Becoming a Truly Resourceful Community
Consultation has concluded
The City of Port Alberni thanks everyone that helped shape our Challenge Statement.
Drum roll please...
Port Alberni is to Become a Truly Resourceful Community
With advanced technology, traditional wisdom, and a new consciousness, within five years we will become Canada’s first true zero waste community and fully utilize the natural resources in our coastal area, thus also beginning to heal the separation between ourselves and the planet.
We believe the Challenge we are taking on will:
Demonstrate that a small, active, resource-based city can achieve a true zero waste state
Lead to full utilization of the natural resources we are fortunate to have
Establish and align our economic and environmental goals for the foreseeable future
Do more to heal the separation that exists between our Indigenous and settler peoples
Do more to restore and protect the ocean inlet, estuary, rivers, lakes and land that have been impacted by our activities over the past 150 years
Attract the attention of other cities around the globe that are looking to become zero waste communities
Our Challenge Statement submission is just the first step in this journey. This summer, an independent Jury will announce the ten finalists that move on to the next round. Stay tuned, and thank you for dreaming big and being bold!
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The City of Port Alberni is applying for the Smart Cities Challenge and we need your ideas to help the city win. Think outside-the-box and share your innovative ideas and solutions that address some of our most pressing issues. Dream big and be bold.
View All Ideasover 3 years ago
SunRay Village Paradigm Foundation https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AHu9_MR58SWF91SOE8v3m_2tu3ThH4x7X-kQxIXGqgM/edit?usp=sharing
SunRay in your Future
over 3 years ago
Earthquake Proof Fundraiser
Host community events that raise funds and awareness about the hazards associated with Earthquakes and Tsunamis. With the funds generated annually, in-depth assessments can be made to improve current infrastructure to prepare Port Alberni for an inevitable event.
over 3 years ago
Dementia Care Senior Housing
Specialized dementia care for seniors. Not a standard building but create a village. A place that is safe and monitored by qualified staff. With high tech innovation. A place focused on maintaining dignity and quality care.
over 3 years ago
Compost system/Solar plant
Composting I believe is gonna be the new bin to come to towns for pick up. I watched a documentary recently, that a head of lettuce can take up to 25 years to break down in a landfill, and emits methane gas while doing so. This is because landfills are deprived of oxygen and micro-organisms capable of naturally breaking down compost. So, in turn, organic material slowly degrades over long periods of time anaerobically (This means to break down without the presence of oxygen) resulting in the creation of methane gas. Methane gas warms the planet 86 times more than CO2. Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-bad-of-a-greenhouse-gas-is-methane/ Now, imagine how much natural compost consumers put into their garbage each year which cannot be efficiently sorted out and thus resulting in potentially tons of methane gas pollution each year worldwide. A bin for residents to place all organic material for pick up each week would be simple, and I believe easily doable as we already have a system in place for recycling/garbage. The compost could then go to facilities to naturally break down and even be returned to local farms. Since recently learning this, I have begun composting everything and push others to do the same until a pick up system is in place. Composting I'd like to see first but another idea of mine is to create a solar plant for Port Alberni. I think Port Alberni would be a great start for the BC government to experiment on going fully solar energy. Our low populated city wouldn't need a massive plant compared to other major power consuming cities like Vancouver. It may even help draw attraction from around BC as the only solar powered town, boosting tourism and the local economy.
over 3 years ago
Expansion of Food Bank concept
The food bank does a great job as far as it goes. The school meals project is great as well. But to give people food is only one step in combatting poverty and food insecurity. It's an important step but it is only one step. The food bank is my own personal charity and I give to it as much as I can monthly. Maybe someday I won't be able to do, but now, I can. Hungry tummies cannot provide a conducive learning situation in schools and I believe that education and job training is one way out of poverty. Imagine a community kitchen established so that people could come together to learn about healthy eating, pool their resources to cook in bulk and take a share of the products home. Imagine a mini loan situation set up so that people can start a small business. Perhaps someone has sewing skills but can't afford a sewing machine and that is all it would take to encourage them to start their own business for example. This is the next step after getting tummies full. We can't wait to have someone else provide the jobs for us all the time. This also ties into drug and alcohol addiction because it draws people out of their homes to form a community within the community of Port Alberni. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the opposite of drug addiction is getting clean. It isn't. The opposite of drug addiction is getting connected. The isolation of poverty and addiction is spirit-destroying - getting connected is healing to a point of being able to help themselves. Windows are opened and fresh air can be felt instead of the closed-in feeling brought about by poverty. And yes, I am willing to get involved if this were to come about. Good luck to Port Alberni and its people in this opportunity to grow our city and community.
