Thanks for the question. I should probably dedicate a section to that. It is not without its challenges, but it also presents opportunities. It’s been a long time since I was in Toronto. In the follow up post to this (it will be a series and eventually a handbook), I talked about several things that would be relevant. In fact I mentioned a Great Lakes bioregion. You’d want to get as much together as you can about the lay of the land. What flora and fauna do exist in the urban area and surrounding region. Community gardens and permaculture guilds likely exist. Networking with regional rural communities would be wise.
Another thing that comes to mind are urban scouting skills. I participated in an urban scout program in Las Vegas. We talked about logistics, communication, intelligence gathering, emergency preparedness and other things that would be helpful for a response group.
Yes, there are community gardens and dedicated green spaces as well as a good number of edible plants and flowers that more people are becoming knowledeable about and how they fit within our bioregion; there is a lot of individual knowledge and effort, but not as much community effort.
For example, the number of monarchs and honeybees are decliining, and there is so lite discussion around it. I do not expect our government agencies to "fix" this problem, even if they were inclined to do so. I think it is up to local communities to take initiative and come up with a plan.
Super keen to stay in contact with you, through your process, and to see how you are framing it for others.
We are a few years into our own initiative here, after recognising our government was effectively cutting us loose after the devastation of the Black Summer wildfires. I've written about the genesis of this in the last chapters of my book, but have also evolved my thinking further since it was released. I am at present, struggling to write about the detail of it, without betraying the confidence of and the sometimes illegal (but absolutly necessary) measures being taken by members of my community.
Such a great idea. Think and act locally. Any idea how it could be done in a large city like Toronto?
Thanks for the question. I should probably dedicate a section to that. It is not without its challenges, but it also presents opportunities. It’s been a long time since I was in Toronto. In the follow up post to this (it will be a series and eventually a handbook), I talked about several things that would be relevant. In fact I mentioned a Great Lakes bioregion. You’d want to get as much together as you can about the lay of the land. What flora and fauna do exist in the urban area and surrounding region. Community gardens and permaculture guilds likely exist. Networking with regional rural communities would be wise.
Another thing that comes to mind are urban scouting skills. I participated in an urban scout program in Las Vegas. We talked about logistics, communication, intelligence gathering, emergency preparedness and other things that would be helpful for a response group.
Also talk to similar groups in cities… like in Seattle where the Cascadia bioregional idea is pretty popular.
Yes, there are community gardens and dedicated green spaces as well as a good number of edible plants and flowers that more people are becoming knowledeable about and how they fit within our bioregion; there is a lot of individual knowledge and effort, but not as much community effort.
For example, the number of monarchs and honeybees are decliining, and there is so lite discussion around it. I do not expect our government agencies to "fix" this problem, even if they were inclined to do so. I think it is up to local communities to take initiative and come up with a plan.
Community Response Groups (CRGs) sound amazing, and what the world needs right now! Thanks for letting us know about them.
Much appreciated. Good to know it resonates.
Super keen to stay in contact with you, through your process, and to see how you are framing it for others.
We are a few years into our own initiative here, after recognising our government was effectively cutting us loose after the devastation of the Black Summer wildfires. I've written about the genesis of this in the last chapters of my book, but have also evolved my thinking further since it was released. I am at present, struggling to write about the detail of it, without betraying the confidence of and the sometimes illegal (but absolutly necessary) measures being taken by members of my community.
Glad to have a fellow traveller on the road.
My thought is put out a framework that’s public facing and make it adaptable to the circumstances and regions of anyone who could use it.