Weekend Workshop: Ideas For Sustainability
By Fred Larsen – Special to SUNonline/Orillia
Orillia residents are invited to join the final workshop (of three) led by former mayor Steve Clarke Sunday, June 9, at 1 p.m. at the Quality Inn (formerly Highwayman Inn). This concluding workshop will ask participants what they see as the priorities for this community over the next two-three years in the transition to a more sustainable, reduced-emission way of life.
Over the past six weeks, Clarke and members of Sustainable Orillia have led two public workshops designed to help shape Orillia’s future. Each of these workshops, also held at Orillia’s Quality Inn on April 28 and May 26, had a significant number of Orillia’s citizens contribute to a wide-ranging discussion about the steps Orillia should take as we strive to move toward a more sustainable future.
While the City of Orillia has created a municipal planning document entitled Orillia’s Climate Future, the goal of the three workshops is to solicit more input from the community about what they see are priorities as the community moves forward. In addition Sustainable Orillia wants to keep the conversation about our future alive in the community.
How should we be feeding ourselves? Where should we be living? How should we move around? How should we be heating and cooling our homes and work spaces? Where should our electricity come from? How should we protect our natural environment? Are some of the questions being asked.
Workshop 3 this on Sunday will ask participants to choose which of the actions suggested in earlier discussion should be the focus of the community’s and Sustainable Orillia’s actions in the next 2 to 3 years. The meeting will focus on how Sustainable Orillia can best develop programs and projects to engage the community in supporting and promoting the actions and projects defined in earlier meetings.
All interested people – whether you attended earlier workshops or not – are invited to attend and have your say as we strive to identify priority goals. Tea and light refreshments will be available.
