Latest / The Environment in Canada Podcast / Our New Strategic Plan: Nature, Justice, Democracy - Be a Part of It.

Transcript

Our New Strategic Plan: Nature, Justice, Democracy - Be a Part of It. · The Environment in Canada Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of the Environment in Canada podcast, a podcast about the Environment in Canada by Sierra Club Canada.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Connor Curtis, Director of Communications at Sierra Club Canada.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: And today's podcast is about Sierra Club Canada's brand new strategic plan.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a chat with our president at Sierra Club Canada, Julie Rennick, and our executive director, Gretchen Fitzgerald.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I want to jump directly into the interview.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: So just to say that you can find the full strategic plan at the link in the description and at Sierra Club.ca.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: And you can be part of it.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can sign a petition, you can talk with others, you can volunteer, you can become a Sierra Club Canada member, you can join an executive committee, you can attend an event.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'll read out a list of tons of the events that we have happening just this month alone at the end of the podcast.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And there's so many other ways to participate as well.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Part of what Julie and Gretchen get into in the podcast is that you are a communicator.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: You are a trusted person in your community and you have a huge role to play.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: And we are a charity and we do run off gifts.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and it's going to be a difficult giving season for a lot of people.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: But if you do have the capacity to give to us to help grow this work, uh, please do consider a gift this giving season, um, no matter what.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Though there's a way you can be part of this plan if you find it inspiring.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: So, as Julie says in the interview, reach out and we'll be happy to hear from you.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Again, find a full strategic plan at the link in the podcast description and at SierraClub.ca.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: In it we also detail some of our very recent work and the work of our supporters, from helping stand in solidarity with Greenland against unauthorized US oil drilling, to opposing public financing of gas plants in Canada for US corporations data centers, to standing up for endangered species, to training communities in solar energy and climate adaptation, to helping to build a stronger, more localized Canadian media ecosystem, to training future generations to be able to survive in nature through our wild child programs.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, Gretchen, Julie, thank you so much for joining me today.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, for those tuning in, who are you and what do you do?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Julie Rennick.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the president.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: I've been involved with the organization for about six years.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: Professionally, I work across sustainability and technology.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: But what has kept me connected to Sierra Club?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: Canada is the way it brings together nature, justice, and democratic participation.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Gretchen Fitzschild.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: I'm executive director here at Sierra Club Canada.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I'm based in Chipotle, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, definitely nature, love of nature brought me to Sierra Club, but also just love of connecting with others that are doing so much to defend and protect nature.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I've been with the club since 2007, starting as a volunteer and then uh moving on to staff roles.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you mentioned about nature.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sort of uh curious for both of you.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Canada seems to be in this crossroads right now, both with climate change and severe storms that we are seeing.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um one severe storm recently hit Toronto, another recently hit Cape Breton at around the time of this recording.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, nature is under threat from deregulation, cuts to programs and services.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, Andrea Miller from our communications committee was just interviewing somebody who works with uh polar bears and Arctic uh species and and some of the impacts that uh you know these things can have on that sort of work.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And Canada is in a critical moment right now in terms of threats with the US, and we're in a trade war at the moment.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Again, all this at the time of this recording.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sierra Club Canada has a new strategic plan that's just being launched in terms of we've been following it for a while, but it's being publicly uh launched now.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: How does this strategic plan attempt to meet this moment?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, what makes Sierra Club Canada's skill sets and capacities suited to carrying this plan out?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think the strategic plan starts from the recognition that climate change, nature loss, inequality, and injustice are interconnected.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: So that means our response has to be interconnected too.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: For the trade tensions with the United States, uh we see how vulnerable communities can be when economic decisions are made quickly and under pressure.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel that Canada should be thinking about resilience and resilient communities, resilient ecosystems and institutions.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: That means diversifying relationships, and that's something our strategic plan is all about deep relationships, strengthening democratic participation and making sure environmental standards are are not sacrificed in response to external pressure.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I just want to just Yeah, kind of in a way, just echo that, Julie.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's amazing you're pulling out those threads, and uh yeah, this feels like a moment of of real great upheaval, and I just feel it was so prescient that when the volunteers and the members and the board got together to develop the strategic plan, it was a little bit before this crisis moment, so around last last summer.