On a late fall day in 2015, about 100 people gathered at Willingdon Beach Rotary Pavilion to walk along the trail to Townsite. It was the Climate March, and another 100 joined the procession as it entered Patricia Theatre.
“I remember everyone singing at the cenotaph on the way up Arbutus Avenue,” said Climate Action Powell River (CAPR) president Jack Anderson. “The event was the beginning of Climate Action Powell River.”
Anderson, Cynthia Barnes and Michael Gelber had worked with local environmentalist groups to organize the Climate March in support of the Paris COP21 agreement. Along with other new recruits, the group formed CAPR in July and continues to meet weekly.
“Early on, we were reading everything we could get our hands on,” said Anderson.
Anderson and the others spent time to study and understand the Sustainability Charter, Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and Carbon Neutral Action Plan, all for Powell River, and reports from other communities to look for best approaches across the province.
While these reports are high-functioning government documents and speak of corporate responsibility, the work of CAPR became more community-focused and targets individual action.
“What we do needs to make a difference. To make a difference in the global picture, we need to make small changes in our lives,” said group member Yvon Ricard.
Those tiny steps have led the group to invite two speakers to Powell River during 2016, with another speaker anticipated this spring. Last April, Guy Dauncey brought his futuristic environmental viewpoint to Evergreen Theatre. His latest book, Journey to the Future: A Better World Is Possible, is his 10th on the subject and follows a young man exploring Vancouver in the 2030s after climate change mitigation initiatives have been put in place.
“It is a positive outlook on the possibilities that making a change now can have on our future,” said Anderson.
By November, when the second speaker was booked, CAPR had its eye on its first project. As people left the Evergreen after hearing Frederik Vroom from Tree Canada speak of planting forests as a carbon sink, CAPR collected names of people interested in the Cool Homes Powell River project.
“We were hoping to engage 50 households during 2017 to tally their carbon footprint for 2016, then try to reduce it during this year,” said Ricard.
In that one evening, CAPR signed up more than 20 households and has since hit the 50 mark.
“We have now removed the limit and can accommodate any number of households that wish to join up,” said Ricard.
Cool Homes focuses on individual households doing things to address their carbon footprint year by year. The program in Powell River offers support, networking and quarterly meetings.
At its recent strategic planning exercise, CAPR discovered its vision to be, “A world in which peace, love, education, respect and personal responsibility lead to a harmonious, balanced relationship with the Earth.”
This may take a while to achieve. In the meantime, over the coming year, CAPR hopes to create its internet presence with a dynamic website providing a hub for climate-action information, initiatives and opportunities. Becoming the sponsoring agency for Powell River’s Earth Month was a natural fit.
“We support the Earth Month concept and hope it instills awareness and education that helps people make changes to reduce our negative effect on the planet,” said Anderson.
CAPR member Bill Lytle-McGhee was at the Tree Canada presentation and showed interest in CAPR’s initiatives.
“I enjoy keeping track of the global climate-change picture and believe it to be essential that we act quickly to reduce emissions,” he said.
On Saturday, April 29, CAPR will hold its first annual general meeting starting at 7 pm at Cranberry Community Hall.
“We are hoping many people come and find out more about CAPR and what we have been up to, and what we wish to do in the years ahead,” said Barnes.
Refreshments will be available and attendance is by donation. Memberships will be sold for $10 per person.
“It is also an opportunity for people to join up with the Cool Homes program,” said Barnes.
For more information, go to Climate Action Powell River on Facebook, or send an email to coolhomes.pr@gmail.com.
