Blog Action Day: The Environment

Today (Monday, October 15) is Blog Action Day. The website asks bloggers to unite on one issue--the environment. Blog Action Day is about mass participation.

I decided to take a look at a resource I've had for awhile--Community Energy Workbook: A Guide to Building a Sustainable Economy (1995) from the Rocky Mountain Institute (http://www.rmi.org/.

The book provides a blueprint for helping a community to identify ways it can reduce energy consumption while building sustainability into its economy. Although the book seems to be mostly geared towards larger urban areas, I'm sure there are ways we could adapt for a smaller town like Peace River.

The book talks about the characteristics of communities that have led in finding ways to improve their economies through energy planning. These include:

• Widespread awareness of energy alternatives
• Incentives to change
• Community and political support
• Strong local leadership
• Ability to mobilize resources
• An effective organization to carry the effort on, year after year

Could we find ways to develop the characteristics listed above? Perhaps a new Town Council with a commitment to community consultation and mobilization can begin to move us in that direction. And as citizens, we can encourage our local politicians to see energy sustainability as an issue worth working on.