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, it it really feels that they the mindset was was quite prescient because it really came down to like understanding that um the uncertainty of this moment that was being felt even then, and um the need to center deep relationships and nature and democracy as a strength, not as something that you cast away in a crisis.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, I just wanted to echo what you said there.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I also think that the uh strategic plan gives us a clear lens.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: Environmental protection and social justice should not be treated as expendables when times become difficult.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: In this case, economic uncertainty can create pressure to weaken environmental protections.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: So, in the name of competitiveness, which is what we are seeing.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we need to we need to be clear about that and always remember that environmental protection and social justice should not be expendable at all when times become difficult.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think there's an argument to be made that the United States would like us to cut a bunch of environmental protections and would like us to, you know, uh drill baby drill, I believe is the term that they use for for that.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: So there is a question, I think, there of uh, you know, as you're putting it, right, domestic policy sovereignty, right?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Do we make our own rules and abide by our own standards, or do we give up those standards to to a grading that the US predetermines is acceptable or or is not, right?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Or you know, this and I I do wonder a little bit, just jumping off of that, you know, what are some of the maybe threats specifically to nature, which is one of the sort of pillars of this plan that you're seeing and that you think really stand out to you as something that um, you know, maybe galvanize you to see the importance of the plan or really, you know, make you think about the importance of it needing to be there now.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely I come at this from a marine biology point of view, so I always think of the whales.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and the fish and and the other species there that they are, you know, they're obviously part of of very vibrant ecosystems when they are present and they're thriving.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_02: And for me, like the the Bay de Nord project and deep off of Newfoundland, which is a deep ocean drilling project that uh Equinor, a Norwegian company, is is attempting to see go ahead.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: And uh the Canadian government has stated that they will um subsidize international royalties to uh you know enhance the profits of this company and incentivize them to do it.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um and uh again, kind of as part of this, like we got to get things done if we're gonna survive as a country, and um that false narrative and the sacrifice uh of you know, there's deep sea whales that are there, and there's science showing they may not that subpopulation may not exist anywhere else on earth.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, and and we know actually the North Atlantic right whale is increasingly going over to Newfoundland and Labrador too to find food.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I guess I think of the direct threats from activities that are being kind of carelessly incentivized and and unleashed and what that means about us as a country that we're willing to do that.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, as you mentioned, Connor, like the I think it's pretty apparent from the wildfires and the the floods and the and the storms we're seeing that the the increase of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere is creating changes that we as humans, one of the more adaptable species, are having trouble adapting to.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: So I I do notice and I do know that there's you know different bird species that I see around in my backyard or when I go birding.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, and you always think when you see a new species, like what happened to the ones that used to be here?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, um, so yeah, I just, you know, those those impacts of wild of of of climate change on on habitats and the degree to which it will be impossible for some species to adapt.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: It makes me really, really sad.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_02: And it is preventable.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_02: These are choices we're making.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, so that's some of the things I think about, but I don't know.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: Julie, what what comes to mind for you?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: I can't help but tie this to economics, and I'm thinking of agriculture, food production.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm thinking of how um families, households are impacted.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we've gone to stores and find that their their shelves are emptier now than they were before, prices are higher now.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Well, how does that translate to the average uh household, the average um families who probably had a challenge of eating uh the food before, and now it's become even worse.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: And that ties to the um the environmental impact that we are experiencing as a nation, as families, and and how um these problems are not experienced at the same level by everyone.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: There are some who are impacted more and others are not as much, but somehow at the end of the day, we all feel it.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: I guess can you tell me a bit about how this new strategic plan came about and how it settled on nature, justice, and democracy as three, I think, very relevant uh things, but uh still kind of interesting to know how that actually developed.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: I mentioned earlier that the uh the strategic plan uh recognizes that climate change, nature loss, and inequality and injustice are interconnected.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: So our response has to be interconnected too.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like the strategic plan translates that into three practical priorities having greater impact, building deeper relationships, something I'm very keen on, the deeper relationship, and strengthening the organization itself, Sierra Club itself.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: So for powerful impact, we want fewer and uh clearer uh campaigns, uh stronger public voices, and campaigns that actually contribute to changes in policy or practice.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: And uh specifically for a marginable number of campaigns, clearer goals and strategies, collaboration with chapters and non-traditional allies, and for deeper relationships, we recognize that environmental work is fundamentally about people.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: We want people to feel included, people to have a voice and to feel that they have the tools to participate, to also choose who can lead them.