Climate Action Ripple Effect (CARE) - results
Last month SENS took part in a public event to showcase climate-oriented work by local companies, non-profits, City of Vernon and RDNO, AND many of our students
SENS members and directors set up a booth to seek input from the public that will assist the City with their Transportation Plan and the Official Community Plan update. Citizen input is provided below.
Please enjoy the read, on thoughts of others in Vernon, then go to the City’s survey at: engagevernon.ca/ocp-tp and tell them what you want our City to be like in the future for all of us. Surveys must be completed before July 1st.
WHY I LOVE VERNON
Natural trails, bird and animal ecosystems
Hiking, biking, swimming, skiing, walking on trails etc. It’s how I recharge
Community spirit; generous, kind people
Family and friends
Trails
Because it has lots of fun activities to do and new fun things to explore
I love Vernon because the rail trail and gray canal trail are very nice and fun for adventures
Natural hillsides – mostly bare – NO houses!
Stunning views and trails
I love all the walking and biking trails.
Beautiful lakes and mountains
Beautiful topography; not overpopulated. Please preserve what is left.
Proximity to cross country skiing
Good bike paths through town
Kal Park; Climate Action Plan; bike lanes; Sovereign X Country
Friendly people
Community feel
Lots of bands!
Happiness is a fossil fuel -free, methane – free city.
Outdoor lifestyle
2 beautiful lakes
Ski hill
LOCAL FOOD - MyActions
Garden and majorly support local food initiatives
Support local farmers
Community gardens
Share extra produce that I grow
Buy local produce
Grow my own food (X5 comments)
Eat a vegan diet
Got rid of my lawn
Go to the Farmer’s Market
City Actions Wished
Year round farmer’s market in one place
Support repair cafes (perhaps at farmer’s market)
Advertise/promote local growers
Stop charging high rent to the farmer’s market!
Make markets for vendors affordable
More funding for food security programs
Compliments to the City for city wide composting
Stop charging Vernon Farmer’s Market a user fee or reduce it
More community garden spaces (X6 comments)
Community gardens for 30th Ave apartments, not lawns
Farmer’s Market support
No wasting food
Subsidize farmers
Support organic agriculture
We need a natural food co-op
HEALTH - My Actions
Grow food and ride a bike
Growing a garden
Gardening, local food purchasing, part of the local food community
Take walks by the river
Bike and hike regularly
Organic plant source foods
Electric car
Heat pump
Push lawn mower
Vegan diet
Compost
City Actions Wished
Encourage more local food initiatives and cost benefits
More housing to encourage more us of green space (i.e new rec centre downtown)
Plant more trees around the city
Keep the bowling alley open for seniors
Celebrate what hospitals are doing to lower environmental impact
Partner with healthcare programs and institutions to create healthier communities
The environment is our first healthcare system - plan accordingly
Fund research regarding climate action
Make more walking and biking paths that connect areas of the city
Encourage active lifestyles and healthy eating habits
NATURE - My Actions
Help to eliminate invasive weeds
Use no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, no plastic, no fossil fuels
Started our own compost
Planted a xeriscape garden
Organic gardening - lots of bugs in my garden
Reuse as many plastic containers as possible
I grow lots of perennials for pollinators
Don’t use pesticides
Planted native species - increased biodiversity in my yard, grow organically
Use no pesticides/herbicides or chemical fertilizers
City Actions Wished
Preserve remaining natural areas in the city!
Ban greenhouse gas sources
Invasive species bylaw - stop the sale of invasive plants and pets
Policy around plants/trees/shrubs that are appropriate for the area i.e no cedars
Make trees in parking lots a must and even if they die they must be replaced
Encourage permaculture landscaping and ignore the people who complain
Ban single use plastic water bottles etc
Create a cottage industry that uses up all of our plastic
Hugely tax plastic container foods etc
Plant and maintain more green spaces for pollinators and people alike
Partner with Okanagan Xeriscape Association
More native perennials in City parks
Invest in trail network so future generations will appreciate and want to protect nature
Plant more trees!!! (X 7 comments)
Build covers for parking lots with solar panels to power City buildings and collect water
for these shelters to water City vegetation
Stop watering grass plant non-invasive wildflower pathways - it will save money!
Cool us off!! More trees in the City!
Keep green spaces!
