 |
|
Conference Early Bird Registration Closes September 1
We are betting the ranch that building political will at the grassroots level will win the day. It is how Gandhi finally prevailed in India. And yes, it did get a lot harder to fight for the climate recently. As Gandhi said, “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.”
We have been working at this for eight years now in Canada. We are not guessing. We work closely with CCL USA and experts around the world.
Join us in October and we will train you how to build a relationship with your MP around the issue of climate change. Together, we can cross the political divide and build bridges for a liveable world.
In addition to a youth panel, a medical panel, a professional musician, a professional conference facilitator, a professional motivational interviewing facilitator and artists at our conference, we have carbon pricing experts that will help prepare us to talk to politicians: Dr. David Maenz, author of the Price of Carbon, Mark T Cameron from Canadians for Clean Prosperity and possibly one more person.
You are far more powerful than you can ever imagine. We really hope that you will join us. Register by September 1 and save money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
SAVE THE DATE - Thursday, September 20 - Author Kevin Taft
Please join our next education call, when Kevin Taft, best-selling author and former leader of Alberta Liberal Party, will be our guest speaker. His latest book “Oil’s Deep State” is eye opening and will help prepare us for our fifth annual conference and lobbying in October.
WHEN: Thursday, September 20, 4 pm PT / 7 pm ET (note your time zone)
WHERE: On the CCL Canada Zoom Line (link will be sent if you register -- see below)
REGISTER: Please register here to receive the information necessary to join our call. (Not necessary if you are CCL Canada Group Leader.)
|
|
|
|
 |
|
MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING Vince Shutt, Environmentum
Yes, like we said above: it did get a lot harder to fight for the climate recently. As well, after listening to Kevin Taft’s call on Canada being a deep oil state (above), many of us will need help finding the communication skills necessary to cross the political divide that is impeding action on climate. Lastly, if you are paying attention to the global warming projections for 2018-2022, you know that too much is at stake now to “wing it.”
Thus, our conference team decided we needed to bring in the experts. We are excited that Vince Shutt with Environmentum, will be leading an in depth 4-hour workshop in Motivational Interviewing (MI) on Saturday October 13. As an expert in MI, Vince has also assisted CCL volunteers in the USA.
MI has been used for years in clinical psychology to help people with issues such as substance abuse. The powerful thing about MI is that it transcends the adversarial mindset. It taps into others’ values rather than working against them and paradoxically, it encourages them to make the case for change.
We have the resources to do this workshop because we exceeded our fundraising goals in December of last year. So a big thank you to our donors!
Note that we will not be recording nor live streaming this session. So please plan to attend the conference to learn motivational interviewing techniques to have better climate conversations.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Music, spirituality and the whisper that connects us all
Angie Nussey believes that if we combine music and spirituality we can connect to an infinitely more wise and compassionate spirit that connects us all, and so does our national director. Listening and singing along to the songs on Angie Nussey’s album Still Hope is one of things our national director Cathy Orlando does to savour the planet. Then it dawned on her, she could invite Angie to be part of our national conference. After circulating a video of Angie to the conference committee and to our biggest funder, they agreed to invite Angie. And we are thrilled to announce that she resoundingly said “yes” to our request to bring her music to the October conference.
There is a whisper in the air. Change is on its way. Let’s raise the roof. Your voice is right beside your heart. Your MP needs to listen to you. Come be part of history with us.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Parachutes for the Planet Guide for Teachers Available
We are very excited to be organizing a national display of Parachutes for the Planet -- a youth-inspired collective international art project illustrating shared concern for climate change. The event is being planned for October 15, corresponding to our National Conference and Lobbying Days. The display will show Parliamentarians that people across the country care deeply about solving the climate crisis.
Parachutes are a metaphor for a soft landing for a healthy and safe future for today’s youth. The parachutes (non-functional) are circular pieces of cloth decorated with artwork and personal comments about concerns for the health of our planet. Each one is a unique creation, expressing the makers’ local concerns and hopes for the future.
We created an educator's guide so that Canadian youth -- or those of any age -- can create a parachute for the national display. A guide in French is also available. We would appreciate you sharing this guide with educators in your community.
Creating the parachutes is an excellent opportunity to engage students and their community with the often dark issue of climate change, using the healing medium of art. A group display is very powerful, transforming the parachutes into powerful messages of strength, hope, and communal determination.
Please note the October 1 deadline to have parachutes arrive at CCL Canada’s national office, or you can arrange to get it to Ottawa. All the details are in the educator's guide.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Roger at CCL Calgary gets a Letter to the Editor
Last month in our newsletter we highlighted letters and opinion pieces resulting from the work of members in BC, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. This month we have two letters from long-time CCL members in Alberta Roger Gagne in Calgary and Victor Dorian in Edmonton.
Victor defended British Columbians and our precious forests in the Edmonton Journal on August 22.
Roger defended carbon pricing in the Calgary Sun on August 11. In response to an anti- carbon tax column by Rick Bell, Roger concludes:
“...economists widely agree that putting a price on carbon is the most cost-effective means of tackling climate change — cheaper than regulations, and far cheaper than using taxpayer dollars to pick up the pieces after the floods, droughts, wildfires and heat waves which are becoming more frequent and more deadly as the planet warms.”
Thank you CCLers in Alberta for speaking up in a challenging political environment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