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: We ended up there was a meeting in Guelph last year, which we were all at.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Some of these things I think were discussed there as well.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_02: And it was a really great opportunity to meet um at that location, which was an area which, you know, it was very clear the location around the where we had the retreat was an area where people had really focused on restoring the landscapes and sustainable community-supported agriculture.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: So it was a very inspiring setting.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: And we are, you know, across the country, and you know, as a you know, we we we put a lot of our well, we put as much as we can into our actual program work and our so we don't spend too much time in actually, you know, getting together that often physically, I will say.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: So I was actually kind of interested to see how it was going to be like to be in person with all these people that we often are not in person with, uh, or not that often.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope um we'll be doing more as we build out the the strategic plan and operationalize it.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: But um it it really was fascinating because we had we were led by two people, so Risa Marx uh with Lily Mark Consulting, and then uh Jessica Murray, who was uh leader in Sierra Club working on our line five campaign, but also had been doing some work uh with uh within Sierra Club on based on the work of Joanna Macy, which is all about the work that reconnects and understanding crises.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_02: We started the conversation talking about crisis and living in crises and loss, um, and how we as thoughtful, compassionate humans can can can really respond in a way that's not about panic or fear, but but actually about um honoring loss and then respecting our capacity for change, or that's how how I experience it.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody experiences it differently.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: But and then, you know, so we actually all of us went through some of the process of the work that Read Connect.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: So there were some some really deep reflections on the part of all the participants on where we feel we're at and how we are experiencing that as individuals, but also communally.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so a lot of sharing.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but also within that was a more traditionally structured strategic planning process.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, with the mixture of people there, so we had chairs of our committees there, we had our board, we had key volunteers, we had staff.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: It was really quite rewarding to see not only, you know, how people were really coming to the moment with all of their skills and their their background and their knowledge, but also how those two processes, like the more linear process, traditional process that maybe people, many people may have gone through in terms if you've done a strategic plan before, um, but also kind of intertwining it with um this other way of of of experiencing and uh participating in activism.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it's very reflective of the the deep relationships which actually came out as a key pillar of the plan, uh, which uh Julie have referenced.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, it was it was pretty neat.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: And it also I think helped us step back a bit from being reactive to the moment.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_02: Because like I say, even then we had a sense we're on a precipice here.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um things we know the declines in in biodiversity, nature, species at risk um are um yeah, basically threatening our our well, they're threats directly to those species, but also like real threats to having a a thriving society um based on healthy communities.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_02: But then also obviously with the climate change impacts accelerating and we are all feeling that, I think, just even in our in our bones these days, like just you know, the heat, the rainfall, the wind, you know, the wildfires, the smoke, you know, different parts of the country.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: We're we're actually experiencing these physically.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, I think with like I think those having that that moment to reflect and incorporating the work that reconnects in that process helped us kind of step away from maybe fear-based responses and being like, what is our long-term strength?
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: And and turns out that's no surprise, it's nature.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, isn't it amazing that nature is what we all have in common?
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like literally.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: And and the deep and I believe that environmental organization such as Sierra Club and what we're doing here should create a sense of belonging to its members and welcome those who want to join us.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: Deep relationships is what we are all about, and uh one of the key factors of this strategic plan.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: And personally, I have I've always felt a very deep relationship to Sierra Club Canada.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: I joined six years ago when I was a newcomer to Canada.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: So you can imagine for me it was like home, and I've stayed since.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: And the sense of belonging for me, it's uh I have nothing but good things to say about this, and and I wish for other people who would like to join, and members listening to have that sense of belonging when they participate in things that are deep and that are close to their heart.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: Nature being one of them.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm really happy to hear that, and also like uh I I think that was something that came back from that meeting for me, is that it's very it's it was going from the personal, the very you know, personal motivations for things and and that sense of belonging that we all I think seek for in some way to then the objectives and the planning and the more structural thing.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I I feel that now in the plan when I read it, right?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: That it goes from um and ultimately those connections.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, would we would we necessarily have come up with a plan that had such a center on connection if it weren't for the nature of the organization and the nature of of those connections, right?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: So, and and some of the stories that um our supporters and board members and staff have coming to this.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh yeah, it's just really eye-opening.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I guess on that note, you know, is there a particular part of the plan that you most connect with that that most stands out for you?