Ban pesticide/herbicide use
Manage invasive species
Ban future development of wetlands
Ban cosmetic use of herbicides on private and City property
Look at potential new green spaces/real estate from the perspective of youth/young
adults. 50 years from now$1M will be nothing by then, but the natural green spaces will be EVERYTHING.
Grow pollinator plants in City parks and roadways
CARBON FOOTPRINT - My Actions
I bought a 100% electric vehicle to lower my GHG emissions - LOVE IT!
Moved from the country to town so I can drive much less
Turn the heat down
Buy only used clothes
My recreation activities help/work with the environment
Drive e.v.s and have solar panels
Put in heat pumps and solar panels
Drive an e.v. have heat pumps and solar panels - love them all!
Use a bike for short trips/errands
Recycle
Reduce/reuse/repair/refill - recycling is a scam
Composting
Built a climate friendly house, heat pump and insulation
Buy less
Choose veggies with no plastic
Shop local
Walk to grocery store when only purchasing a small amount\
Pick up loose garbage on ground
Electric car/heat pump/ more insulations almost entirely off gas
Staycations
Permaculture gardening
I recycle all my empties
City Actions Wished
Make more and better bike routes
Low interest loans to help owners get heat pumps lower GHGs
I would like to see all new building in Vernon run on electricity
Invest in ev fleet of vehicles
Electricity rebates from the city
Permaculture landscaping
Make walking and bike paths in the north end
Safe bike lane and sidewalk on Bella Vista rd
Reduce single use plastics in food wrappings
More bike paths running east/west please!
Get rid of normal and stage 1 of water use
Electric transport - buses, delivery trucks, cars and taxis
Ban year round driveway & car hosing for cleaning
Educate to NOT use gas powered leaf blowers
More separated bike paths and lanes
Partner with societies to increase safety for bikers along Bella Vista Rd.
I would like to see Vernon adopt a higher level of the zero carbon step code
How to have every household actually compost and recycle every week
39 Ave – sidewalks are inconsistent
Polson Mall area is very unfriendly to bikes/pedestrians – especially from the Mall to
Pottery Road
East Vernon Rd Bike lane or at least a level shoulder to walk on- it’s a major activity
corridor – could be great if connects to 39th via Black Rock
WATER QUALITY - My Actions
Greywater diversion to xeriscape gardens
Save all shower/bath/tap water and use to flush toilets
Native plants/drought resistant gardens
Rain barrel collecting and dripline irrigation
Water conscious lifestyle
I have xeriscape yard and only flush toilet when needed
Use rain barrel for veggies
I don’t flush toilet after every pee
Drip irrigation/reduced toilet flushing
Shared bath water
Irrigation for food plants only, animals use too much water
Collect rainwater to use on my gardens
Shorter showers (5 mins)
City Actions Wished
Ban all logging in our watersheds (3X comments)
Leave swamps and ponds natural
Protect Kal Lake - no motor boats - our drinking water!
Charge more for water wasters
Reduce grass
Water conservation year round
Why do we wash our roads - water is life
Encourage greywater collection to be mandatory in new construction
Encourage the Province to stop fracking
No more golf courses and restrict their water access
Make golf courses plant different ground cover that doesn’t require watering (other
countries have examples of this)
Grants for drip irrigation
$25,000 + to get off septic, citizens need help!
Utilize all rainfall as much as possible by collecting
Protect the Duteau watershed from resource extraction, preserve the forest
Collect rainwater from City buildings for use
AIR QUALITY - My Actions
Plant native trees and plants
Plan the use of our car - walk and bike wherever possible
Drive an ev
No cars in downtown core and 30k nearby
Limit chemicals uses
Drive a plugin hybrid vehicle
Air source heat pump
City Actions Wished
Dust is a major concern in Vernon - how do we change this?
Make new homes require an ev ready outlet for charging evs
New homes should not have to have gas… electrify and use renewables
Companies working on city jobs must sign on to NOT idle at the work site (seen recently
at 32nd ave by knox church)
Vacuum trucks for roads
Replace city building heating with heat pumps
Bike racks and safe places to ride bikes rather than drive
Grants for hepa filters - fire smoke can increase autoimmune diseases
Spring burns increase air pollution - need policy
Ban domestic use of herbicides
Plant native plants along roadways to reduce grass cutting expense
No more clear cuts that make forest fires worse and the smoke makes our summers worse and ruins our health