal Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth territory, to create and implement a regional agenda for social and ecological justice. This living document is still in the draft stage with public input welcome to bring forward ideas and solutions for all levels of government.
A New Economy for a One Planet Region
By Guy Dauncey
What kind of an economy do we need for a One Planet Region? A presentation by Guy Dauncey, author of Journey to the Future: A Better World is Possible.
Nature in the Heart of the City
By The Bateman Centre & Creatively United for the Planet Society
A mutual admiration for our natural world with the Robert Bateman Centre has resulted in nature-based map that includes the artwork of Robert Bateman which promotes ways to help people connect with nature. Download Front - Download Back
Cartoon Colouring Sheet
By The Creatively United for the Planet Society
Download this shareable cartoon colouring sheet created by local cartoonist Nelson Dewey.
Download
Trees Matter Shareable Graphics
Trees are among the hardest working members of our world community. Every day, 24 hours a day, they provide a huge host of incredible services that they receive little thanks or recognition for. Frances Litman created these graphics to visually show some of the many attributes of trees. Please feel free to share these graphics in support of the trees in your neighbourhood.
Be Inspired By Your Community
Watch video presentations from community experts
Plan With Youth In Mind
Investing in youth and planning with their welfare in mind is of benefit to everyone. The passion and energy that youth harness to change the world is unequaled. This is why, when we give youth the tools they need to be successful and empowered leaders, we secure a healthier tomorrow.
Here are a few of the ways we can support youth:
- Create educational programs that promote peace, good governance, sustainable lifestyles, reconciliation, environmental conservation, and ambassadorship
- Create self-sustaining affordable housing and green neighbourhoods
- Offer affordable, accessible, and reliable electric transit and ride sharing services
- Address climate change now
- Invest in sustainable green energy and building solutions
- Retrofit buildings with low carbon, green energy alternatives
- Institute policies for environmental protection
- Protect mature urban trees and old growth forests
- Start planting more food trees and forests and ensure their survival through proper care and maintenance
- Designate more green space and parkland
- Create accessible, affordable education for all
- Fund health and dental care services
- Promote mental health awareness and healthy, active living
- Encourage more time in nature
- Foster partnerships between youth and their community
- Celebrate diversity
- Promote gender neutrality
- Lower the voting age to 16
- Provide more rewarding employment opportunities
- Encourage entrepreneurship through a circular, renewable economy
- Create more opportunities for youth to lead their own forums and events
- Listen more and be open to exploring new possibilities
Focus on the Positive
Did you know that taking on an optimistic perspective can change a person’s life? Being appreciative of the world around us enhances our immune system, brain function, and energy.
The concept of positive thinking was first popularized by Norman Vincent Peale, best-selling author of the book The Power of Positive Thinking. His quote: Change your thoughts and you change your world, remains popular to this day. Peale stressed the power of focusing on the positive things in life and making a practice of it.
Try it out for yourself. Pause for a moment and find something to appreciate. This could be one thing that worked well today. It could be a list of your blessings. It might be the regular things we take for granted, like clean clothes to put on and food to eat. Or maybe it’s one thing you did today that you are proud of?
Harness the power of the Law of Attraction, which states that we attract that which we put our time and energy towards. In other words: Focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want!
There will always be things to criticize. However, when we shift our focus to positive thinking, everything becomes much easier.
Lead by Example
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
– Margaret Mead
One of the most persuasive things we can do is to use the power of example in the way we live, work and love. Humans model themselves after each other. Don’t feel powerless to make a difference. We all have the ability to inspire others by our actions. Effective leaders don’t just talk about change; they live it. So be the change you want to see and let others know what you are doing so they can get involved too.
Finding common goals is a great place to start. The ability to inspire, engage, create and collaborate can result in magic.
Inspire – Through positive action, lead by example and lift each other up.
Engage – Get out of your comfort zone. Connect with one another. Ask questions. Become a good listener.
Create – Creativity is a powerful tool and the foundation of all things. Creation plus ingenuity begins every great project.
Collaborate – We are social beings. To remain healthy and happy, joining forces with one another helps us live longer lives.
Leave A Legacy
Wouldn’t you sleep better knowing that your life’s energy went into making a lasting difference? Wise investment decisions could produce a legacy of helping the causes you most believe in.