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: I must connect with with the deep relationships.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: I can't stress that enough.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, it's it's the deep relationships and the sense of belonging that the strategic planning gives.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: And uh from a board perspective, it's also asking whether we are living with those values internally.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I think I I for for me as well, like that kind of inviting people in and the the the deep relationships and like really centering that um I think is is yeah, I can't really pick a favorite, I have to say.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but yeah, that definitely for me and is maybe perhaps a little bit unique to to CR Club, just to have care and compassion and and like really centering that as a value and hopefully then as we go forward incorporating that into being, you know, welcoming or or in you know, reflecting our sense of being a welcoming organization where where people can play a role and uh providing the space and the the tools that people need um in this moment.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um so there's that.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: And then I guess I'll pick kind of a funny one that I I did not see coming, and I think maybe that reflects a little bit our history of Sierra Club Canada is there is there's one aspect of the plan that's a kind of celebrating our accomplishments and you know, archiving some of our work.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: And maybe just because I've been at this so long, I'm like becoming one of those people who's like, that's right, we did do a lot.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: So, but there is a history in Sierra Club and and maybe it's the movement in general, but I think I think particularly just Sierra Club is kind of like on to the next thing, you know.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and maybe not as much sitting with um the accomplishments of this organization over the last 50 years.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I think it will be cool if if if as we roll out the plan, if we can create some opportunities for some of the folks that contributed to that work, you know, speak about those accomplishments and to document them and to celebrate them.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm kind of excited about that part.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um but uh so yeah, that was that was one that I was like, okay, that's that's really neat.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: And and because we do have this tendency to be on to the next battle or on to the next project or on to the, you know, um maybe just uh one of the values of planning is taking a step back and be okay, one of the things that really will strengthen the organization over the long haul.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that is one is really recognizing the accomplishments of of Sierra Club and the movement that we are a part of.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I think that'll be cool.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I am very excited to roll out sort of an eng uh a way people engage, can engage with the the rights of nature.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Which is one of the ways we're going to operationalize the plan in the next couple of years.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely our National Conservation Committee has focused on the idea of rights of nature and our responsibility toward nature for a few years now.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: And the plan, because it focuses on deep relationships, makes it very clear that we need to be creating ways for people to come into that and get educated on what that would really mean if we saw a river, for instance, as sort of part of our community, not just a place where you dispose of waste or that you use to generate power.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: Or, you know, any ecosystem, a forest, you know, how how would that change our approach, particularly in this moment, for instance, uh to resilience, if if we had that that deeper understanding of of our interconnectedness with nature and our responsibility to nature?
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, I'm pretty excited and I'll be really excited if if folks respond to those calls to action uh to join us, whether it's to, you know, form an executive committee at the chapter level or take part in in some of the activities to advance the rights of nature.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm I'm really excited by that.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: And that ties perfectly into our last question for today.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that's how can people find out more and get involved?
