At its November meeting, the HVRA Board committed to considering the ecological implications of all its actions and decisions. Here is the Board statement and the motion to adopt it — which passed unanimously.
CLIMATE STATEMENT AND MOTION
The climate crisis is the result of billions of individual and collective decisions. To end it will require determination, vigilance and sacrifice at all levels in all societies.
Neighbourhoods matter. We are the source of emissions; at the same time our trees are a carbon sink.
We are also the lynchpin between the city government and residents and, as individuals and within associations, are in the unique position to influence both.
We respond directly to proposals from government. We actively seek positive change.
Our challenge is
- to consider the ecological consequences in what we do,
- to recommend changes to policies and initiatives that have negative impacts on the environment,
- to encourage and assist fellow residents to take steps to protect the planet’s life sustaining systems.
Over the years, HVRA Board has undertaken many projects including an official greening plan, tree inventories, programs of canopy maintenance and renewal, and heat island reduction. Today we have a NetZero Committee that is promoting household retrofits and studying E-bikes.
We can do more.
In future we will apply an ecological impact consideration on our actions and on the policies we advocate and those we respond to from governments.
MOVED: That HVRA apply an ecological impact consideration on actions we take and policies we advocate with the goal of reducing carbon emissions and restoring the health of the planet.
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
(This document is also available in PDF form.)