Never underestimate your power to make our world a better place.

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The Lasqueti Climate Change Action Group had a display table at the recent fall fair on September 23.  Many people visited us, and it stimulated some good conversations.  Our focus was the climate impact of food choices.  We also had a board that listed some individual actions to mitigate climate change and we asked people to put a sticker beside an action they had done.  They could also add to the list.  Here were some of the actions listed:

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• Have a vegan day once a week

• Give up eating red meat

• Live car-free

• Fly ½ as much as last year

• Advocate directly to politicians about climate justice.

 

The ones that received the most stickers were: avoid unnecessary plastic; buy mostly second-hand everything; reduce driving / car pool; and prioritize the climate when you vote.

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People added some of their own suggestions such as eating local sheep, coordinating the opening hours of the businesses on the north end to reduce driving, stopping the burning of logging slash and using grey water for gardening.

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Our individual actions count, and, when added up, they can truly make a difference in lessening the consequences of climate change.

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We also need to put in place some strong community actions to become much less dependent on fossil fuel.  This is why we would like to engage the community in conversation in the next several months to come up with a more comprehensive plan for adapting and mitigating climate change on our little island.  We have just experienced another drought this summer, extreme fire hazard, ferry disruption and gas shortage.  We are fragile!    We need to meet as a community and figure out how, as an off-grid island served by a foot passenger ferry, we will be able to meet the targets of becoming fossil fuel free in the next few decades.   Stay tuned!

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By Yves Parizeau