The City of Cranbrook is inviting residents to learn about climate change and its impacts on the community and discuss concerns they may have.
The event will be held at the College of the Rockies campus in Cranbrook in the Lecture Theatre from 7 to 9 p.m. on February 11th.
“We are pleased to have been asked to be part of this exciting discussion around climate change,” said Mike Peabody, Acting Mayor for the City of Cranbrook. “As a City, we have been active in the past seven years in finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our operations and undertaking changes to our processes to help conserve energy.”
The City said the event, “For a livable climate: working on solutions,” will be split into multiple parts. First off, the City will discuss its completed and in-progress climate mitigation, energy conservation, and adaptation projects. Following that, attendees will have an opportunity to look into information on how the climate is shifting within the region and projections for the future. Climate advocacy activist Laura Sacks will lead the evening’s main presentation, which will focus on three questions: must we change, can we change and will we change. Participants will also be encouraged to speak about their concerns during breakout sessions.
“We look forward to this evening for information and community dialogue,” says Sue Cairns with the East Kootenay Chapter of CCL. “I’m excited to be hosting along with the City who has proven strong leadership. The challenges and opportunities we face require broader participation which this event will support.”
During the evening, the City said that Sacks will speak about global and local impacts of climate change, and transition into speaking about solutions and allow attendees to share ideas as well.
“Climate change is a topic often avoided because it can be divisive and depressing,” explains Sacks. “What many may not be aware of is that many climate solutions are also good for our health and the local economy.”
The City said the event will be jointly hosted by itself, the East Kootenay Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and the Climate Caucus.