A lot of community good can be created by planning one’s estate with community organizations and projects in mind. Having numerous benefactors in a will can lead to making a big difference in the lives of many.
For example, if you love trees, consider leaving funds for your local conservancy group to help purchase biodiverse places that deserve to be protected; or contribute to organizations that support Indigenous rights; or advocate for bears, wolves, human rights, local food, farmland, etc.
Most grassroots non-profits and charities operate with a handful of dedicated volunteers doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
They could use the support of a donation to help in a myriad of ways. New parks can be purchased and trees preserved to provide lasting value. Leave a legacy by letting your money and assets speak to your values.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
— The Lorax
Commit to the Idea of Community
Community is one of the least tapped resources. When people come together they have even more power to create change through the power of their integrated networks than one individual.
Communities have the ability to inspire, connect, support and share. By working on common goals, building bonds of friendship, and collaborating, we can increase our experience of happiness, sense of belonging and feel more empowered.
What community could you reach out to today that you’ve always been curious about? We bet they would welcome your knowledge and have their own resources to inspire your life for the better too.
Check out the PairUp directory on CreativelyUnited.org for ideas and information about more than 170 community organizations and let us know about others so we can build community together.
“An activist is someone who cannot help but fight for something. That person is not usually motivated by a need for power, or money, or fame, but in fact driven slightly mad by some injustice, some cruelty, some unfairness – So much so that he or she is compelled by some moral engine to act to make it better.” — Eve Ensler
Banish Ignorance
Through education and learning we have the ability to shine a light on that which was previously unknown to us. By educating ourselves on other cultures, societies, beliefs, environmental and political issues we can move beyond our ignorance.
Take some time to learn something new! What is it you’d like to know? Grab a pen, a notepad or keyboard and make a list of things you’d like to know more about. Try to cross off one topic from your list every week.
As North Americans, we are especially privileged to have so many resources available to empower ourselves in this way.
Share Your Point of View
It’s everyone’s responsibility to improve our world. Do not think that your opinion isn’t important because it is. We need a diversity of opinions and views in order for our communities to grow and to find solutions to the problems that our society faces.
The more people that begin to share their point of view, the better. Your voice does matter and can help others too.
Celebrate Climate Champions
As we transition to a world where we encourage lighter living, celebrating those who are championing this process is important. A champion doesn’t need to be someone famous.
Is there someone in your network who you see making a difference for the environment? Why not tell them so and that you are proud of their efforts and join them in lobbying for stricter climate policies and action?
Volunteer with Local Hero Workers
Stepping outside of your comfort zone and routine keeps life interesting and your mind and body inspired. Being of service in your community is one way to challenge yourself to use your skills in a new way. There are many local non-profits that are in need of volunteers to support their positive missions. These organizations do so much to increase the quality of life in our cities and on our planet; it’s time we do something for them.
Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and author of the bestseller, Man’s Search for Meaning, advocated that when we focus on doing meaningful acts we encounter a sense of purpose in our lives. So what would bring a sense of purpose to your life? How about lending a hand to local hero workers and organizations that align with your values?
Since many non-profits and charities rely on volunteers and donations, your gift of volunteering time and expertise can truly make a difference.
CreativelyUnited.org showcases more than 170 non-profits in our Pair-Up directory. Check it out and see who you might want to volunteer with.
Register to Vote and Vote Your Values
Virtually nothing in our society is untouched by our political choices. The rules and taxes that govern what we wear, drive, where we live, work, study and play is rooted in government policies at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.
Voting is a practice of exercising our democratic rights!
Not voting is, essentially, a vote for others to decide the election for you.
Voting has garnered each of us many of the freedoms that we enjoy today. Voting gives us a voice in the government and is a privilege that also honours those who fought for our freedoms. And, it wasn’t that long ago that women and minorities were not allowed to vote.
Getting more people to vote is extremely important. Encourage your friends and family to vote for the candidate that best speaks to their values and would best represent their neighbourhood and region.
Remember that paid advertisements are just that and may be misleading. Research each candidate and, if they represent a political party, visit those websites to review their platforms.
Elections Canada offers a variety of voter information, including how to register to vote.
