Hamilton Climate Challenge- We're Everywhere

A quick thanks to Julia Kolleck and Juby Lee for having let us do a short presentation on the 23rd August at their vounteer appreciation night( held at the Montessori school in Dundas).
I got 2 callers asking to volunteer because of that.
Thanks to my daughters who came out with me to help flyer our Dundas neighbourhood. Now we need volunteers to come out and help deliver energy saving kits please!
Beatrice

Climate Canvass Update

Climate Change canvass at the Cactus festival was a success, I’m happy to report- and we have Joanna Chapman to thank for the opportunity. We put up a table outside her store front (Chapman Books) in Dundas and we were able to award pledges by moving over one hundred energy saving Union gas kits.

Had a few interesting conversations with people (that will be more details in a later ‘canvass results).

People said they were doing many of the pledges in the brochure; others said they wished there were pledges like ‘get a rain barrel’ or don’t use pesticides. Two people who cycle said they would like to see Hamilton go with 2 way roads (Are you listening City Council?!)

Someone thought that clothes washed in cold water are unhygienic and dirty!

Perhaps the toughest most difficult obstacle to climate action remains the automobile. There is nothing more challenging- frankly that’s were people stumble the most. “Too hard” “I need to get to work” “I feel safe in the car” “The streets are ugly to walk along”- Again Council listen up! People need incentives to get out of their cars. They want beautiful streets.

More later!

Beatrice

Report from the trenches; Climate change canvass

To date we have delivered and received approximately 150 Kits and pledges. This number may not seem substantial, but with the limited resources available to the project, including a serious lack of volunteers, transportation and the added pressure of the summer heat, I would say that it is definitely a start.

The most frustrating thing for me, as a summer student, working full-time on this project is the potential benefit that this campaign could produce for Hamilton, potential that is currently going to waste. I have been out canvassing the streets everyday and I see how Hamiltonians react to Environment Hamilton knocking on their door: they thank us for making the effort, for pounding the pavement and physically bringing the issues to their doorstep.

The reactions are extremely positive and supportive, and this is where my frustrations lie: we just don't have enough volunteers to get to more houses. If we had even ten more people than we have today we could canvas two whole neighbourhoods at once!

"they thank us for making the effort, for pounding the pavement and physically bringing the issues to their doorstep"

Canvassing can be an intimidating job, I myself was only new to the role last summer when I worked full-time on the Transit-Survey in the North End of Hamilton. But, speaking from experience, when all you are doing is asking for people to consider simple lifestyle changes, changes in the daily lives of Hamiltonians that will ultimately benefit themselves financially and ethically, and giving away free stuff in return, you will not get turned away.

This phase of the project is slowly coming to an end, with only two full weeks of daily canvassing left, we want to make those final days count. To do this we are launching a canvassing blitz so to speak, to really spread the word to as many people as we can, I am challenging YOU, to take some time in the next two weeks and come and join our team of volunteers.

We need to prove to Hamilton that it is Our Climate, Our Community, and Our Challenge!

Heather Alexander

Out there for the climate

After a bit of welcome media fanfare, the Hamilton Climate Change canvassers hit the streets to deliver our beautiful brochure, round one in the campaign to encourage Hamiltonians to pledge their commitment to the climate. Follow-up to the brochure delivery will include a return visit to collect pledges and reward participants with their energy saving kits.