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The list below grows with each Café. If you have other items, or what you believe are important perspectives to share, we need you to participate at a future Café. We're also just getting started, so this list will be become more comprehensive, structured and relevant as time goes on.

We are now actively organizing "Eco-Teams" at several locations in the Lower Mainland. These involve the formation of neighbourhood based gatherings or groups for those who want to stay in touch with a group providing mutual learning, support and encouragement. Please contact us to find out about an Eco-Team in your neighbourhood.

Keep coming back to see updates. If you have ideas of your own, please send them to: info@communityclimatechange.ca

Join our mailing list!

SEE LIST OF ACTIONS BELOW...

SUGGESTIONS FROM PAST CAFES....

Food Choices

Preserve food for the winter by canning, cool storage or freezing.

Grow some of your own food.

Move towards a vegan diet by eating less meat and using less dairy.

Eat less processed, packaged food; rely more on raw, bulk, staples.

Buy and use local, organic food and ingredients whenever possible. Become a "localvore".

Know where all your food comes from. Design menus of local food.

Eliminate some exotic foods that are delivered from great distances.

Go visit a local organic farm and see where your food comes from.

Learn about the 100 Mile Diet.

Design a local menu, invite friends to cook together, try a 100 mile potluck dinner.

Look closely at your cupboards, read the labels and notice their origins. Actively seek out and discover one product this week that is made locally.

Choose one exotic fruit to limit from your diet for 6 months.

Get involved with Farm Folk City Folk.

Join Neighbours Organic Weekly Buying Clubs. They operate a network of food buying clubs around Vancouver and Burnaby. Members purchase online and receive their orders at a depot in their neighbourhood. We buy from BC growers and processors as much as possible. 

Other:

Consumption Choices:

Buy less clothes.

Buy less electronics and appliances.

Think about what you need vs. what you want.

Spend less time shopping.

Buy used stuff instead of new.

Don't buy stuff with packaging.

Other:

Legislative Action

Write a letter, but do not stop by expressing your concerns and ideas. Include a request for a meeting with your political representative.

Work in teams or two at least. One voter is easier to ignore than two. See if you are simply getting a form-letter response! Teams of thousands are even better.

Join a political party, any party, and ask questions.

Turn up at all-candidates meetings and ask a question.

Join VTACC (Voters Taking Action on Climate Change) by sending an email to climate_action@vtacc.org.

Join the call for a carbon tax.

Other:

Transportation

Walk, bike, or bus. Share your car whenever you can..

Reduce your own transportation emissions by walking, biking or or busing 1 to 5 days a week.

Talk to others -family and co-workers- about the obstacles to reducing their emissions.

Learn about solutions - complete the Transit 101 course at Transit Lab - www.transitlab.ca Participate in Transit Lab by adding a comment/question on the forum.

Sell your car. Buy a beautiful new bike.

•join the Stop Gateway campaign
•Sign the Better Transit, Not Freeways petition.
• Join the Livable Region
Coalition (Free).
• Put a Better Transit, Not Freeways sign on your lawn.
• Volunteer at SPEC, or donate $5 a month to support their work.

Other:

Personal/Spiritual

Turn from denial, anxiety and despair. Work for transformation by finding the spirit of hope within. Find an activity to connect to that spirit.

What do you love? Draw a picture or take a photo of something
profoundly meaningful. Post it on your bathroom mirror or fridge.

To be accountable for our actions, we need to involve others. Find one other person to move forward with in your new activities.

Remember what’s important. Draw a picture or take a photo of something profoundly meaningful. Post it on your bathroom mirror or fridge.

Confront the consumer economy. Recognize you have enough. Give something up every week.

Believe in others, have faith that your community can be greater, stronger, and more purposeful than any isolated individual.

Reconnect with the source. Spend more time in nature, alone, and in silence.

Other:

Energy

Get an ECO Energy review for your house, or condo building.

Install LED lighting - or CFL’s but LOW Mercury type. Make sure you dispose of any burnt our CFL’s appropriately.

Insulate electric hot water tanks - $40.00 Cdn tire. Electronic thermostats set backs. Furnace tune up.Water Saver kits from City of Vancouver - low flow shower heads, bathroom and kitchen faucets. Dual flush toilets. Clock to shower time track.

Keep thermostat at 60 degrees farenheit.

Turn off/unplug appliances not in use.

Use clothesline instead of dryer.

Other:

Political

Challenge growth model of economy.

Reinstate Cool Vancouver initiative.

BC: Stop the BC goverment from lifting the moratorium on marine drilling for oil and gas. Exploiting these areas is equivalent of 13 million more cars, driven for 20 years.

BC: Stop the March BC Budget allocation of $800 million subsidy over the next 3 years to gas companies.

BC: Stop Gateway - a mis-direction of taxpayer dollars which will massively increase highways and greenhouse gases (see the Livable Region Coalition).

Federal: Introduce carbon taxes - so the atmosphere isn’t used as a free dumping ground for carbon emissions.

Federal: Impose a moratorium on further development of tar sands, and carbon tax of at least $50 per barrel to drive innovation for tar sands
development.