Imagine The Possibilities
When we dare to dream big, we discover alternatives and solutions to the problems of our time. We do this by encouraging creativity in both our lives and our thinking. Creativity is the spark of imagination. It allows us to imagine new possibilities and bring them to life.
Imagine if we had:
- Affordable housing
- Fresh and healthy food and water for all
- Less fossil fuel dependency
- Fully self-sustaining neighbourhoods
- Rewarding work for everyone
- Equity and equality
- Guaranteed Income
- Free education, transit, and healthcare
- Climate solutions in action
There are many solutions that already exist. We need to keep imagining and take that a step further into action.
Here’s a few ways action can begin:
- Volunteer with local non-profits
- Get involved with community associations and organizations, or start your own
- Share your vision of a better tomorrow
- Plant a food garden
- Compost and recycle
- Carpool, take public transit, or ride a bike
- Change your diet to more plant-based foods
- Find ways to reduce waste and consumption
- Let your voice be heard: submit Letters to the Editor of your local publications, get to know your local media
- Connect with your local politicians and express your ideas and concerns. Attend council meetings
Make Gender Neutrality the Norm
A person’s sexuality has no correlation to ability, performance or personality. However, the traditional labeling of gender has caused unfair favoritism and inequity.
Everyone should have the support they need to succeed no matter how they identify. Ending discrimination is a huge argument for gender neutrality, which means that acceptance and celebration of everyone becomes the new norm.
As we lean towards re-imagining the binary descriptors for gender, we dismantle labeling that creates exclusion and prejudice. When we rethink gender, we evolve.
“Lasting peace depends on equal rights, equal opportunity and the equal participation of women”
—Lakshmi Puri
Celebrate Our Differences
“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.”
— Margaret Mead
Look at differences between humans, plants, animals, cultures and ecosystems. Have you realized how unique, yet interconnected, we all are? Have you noticed that it’s our differences that make us interdependent and that each of us brings our unique ideas, skills and outlook to any given situation? After all, there are 7.8 billion ways for humans to view and live life. It is by our common humanity that we are all united on this one planet.
So how do we celebrate variation and diversity? One way is to become curious about each other. Ask questions. Connect with new people. Educating ourselves on diversity keeps life exciting. Investigating different cultures, arts and belief systems enriches our life.
Pair Up With Community Non-Profits
Connect with organizations that share your values.
Community Blog Posts
Speeding development of non-profit housing is good for health
Housing is fundamental to health. That should not be a surprise, especially in a country with Canada’s climate. The health impacts of being homeless or living in poor-quality housing are well understood, and must be obvious to anyone. But it is not just homelessness that is a concern — there is a much larger problem of affordability. Lack of affordable housing can markedly affect people’s physical, mental and social wellbeing.
Worth More Standing Anthology Launch Event
Join Christine Lowther, Tofino's Poet Laureate for the launch of Worth More Standing: Poets and Activists Pay Homage to Trees Anthology. About this...
Housing That Heals The Future – Creative Solutions for a New World
Housing That Heals the Future features nine inspiring interviews on a wide range of projects that are...
A progressive tax on all forms of wealth would reduce inequality
A few weeks ago, before Russia invaded Ukraine and began committing war crimes that have shocked the world (in a way that should have but, to our shame, did not shock the world when Russia did the same thing in Chechnya and Syria), I was writing about inequality and health in the context of creating a wellbeing society.
Seed the City Youth Program
Seed the City is a program for high school students where they can gain work experience in gardening and...
CRD Parks Survey is Misleading
The CRD's Regional Parks Strategic Planning process is underway and the need to ensure biodiversity is the primary objective in our parks can not be...
Fridays For Future Canada – Global Climate Strike
Join us for the Global Climate Strike on Friday, March 25, 2022 as we demand policymakers and world leaders to prioritize #PeopleNotProfit! The...
28-day Lighter Living Groups (4 April – 2 May) – share or register by 1 April
BCers are invited to join a virtual group of 6-10 people who will come together for 28 days to take daily action on personal sustainability and...
A Prayer for All the Little Things
This is a short poem to remind us about all the little things that make our hearts sing, a short poem to encourage us to reflect on what we can say and do to leave a better world for all the little things that make our hearts sing.
