Making Connections Seminars
Executive Summary of Action Areas
|
Action Area |
Participants |
|
1. LEED, property improvements |
John Cowan |
|
|
Nancy Risebrough |
|
|
Peggy Williams |
|
|
Tom Cullen |
|
2. Gardening |
Rob & Sue Metcalf |
|
|
Sheila Corkill |
|
|
Doreen Lander |
|
|
Peter Heinz |
|
|
Kathy Salisbury |
|
3. Buying locally-grown food |
Kathy Salisbury |
|
|
Rosalie Cowan |
|
|
Pat Deacon |
|
4. Communications, promotion |
KC ullen |
|
to educate and create excitement |
Sheila Corkill |
|
|
Tom Cullen |
|
5. Waste - R R
R (reduce, reuse, recycle) |
Eleanor Heinz |
|
|
John Cowan |
|
|
Carolyn Hay |
|
6. Activism and Advocacy |
Rosalie Cowan |
|
|
John Cowan |
|
|
David Lander |
|
|
Marion Boyce |
|
|
Wilf Boyce |
If you weren't there for the
meeting, or to signup for an action item at the end of the meeting, simply
email
fairlawngreenteam@gmail.com and let us know which of the 6 action items
you would like to participate in.
Executive Summary of the four Lunch & Learn
Seminars on global warming:
Sunday January 14 – Renewing the Sacred Balance
The Fit with Faith – Consider your own faith and what it
means in terms of stewardship of the planet. Hear ideas from various
other faiths on the sacred balance.
Greening Sacred Spaces – Learn about this initiative from Faith & the Common
Good to join with individuals and faith communities across Canada in
greening sacred spaces – in the home and places of worship – to help
Canadians reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and live more sustainably.
Energy Action Planner – Share successes and questions on how to conserve
energy in your home from the checklist of ideas in the Energy Action
Planner.
Sunday January 28 – An Inconvenient Truth
The movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", offers an inspirational look at the
crusade to halt global warming by exposing the myths and misconceptions that
surround it, and presenting scientific facts and projections on the increase
in CO2, temperature, hurricanes, melting glaciers and rising sea levels.
The movie emphasizes that there is still time to make a difference.
Sunday February 11 – The Science of Climate
Change
Dr. Paul Kushner, Assistant Professor of Physics, University of Toronto, and
editor of Journal of Climate will provide an understanding of key climate
concepts and the underlying science of global warming.
This is a fantastic opportunity to understand the real science behind
climate change issues – from a scientific source!
This is a must see for anyone who is
skeptical about the facts of global warming.
Sunday February 25 – "So,
Now What?"
This session will provide an opportunity to discuss your thoughts on the
previous seminars and your reactions to what you’ve learned.
We will share insights into energy conservation activities of Stage 2
of the Energy Action Planner, and consolidate our action ideas for
implementation at home, at church and in the community.
THE REPORT
Session 1 - Sun. Jan. 14 – Renewing the Sacred Balance
We viewed two videos (Greening Sacred Spaces
2003" and "Excerpts from the David Suzuki series, Renewing the Sacred
Balance"). We discussed the fit with faith as well as the Greening Sacred
Spaces program which includes the Energy Action Planner that 70 people in
the Fairlawn community have signed up to do.
The purpose of the "Energy Action Planner" is to lower home energy usage
as part of our obligation as a faith-based community to preserve the health
of our sacred planet. This is a great way for
each of us to begin to make our own small contribution to reduce global
warming. Collectively, these small contributions
really add up. (See attachment - Energy Action
Planner activities.)
Flip charts from Session 1 - Jan 14
Objective for attending:
- Home
reno and looking for "green" ideas
- Be a part of a bigger whole -
have a bigger impact
- Greening / Greed connection
- Beyond what we do at home
- How to approach others and have
a voice - part of a larger group
- Concern about polar bears
- Groundswell --> kids and
grandchildren to care
- Political will re carbon tax -
national concensus
- Concern about garbage:
- shipped "away"
-
packaging
- the
technology is there!
