Read the July edition of the Pocket Change Project newsletter
With the solstice, the Pocket Change Project has been pulling long days to bring information about sustainability and concrete action to the Pocket.
Whether it was reviving the wildly successful Eco Fun Fair or hiring a pair of summer interns, we're hoping to have a chance to run into you in the warm months and that you won't be shy about asking questions about your car, your furnace, your windows or your stove (or your garden!).
We're all about sharing knowledge and experience to make difficult decisions easier.
To that end, we're launching a Sustainable Transportation working group and looking for people who want to envision and facilitate low carbon ways of getting around.
We're also asking for your help. Our interns, Biancka and Harrison, will be walking door-to-door this summer to ask about your home energy usage and your transportation habits. The results will really help us to build future programs to meet the needs of everyone in our community (like you!) as we go green together.
Please say hi to them and take a few minutes to chat. If you can't do the survey on the spot, they'll give you a flyer with a link to complete it online at your convenience.
In this newsletter:
The third edition of the Pocket Change Project's Eco Fun Fair was a resounding success, bringing out 100+ neighbours to learn about and share knowledge of everything green.
Thanks to our neighbours, we had three different electric vehicles on display at the Eco Fun Fair, just so you could sit in the drivers' seat and kick the tires.
Thanks to our city, we had information about cash rebates and 0% loans for anyone who wants to do a carbon emission reducing retrofit of their home.
Thanks to our volunteers, we had veggie burgers, face painting and a pollinator plant seedling give away.
Read on for more on the Eco Fun Fair.
FUN VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY!
The Pocket Change Project is starting up a Sustainable Transportation working group in the fall, and we’re looking for youth (15+) and adults interested in joining.
Have you ever thought the Pocket needed its own Bike Share station? Or bike parking in Phin Park? Want to help establish charging options for EVs in our community? Do you want to see more hourly car rental options in and near our ‘hood? This is your chance to make a difference and really shape our growing green neighbourhood!
Click here to learn more.
Thinking of switching from a gas to induction stove? Our friends at Harbord Village Residents' Association's Net Zero Carbon Project are making it easier!
Check out their bulk buy program's significant discounts on induction ranges and cook tops. They're also promoting e-bikes. You do not need to live in Harbord Village to take advantage of the programs.
Read more here.
Along with the TRCA, the Pocket Change Project is offering native shrubs to anyone who lives in the Pocket, free of charge, for fall delivery.
The shrubs will be delivered to Phin Park on a weekend and you'll be responsible for picking them up and planting them. However, the Pocket Change Project has a small team of volunteers who will plant shrubs for anyone who cannot do it themselves.
Please fill out this form if you're interested.
The biggest contributor to our household carbon footprint is the use of fossil gas (natural gas) to heat our houses. We all want to be more efficient and use less.
A yearly efficiency calculation really helps us understand the effects of anything we do to make our household more efficient.
Read the full blog post here.
One of the most exciting and empowering initiatives of the Pocket Change Project to date has been our Pocket Change Parties - green info sessions where neighbours share their retrofit experiences.
We were only able to have three before Covid shut down in-person gatherings, but they were fantastic, and we are chomping at the bit to ramp them up again.
We'd like to hear from you to plan our next party.
It's easy to get overwhelmed by the climate crisis we're facing, disillusioned by the inadequate political response and depressed by the fossil fuel industry and our continued reliance on it. Sometimes it feels like we should just give up.
That's when I watch this video and get fired up about the bright spots emerging on the horizon.
It's amazing what’s happened in Montreal in the last 10 years -- from “pothole city” to “bike city” with even a dedicated “bike highway.”
There are lots of interesting articles on the latest in home retrofits, EVs and climate science on our website. Check out the 'In the News' section.
Enjoy the wonderful weather and see you in August.
Liisa and Marco
Pocket Change Project
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Not sure how to deal with climate change or the emotions and thoughts it brings? Maybe we don’t need to figure it out on our own. Check out this inspiring story from one Pocket resident who started her own climate change support group among friends and neighbours.
The story of one Pocket Changemaking family who focused their retrofit on creating more space for their kids and lowering their home’s carbon footprint. Now they’re 100% electric, enjoying air conditioning in summer and greater comfort in winter, and loving their much lower utility costs.
