Accelerating climate action, october 11th 2023
On October 11, 2023, Biosphere Institute held a community meeting to accelerate climate action in the Bow Valley with support from Banff Canmore Community Foundation. Diverse groups including students, industry, non-profits, tourism, and municipalities attended to share ideas, learn from experts, and commit to doing more to prevent and adapt to climate change!
What a fantastic day we shared on October 11th at Accelerating Climate Action in the Bow Valley. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend for listening, sharing and adding your voice to this important conversation.
One thing that came back loud and clear from our evaluation and feedback we received was that there was great engagement and valuable conversations.
Our Theory of Change for this project is still growing and adapting as we receive input from stakeholders and community members. We presented our current goals and draft theory of change during this event, and invited reflections on this. If you have any comments on our direction then please contact andrew@biosphereinstitute.org
To Accelerate climate Action across the Bow Valley we will:
●Build a coordinated and unified approach with aligned actions by partners and citizens
●Build knowledge and capacity across the Bow Valley
●Focus on both mitigation and adaptation
●Focus on climate justice – actions which help but do not harm the most vulnerable
●Focus on policy change
Speakers
We had an amazing cast of inspirational speakers including:
Andrew Cotterell, Biosphere Institute Communication & Engagement Strategist - How we are making a Collective Impact
Darryl Kootenay, Stoney Nakoda First Nation
Jodi Conuel, Biosphere Institute Shift program director - Community Generation
Nami & Miriam, Our Lady of the Snow Catholic Academy - Greenfoot energy audit
Heidi Widmer, Biosphere Institute Environmental Educator - How to move through Climate Anxiety
Molli Bennet, Alberta Talks Director - Deep Canvassing
Caitlin Van Gaal, Town of Canmore Supervisor for Environment and Sustainability - Canmore’s Climate Action and Emergancy Plan
Rachel Ludwig, Tourism Canmore Executive Director - A Regenerative Tourism Strategy
Find out more about Canmore’s Climate Action and Emergency Plan and how you can add your voice, as well as Tourism Canmore Kananaskis’s Sustainability efforts and upcoming Regenerative Tourism Framework.
A huge thank you to Maryn Simrak for our event photography, find more of her work at www.findthewild.ca
Highlights – the speakers were congratulated again and again in the feedback forms. People loved their presentations, as well as the diversity of topics. an open and collaborative space.
We had a break out that captured people’s views of what was holding back climate action, and what opportunities were there:
Barriers – Common barriers included people’s knowledge, attitudes and motivations. Built infrastructure was mentioned in multiple groups – from bike paths to buildings. Financial barriers were also mentioned both for individuals and for organizations in terms of securing grants and resources for climate action work
Opportunities – A major theme emerged in the importance of celebrating wins, storytelling and replicating successful initiatives. We commit to finding more ways to share success and the results of projects around the Bow Valley. Another strong theme was the desire to add more voices to this conversation, particularly indigenous, youth, and newcomer voices. Finally the tourism and developers’ industries were also highlighted in multiple groups as potential partners in climate action work.
Next Steps
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