Story

When we think of our homes and neighbourhoods, it makes sense that the local impacts of climate change, the cost of living, low incomes, food insecurity, discrimination and more are all connected—and make life harder. Households living in poverty are at greater risk whenever and wherever local climate impacts hit home. And it’s impossible to carve out time and space to take action on climate, income security, or any other urgent issue when every day is a struggle to put food on the table.

Phase One of this project brought together more than 900 people in 33 communities across Canada to look at how climate and affordability issues interact. The message came back loud and clear: People know what a sustainable, resilient community looks like. They’re ready to start building that future from the ground up. But they need time, space, and discussion to craft solutions based on their own local identity, history, sense of place, and sense of what a sustainable future looks like.

Many of the groups and individual participants in the first round of local sessions wanted to keep the conversation going and turn ideas into action. Many others want to get the process started. The second phase of this catalyst project will help communities and organizations across the country craft realistic climate solutions that factor in local realities, create momentum for lasting change, and empower people who are usually left out of conversations about climate change and income security.

Help us in supporting communities to build climate and income security solutions from the ground up.

With your support, this project provides funded, locally-led opportunities for communities to convene people of diverse backgrounds to bring a powerful lens to the climate emergency and create practical solutions to climate breakdown, poverty, and social injustice. Each session begins with open-ended questions that are meant to start a conversation, not direct it—knowing that the solutions each group comes up with will be as unique as the group itself.

From a community session host in the first phase of the Green Resilience Project: “This project was brilliantly organized and imo [in my opinion] sets a new standard for inclusive in depth consultation. We really appreciated the excellent support of the team.”

Donate today to help build an inclusive path to local climate resilience that leaves no one behind.