ISSUE ONE

A MESSAGE FROM THE TEAM: Our first eNews!

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Alberta Acts' eNews! This newsletter will keep you up to date on what's happening behind the scenes at Alberta Acts on Climate Change.

The purpose of this project is to empower rural Albertans to discover, co-create, and enact personal and public solutions that result in lower greenhouse gas emissions and stronger local and regional economies.

Thank you for your ongoing support and feedback on our work. The next few months are going to be exciting as we events in communities around south- central Alberta. We look forward to sharing our experiences and success stories with you in the months ahead.

~ the Alberta Acts Team

Most of the Alberta Acts team, hard at work in
our office in the Professional Faculties Building

WHO WE ARE

Alberta Acts on Climate Change is a joint initiative of the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work and the Pembina Institute. Our mandate is to increase environmental citizenship in Alberta.
Read more...

Greg's thoughts: "Why Alberta Acts on Climate Change? In short, I believe in the power of people. I believe that when ordinary solutions fail, people are capable of generating extraordinary ideas and bringing these to fruition..." Read more...

PAST EVENTS

Local Energy, Environment and Community Action: A Province-wide Video Conference

On March 12, 2010, over 200 concerned citizens across Alberta joined by video conference to discuss local organizing on environmental and energy issues.

The one day multi-venue video conference involved participants and speakers representing a wide geographic distribution and a fantastic range of knowledge, interests and opinions. We aim to have the conference videos and presentations available online soon and are glad to see the dialogue continue on our website. Read more...

You can join the conversation here.

Black Diamond's Forums for the Future, Part I: Understanding the Sustainability Plan & Setting Priorities

On March 20, 2010 over 20 members of Black Diamond and surrounding area dove into the Black Diamond Sustainability Plan and set a plan for moving forward. As the group reviewed successes within the town, many were happy to notice how much the small community of 2,000 was already doing to move the five pillars of sustainability forward.

Participants left the session feeling proud of their community and energized to move forward on better evaluating and celebrating progress on the Municipal Sustainability Plan. Read more...

UPCOMING EVENTS

Black Diamond's Forums for the Future, Part II: Action Planning & Moving Forward

Continuing from the first session, Black Diamond's Sustainability Committee and Alberta Acts on Climate Change will host the second community dialogue session focused on moving the Black Diamond Sustainability Plan forward on April 24, 2010.

In addition to inviting citizens to take an active role in shaping the future of the community, Mayor Sharlene Brown and members of the Sustainability Committee would like to celebrate some of the current successes within the community. To that end, the day-long session will include a tour of Black Diamond's community and pocket gardens, the town’s energy efficient arena, and the Oilfields Recycling Centre down the road in Turner Valley. Read more...

All community members of Black Diamond and the surrounding area are invited to take part (lunch and childcare will be provided). Youth are especially invited to attend. Register here or visit the town office to register in person.

Transition Calgary Meeting

The Transition Movement is about creating a bright future for our communities through focusing on food, energy, transport, health, economics, spirit and more. Transition Calgary is off to a great start with two meetings and lots of ideas and energy.

Please join us on April 6, 2010 (6:30pm to 8:30pm) for our third meeting where we will further explore the Transition Movement’s role in making Calgary a more sustainable and engaged place. Read more…

Meaningful Work: Green Jobs & Social Innovation Retreat

The old economic structures are no longer working, but the new structures have not yet been created. This is the struggle for many professionals in Canada who are seeking meaningful work and “Green Jobs” that allow us to do work that is in line with personal values for social justice and environmental integrity. The purpose of this 2.5 day retreat is to provide a forum for young professionals in Alberta to spend a weekend with a diverse group of peers and inspiring professionals, deeply engaging with questions around vocation, sustainability, and social innovation.

On April 30-May 2, 2010 at the Kananaskis Wilderness Hostel, join Alla Guelber (Outreach Coordinator with Alberta Acts) and a number of special guests for this unique opportunity to challenge yourself and others, develop ideas for innovative social and environmental projects, businesses or not-for-profit endeavours, and connect with others from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. Read more...

WE'RE BLOGGING!

Check back to our blog regularly as we are full of thoughts, and ready to share them. Some of our recent topics include:

Food Security in the Community

Alla suggests that the philosophy behind permaculture can help us "rethink and re-envision how we want to live and work in our communities..."

Read more...

The Duelling Tales of Environmental Action in Alberta

Greg rejects the idea that Albertans don't care about the environment: "the truth is that municipal Alberta is a place where things are happening..."

Read more...

Reflections on the role of education in creating environmental citizens

Lindsay suggests that "we need to actively educate individuals, ecological citizens, who can think critically, creatively and collaboratively about real world problems..."