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: People can become members and we need volunteers, we need uh Sierra youth volunte volunteers, so youth out there, please join us, um, attend gatherings, participate in campaigns, call respond to our calls to action.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you can also connect with a chapter, Miayo.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: Pick a province, connect.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely, definitely reach out.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I think, yeah, definitely volunteering uh with our local chapters is a really great way that you can make a difference in your region or for the CR youth on uh with with youth across the country.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: And we are really actively looking for people to to take leadership roles in in those chapters.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: So that's you know, if you if you're really inspired by the strategic plan, really invite you to do that.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_02: And then there are so many other ways, like Julie mentioned, like just join us as a member, you know, show that you support the overall direction of the strategic plan, you know, engage with our online race calls to action, etc.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_02: Read our newsletter that Connor puts out um so wonderfully.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, and I think the other thing now, which is more and more important, you you're seeing you yourself as a Sierra Club supporter or a member, are to your community a trusted um source of information.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it's it's so important right now as we are just saturated with um over information, information overload, but also that information uh coming from bad actors that you are speaking out about the things that you care about with your network.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: So that's that's another way because the more people have these conversations and are willing to talk about the the moment that we're in and the choices that we have in this moment and how we we need to be centering nature as as a strategy for resilience in a time of uncertainty, um uh championing that and uh being um vocal in your own way with your community um doesn't have to mean shouting.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: It can be to storytelling, it can be, you know, honestly saying what you're concerned about or or or asking questions.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um definitely using your own voice in a genuine way can be extremely powerful right now because people are looking to each other uh now more than ever for for for real information and for for opinions that are genuinely coming from from concerns rather than from um interested parties that may not have the best interests of of nature, climate, or Canada in mind.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'd also like to say that we are very approachable online and offline.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: So please please reach out.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just reach out.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're happy to engage.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for joining me today.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Connor.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks for listening.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Here's just a few of the upcoming events and some recent media coverage of Sierra Club Canada that you might want to check out.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_00: Find all the upcoming events at SierraClub.ca forward slash events.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: Today, the day that this podcast is released was September 22nd, 2026.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: We actually have an online wellness workshop happening anywhere.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: There'll be a link to sign up for this in the podcast description.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's happening anywhere online.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: In Edmonton, Alberta, our Wild Child program has their fall 2026 program.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: So the registration for those are is open.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: Wild Child is an educational program of Sierra Club Canada.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can find out more about it on our website.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: There is a river run work with Grassy Narrows for Mercury Justice in Toronto, September 23rd.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's tomorrow.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: You can find out more at CRClub.ca forward slash events.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: There's a two-day introductory solar training in channel Border Basque, October 3rd through 4th.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: Partners for that one, Automics Coast Collective, Iron and Earth.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, we have a trivia night, and it's going to be the first in-person strategic planned launch event at the co-op bar Milton Park in Montreal.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: The themes for the trivia night are nature, justice, democracy.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's on September 28th, 2026.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: We also just ran a few events this past week.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, on the 19th, there was a rain garden party in St.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: John's, there was an Ottawa Gatneau Climate Marsh that we were part of.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: There was a World Cleanup Day event that we organized in downtown Montreal.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: There was a Belcher's Marsh Park cleanup event in Halifax, also on the 19th.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: So there's lots of events that have just happened this month and lots more to come.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: Please stay tuned.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Circlub.ca forward slash events.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: In terms of media coverage, Gretchen Fitzgerald, our executive director, was also on Global News National to talk about the recent UN climate report and the need for rapid action to address emissions.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: Our offshore wind coordinator, Shauna Kelly, spoke with CBC News about the attempt to quote unquote streamline project assessments and the risks to resiliency.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Our community organizer, Spencer Scott, talked with VOCM News about the dangers of the Beta Nord oil project.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: And Sierra Club Candle was also on CBC News' Maritime Connection just the other week for a full hour to discuss uh the economic problems of oil and gas development and how we can very practically go renewable instead.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: Before we go today, just a reminder that you can take action on environmental issues by visiting SierraClub.ca.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: We have tons of petitions, other actions and events, and regular news updates you can sign up for on the homepage.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: And as I say, if you can and want to help us grow this work, please consider a gift to us this giving season.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: But recognizing it's a difficult giving season.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: Please, no matter what, there are ways you can be part of this plan.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: So if you find it inspiring, reach out to us.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: You can also find Sierra Club Canada on social media and you can listen to the Environment in Canada podcast on the Harbinger Media Network, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast also airs on CKUT Broadcast Radio in Montreal, 90.3 FM bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 11 a.m.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: Eastern Time.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: And a big thank you to CKUT and the Harbinger Media Network for over the past couple of years being uh amazing allies in getting the word out and getting this podcast out.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I do also just want to thank the Energy Mix, which didn't come up in this particular podcast, but we've been doing some really great work with them as well.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to click follow or subscribe so you get the latest episodes from us.