Check out the April 2022 Pocket Change Project Newsletter
Pocket neighbours, the bulbs are coming up, poking their way through the soil and reaching for the sky. In the same way, we're all starting to emerge from two years of relative isolation.
The Pocket Change Project has been active during the pandemic, gathering carbon-reducing resources and sharing them among neighbours and on our website. But now we've got some real, live in-person events on the calendar.
Masks on, definitely, and watching the rising numbers, for sure, these events are a tentative go. We're hoping those who feel comfortable will join us for our first in-person meeting at Kapapamahchakwew – Wandering Spirit School to discuss giving the Indigenous students and staff their land back by moving the public pathway off their running track and re-aligning it with the alleyway between Condor and Chatham.
Dubbed the Laneway Project, we're hoping to get funding from the city to include beautifying the lane with a mural along the garages and fences painted by one or more Indigenous artists.
We will also be gathering to beautify our green spaces with a Phin Park / dog park / Oakvale Green clean up to pick up trash and rake leaves and generally get our community green spaces ready for spring.
And we're thrilled to announce that after a two year hiatus, the Eco Fun Fair is back in June, with tons of ecological information and activities for the whole family.
And yes, because some online habits are here to stay, we'll also be hosting the third edition of our popular home retrofit webinar series, this time on air sealing and insulation.
Read on for more highlights from March.
The federal government has finally released a detailed roadmap to meeting our carbon reduction commitments - and committed serious resources to getting there.
The Pocket Change Project was pleased to see billions of dollars earmarked in the budget for our core issues: home retrofits and electric vehicles.
There's a lot to unpack, and we look forward to additional details, but we're hopeful these announcements will kick start a home retrofit industry that will underpin a rapid transition to net zero housing.
The Vancouver Sun has a great article showing most Canadians won't buy another gas-powered car after learning that an electric car will save them tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the vehicle.
READ MORE: The Pocket Change Project is working on bringing public charging stations for electric vehicles to the neighbourhood.
One of the most popular features on the Pocket Change Project's website is the Retrofit Testimonials page, where you can hear about neighbours who have undergone retrofits to reduce their carbon emissions and increase the comfort of their homes.
In their own words, these homeowners tell you how much they spent, how long it took, why they opted for certain materials or equipment, what they love and what they regret.
Read our latest retrofit testimonial from Jeb.
When Pocket Change Project member Paul Woodman was renovating his bedroom, he found old newspapers from 1935 under the floorboards with this environmentally-friendly retrofit message:
It just goes to show that some wisdom never gets old.
The Pocket Change Project is exploring opportunities to connect neighbours to share resources and make it easier to live a low carbon lifestyle. Here are some of our initiatives. Please get in touch if you're interested in learning more.
We're also looking for folks who can help out with organizing our upcoming events and helping keep the website up to date.
Email [email protected] if you're interested.
Can't wait to see you at one or more of our events in person!
Liisa and Marco
Pocket Change Project
With their furnace and central air conditioner both nearing their 20-year mark, Adam and Monica attended a Pocket Changemakers Social, hoping for support and inspiration. Today, they are Changemakers themselves, and they’ve joined the growing number of homeowners in the Pocket with a 100% electric home.
Simple insulation can be a game changer. These Pocket homeowners have cut their gas use in half and more than halved their home's carbon footprint. They've also made huge gains in terms of their own comfort.
Stefan, Ellie, and their dog Ernie recently installed a heat pump after finding out their furnace was near the end of its life. Here Stephan shares the results of their switch (spoiler alert: they are very happy with it, and love the fact that they have cooling now too). He also outlines the steps anyone can expect to go through when getting a heat pump.