Climate Change Neighborhood Support Group

First, share the hopes, concerns and resources in your community. Invite some neighbours on your block, in your immediate area or your apartment building to a climate change / social gathering. Provide refreshments and a timeline. Think Tupperware party without the plastic! Include a diversity of people but with a preference for those with an interest in the topic. Form a small enough group for easy discussion; 6 to 10 works well. Some topics might be: plant-based eating, pollinator gardens, commuting by foot, cycle and transit, and home-made cleaning solutions and clotheslines. Most important is the kindness factor, recognizing that we all need each other. Who in your neighbourhood would need help in a disaster? The elderly, those with disabilities, people with multiple pets and small children, and those who have no vehicle, etc.

It's useful to have several recent climate change books, available from the library, on hand and a list of reliable website references. Take time for everyone to get to know one another before delving into the topic and the group's particular concerns. The group should be willing to meet regularly (mine meets for two hours every other week) so as not to lose momentum.

Though I advocate a local neighborhood climate change support group, the six of us in mine span across two provinces! So, of course, we meet on Zoom. After a year and a half some of us had never met everyone in the flesh, so to speak, so last June we gathered for the day in my back garden in Toronto. We began with morning coffee moving on to a potluck lunch when partners joined us. Since then, we have created an 8-page tiny zine with a QR code that links to our website. Coming soon to Story Soup Enterprises.ca

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