1. Food Supply
o Support local regenerative, organic farms and household organic food production
§ “Buy local” ads, farmers’ markets, farm sales [local farm connections to buyers supported and enhanced]
§ Food for sale/trade or donation bulletin boards in public places and on websites
· Local seed and plant exchanges and sales – annual and bi-annual events maintained
§ Community education on
· regenerative and organic farming, soil carbon storage
· permaculture and drought-resistant gardening
· wildlife-enhancing gardening and wilderness protection
· gardening and food-production tips (from our master gardeners)
· food preservation techniques (canning, dehydration, freezing etc.)
· vegan, vegetarian and flexetarian meals
· problems with beef greenhouse gas emissions and pros and cons of local meat production
· human compost use in gardens, composting systems to replace septic systems
· climate change impacts on local gardening strategies and species
· farming under tree canopies
· sustainable wild foods harvesting
· wildlife barriers garden/farm protection (deer, rats, etc.)
§ “Fruit tree(s) in every yard” programs and triple-share fruit harvesting
(1/3 each – harvester, owner, food bank)
§ Private greenhouses and property areas made available to farmers at reasonable rentals or produce-share with owners
§ Assistance to home owners to produce food from their gardens as needed (commercial and volunteer)
§ Community gardens expanded
§ Community greenhouse for seedlings and some foods (to augment private greenhouses if necessary). Link to a solar liquid waste treatment system?
· Community dehydrator, canners and juice press available to borrow or rent or sharable or rentable community building for these processes.
§ Glass canning jar and bottle recycling/sharing centre
§ Vertical gardens and indoor gardens built
§ Monitor changing Climate Change impacts on farming strategies and changing types and species of plants for production and inform the public and producers in local media and other platforms, local weather forecasting enhanced.
§ Local wine, juice and beer making business(es)
o Diversity of food production
§ Grains production supported (a need not yet met on islands)
§ Lists of needed foods developed and plans for production or trade
§ Trading systems with Comox Valley and Campbell River and other areas (for seafood?)
o Efficient, equitable food distribution system on-island including a robust food bank
o Food waste reduction: composting systems, grocery stores’ second’s and restaurant and resort meal left-overs distribution systems
o Drought-management systems: Rainwater storage systems/cisterns for every house, large rainwater cisterns and storage ponds for agriculture and fire fighting.
o Community back-up water supplies available for citizens
o Bulk-buy and cooperative distribution of food staples and other products from off-island
2. Housing and Landscape Energy and Water Efficiencies and Safety
o Require “Passif Haus”/LEED/off-grid ready/ water-efficient design , location and sun-orientation of new buildings
o Build and renovate with local materials, especially wood (which holds Carbon as GHG sink in long-standing buildings and furniture) and reduces transportation greenhouse gases, use new UBC multi-story wood building design ideas…
o Require low-emission concrete in construction and/or use low-emission building techniques (cob, strawbale, rock, log, stackwall…)
o Use local builders (to reduce travel greenhouse gases and boost economy)
o Require 100-year building construction quality
o No new building on future coastal flood zones (<30 ft above sea-level) and other environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs), flooding/violent storm hazards and earthquake zone hazards identified and remedied or banned from development
o Assist energy and water efficiency upgrades to existing buildings – supporting private companies and (for the needy) using volunteers’ “Building Upgrade Bees” (insulation, air-sealing, efficient windows, solar hot water, solar panels, heat pumps, wind generators etc.) and group (bulk) purchases of materials and supplies for communities to reduce individual costs.
o Permaculture landscaping education, supplies available and assistance by volunteers if needed
o “Volume buy” as a community – energy efficient appliances and other products
o Wildfire safety – neighbourhood organizations and individual housing protection strategies enhanced
o Support alternative community and individual energy installations (tidal, geothermal, solar, wind, etc.)
o Multiunit housing in urban nodes ~” smart growth/smart city” design with walkable, cyclable, pathed, complete service communities
3. Transportation
o Car-stops restored, enhanced and advertised
o Car-sharing aps and bulletin boards
o Electric charger(s) at gas station and malls and resorts for visitors,
o Community Electric Bus
o Bicycle and walking lanes and paths enhanced
o Bikes, trikes and electric bikes, trikes and scooters, local suppliers and repair shops
o Bicycle racks (and facilities to support horses?)
