Happy New Year Everyone,

We hope that everyone found some down time in the past few weeks, where there were moments of rest and reflection.

As people start to set their intentions and plans for 2022 (knowing of course, that this pandemic makes us practice agility on a daily basis) the plan that Climate Network Lanark is thinking about is the County Climate Action Plan. We gratefully received many ideas from community members both in our Network and beyond. The County Climate Action committee will be putting these ideas into a draft plan that will be made public in May.

This February, the County Climate Action Committee will set emissions reductions targets. The committee is a determined group, but in order to set the ambitious targets we need for a livable future, we need to show that their constituents want more than baby steps. Let’s give them the impetus they need to take the strong, innovative actions they want to take and that we, the community, want them to take. Please join us by saying yes to the following:

We need your voice to help us take action. Thank you for your continued support,

Gord, Sue, Emily and Climate Network Lanark

1. Highlights from the December County Climate Action Plan Steering Committee Meeting
2. Emissions Campaign
3. Learning and Events
4. Actions you can take
   
5. Local Climate Action in the News

1. Highlights from the December County Climate Action Plan Steering Committee Meeting

The County Climate Action Plan Steering Committee met on December 15th and an extensive list of potential actions was received.

Key Presentations included:

• Mississippi Lakes Association on Climate Change and Mississippi Lakes An excellent snapshot of the state of our surface waters in the Lanark County area.
• Sustainably Eco on emissions reductions for local businesses Sustainably.eco is a regional company that analyzes carbon emissions and certifies businesses that lower their emissions. They list companies in the area that follow greener practices and have been contracted by the County to do some assessments of specific climate actions. 
• Greenscale Inc. on Market Prioritization for Energy Retrofit Programs
  CNL invited David Roewade to present to the Committee on Kingston’s plan to target certain housing categories to get the greatest GHG emissions reductions. The committee was enthusiastic about doing the same thing in Lanark County and Smiths Falls since funding was available to assist, and it would likely mean targeting the houses owned by the lower-income segment of our community for retrofits. It appears that having Roewade present to the committee at this early point puts Lanark County into an enviable position to take advantage of particular programs. 
• Michelle Vala and Elizabeth Gallant on Builder Engagement
  County staff have proposed a plan for engaging local builders and trades in developing and promoting skills and capacity to conduct retrofits and new builds that reduce carbon emissions.  

2. Emissions Campaign

Lanark County’s Climate action plan is Climate Action Plan for us - for the residents, businesses, farms and community organizations of the County. The plan will guide us over the next 10 critical years during which time we must cut our greenhouse gas emissions in half.

Climate Network Lanark is optimistic about the opportunities to make deep cuts in our emissions in Lanark County, but we need to show our elected officials that their constituents support setting aggressive targets. The Climate Action Committee will be setting the targets at a meeting in mid February. Join us in sending a clear message to the Committee by saying yes to the following:

3. Learning and Events

* January 13th all day via Zoom
Kingston Climate Change Symposium
Presented by Sustainable Kingston

* Wednesday, January 19th 6:30pm EST by Zoom.
Living in Relationship with the Land and Sea: Restoring Indigenous Food Sovereignty
This unique workshop links Indigenous food cultivation and harvesting practices on ocean and land as Indigenous leaders work toward reclaiming food sovereignty.

January is a slow month for events as people ease into the New Year, but if you are looking for digestible and inspiring learning to get you through the cold, check out this list of 30 Documentaries that help unlock the good ending

4. Actions You Can Take

* Climate Action Plans are happening at the Federal Level too. Add your voice to the Environment Minister’s public consultations about the National Climate Plan by January 14th. The toolkit above guides you through how individual can contribute.

* Our neighbours in Arnprior were inspired by the Climate advocacy happening in Lanark, so they are rallying for a Climate Plan too. Help them out by signing here.

5. Local Climate Action in the News

* Climate Network Lanark’s Climate Protests made Inside Ottawa Valley’s  top 20 photos that defined 2021 in the Ottawa Valley.

* Chandler Swain writes in the Humm  why a New Year calls for determined action on target setting.

Main Photo - Monique Renaud

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Lanark County is situated on unceded Algonquin Anishinaabeg traditional territory. We acknowledge this territory’s significance for Algonquin Peoples past, present and future.