- Disheartened that politicians
use the issue
- Community of churches working
together
- Urgency
- Need a precipitating event
- Learn about Bullfrog
Reactions to the Session 1 videos:
- Many faith communities with the
same objective
- Scale is not the only issue
-
interconnectedness
- one
area affects all others
- Our footprint is huge -- can't
tell other nations [to improve their footprint until we improve ours]
- Example - ozone layer
improvement
- Greening Sacred Spaces (GSS)
is national - Toronto and Ottawa base
- Purpose of our "Making
Connections" seminars is:
-
awareness, education
- action
(e.g., starting with the Energy Action Planner)
- Recycling in our own church:
- recycle the Sunday
bulletin at the back of the church in recycle bins
- do not leave them in the
pews
Session 2 - Sun. Jan. 28 – The movie "An
Inconvenient Truth"
We viewed the Al Gore movie
An Inconvenient Truth
Session 3 - Sun. Feb. 11 – The Science of
Climate Change
The presentation from Dr. Paul Kushner "The
Science of Climate Change"
Session 4 - Sun. Feb. 25 – "So,
Now What?"
Agenda - Session 4
Objective for Session 4 Feb 25
The goal is to
"TURN OUR LEARNINGS INTO ACTIONS" -- i.e., to create action and momentum on
climate change mitigation both at home and as a community participating in
Greening Sacred Spaces (GSS).
Vision brainstorming at Session 4 Feb 25
Fairlawn will be a
green community that leads by example, and becomes a voice to educate
ourselves and others in the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions in four main areas: at church, at home, in the
community and in our workplaces.
Brainstorm action ideas in Breakout groups at Session
4 Feb 25
- LEED
certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
- Fairlawn should check out LEED certification activities so we can lead by
example.
-
Inventory - produce an inventory of what we have achieved so far,
and from what base we are to grow
- Carbon
rationing - Learn more about per capita carbon allotment.
Think about the implications for us and then tell others.
- Activism
and Advocacy - put pressure on government (letters, petitions,
etc.) re: packaging, fuel economy standards, carbon tax, public transit,
speed limits, photo radar, banning of drive-throughs,
use of trains vs. other means of transportation, adding bus lanes.
Add "Refuse" to the 3 Rs --
i.e,
refuse to accept over packaged goods.
- Gardens
- Organize a tree planting expedition. Revitalize
our composting process at church.
Plant sustainable vegetation, shrubs, etc.
- Support
Environment Day
- Waste
improvement - Work on packaging, garbage, signage, avoiding
disposables, educate & promote to the community.
Note: We have styrofoam plates and plastic cups
that we do not use. We could donate them for use
before they are recycled.
- Transportation
- Promote car pooling to church and to other
locations.
- Influence
work environments - we could take our message to our work
places.
- Physical
plant changes - e.g., glass on doors (bring the "green" in), valves
on registers, roof, develop a campaign to replace
lightbulbs (ask for donations).
- Communications
with staff - educational initiatives.
Job descriptions of staff could reflect "green" duties
-
Education - lead by consciousness
raising
- Education
- re ethical investing. Discuss with the trustees
of Fairlawn as well as the congregation.
-
Education - re recycling - Minimize the amount of garbage we have.
Do a better job at managing the garbage that we do have.
Learn what goes where when it comes to discarding.
Create signs on refuse containers. Run a
promotional campaign on why we recycle and how to recycle.
Don't use disposables.
- Have a "re-use"
yard sale
- Promote
ourselves as a "green" church - put a "green" emblem on our church sign
- Bulk
foods in season - Be a "Locovor" (one
who eats local produce from within 100 miles).
Use farmer's markets. Buy locally produced food
in season (reduce transportation greenhouse gases).
Summary of Action Areas
1. Property
improvements
2. Gardening
3. Buying
locally-grown food
4.
Communications, promotion to educate and create excitement
5. Waste - R
R R (reduce, reuse,
recycle)
6. Activism and
Advocacy
Where's the interest
Attendees signed
up for at least one of the action items -- see Executive Summary at the top
of this note.
Next steps
Thanks to all of
you for your participation, input and action!
Adjourned