4. Waste Management
o Free-store for local recycling (items, clothing)
o No retail plastic on island
o Bulk food supplies and reusable personal containers
o Tool libraries
o Local repair facilities – tools, appliances, cars, bikes, plumbing, electrical, sewing
5. Ecosystem Protection
o Set a maximum sustainable population on the islands, in the area
o Ban subdivision of rural properties; develop only in two designated urban nodes, starting with vacant properties and underused buildings inside nodes, extending node boundaries only as needed.
o Wildlife corridors established and protected
o Forestry lands: intermittent tree harvesting; no clear-cuts or only micro-clear-cuts on private or public forest lands; “shelterwood forest design”, community forest with multiple uses, including low-invasive pathways for people in some, not all, areas. Some areas exclusively for wildlife and old-growth restoration
o Stringent water, soil and air protection regulations
· Pesticides banned
· Greenspace maintained in urban areas with rainwatering (rain gardens)
· Urban natural water absorption supported (“permeable pavement” or gravel roads & parking areas, berms and rain catchment ponds)
· Oceans and freshwater protections:
· foreshore and upland development protections (erosion, accretion, habitat, NPS and point-source pollution, etc.)
· estuaries and eelgrass – paramount protection
· harbours – ecological monitoring and protections
· local marine or freshwater harvests – monitoring & protection
· marine ecosystems – monitoring and adaptive-management
· regular public education (talks, bulletin boards, papers)
· gas motors restricted/eventually banned
· anti-fouling bottom painting possibly banned
· boat no-dump zones and sewage pump out facilities
6. Economic Protection and Enhancement
o Local employment/volunteer bulletin boards and computer sites/aps for employment needs
o Local exchange trading computer system (LETS) for the islands (Island “bit coin”?)
o Training, apprenticeships programs for local trades supported (plumbing, electrical, building, fishing, logging, agriculture, etc.)
o Tourism enhancement (advertising, facilities, attractions, services, accommodations)
o Inter- and Intra-island computer connectivity enhanced
o Community support of service needs to increase affordability (building, cleaning or harvesting volunteer “bees” and exchanges…)
7. Education and Healthy Children
o Add programs in school and at community center to educate children and adults for new needs/solutions in a climate changing and ecologically-challenged world.
o School garden maintained and gardening and food preparation mentors teach skills
o School healthy lunch program (using above)
o Apprenticeships and mentoring for students by local businesses, connecting to community
o Seniors mentoring and teaching assistance maintained and enhanced
o Computer and computer jobs training
o Environmental Education Class
o Social skills, responsible democracy and community governance class
o Economic skills class, budgeting and business planning skills
8. Ageing, Death and Caregiver Support
o Protect aged citizens from heat waves, wildfire and storm dangers (network system of support in emergencies)
o Develop a local caregivers daily support system on the island (paid and unpaid)
o Maintain the “Quadra Circle” program of supports and stimulation for seniors
o Seniors co-housing facilities with support systems within community nodes
o Death supports: local cemetery enhanced, green burials, local cremation, local support for home funerals and body care {“Friends and Neighbours” group}.
9. Connectivity
o Local newspapers maintained and enhanced
o Local bulletin boards enhanced
o Computer connections enhanced
o Local radio station(s)
o Community Center activities to educate and support
o Churches supported
o First Nations connections enhanced
10. Civil Protection from Disasters and Law Enforcement (if Disaster and if Civilization breaks down off island)
o Civil protection group of volunteers (ESS and other) with ham-radio connection to all levels of emergency protection
11. First Nations and Cultural Protection
o Maintain and enhance local cultural activities and exchanges of all cultures