Community Sustainability Connections

The Community Sustainability Connections project directly addresses a key fact of healthy communities - that change and vibrancy are founded in strong social relationships and networks at all levels of the community. It also addresses the fact that the citizenry of the North Shore possesses a phenomenal amount of expertise and passion around sustainability that we feel is vastly under-utilized at the local level. Our approach over the past year has been focused on identifying a diverse and action-focused network of individuals and institutions that collectively support sustainability on the North Shore. Our goal is to connect them and build momentum for greater, more cohesive and connected activities. Our community event in January 2008 with over seventy participants was a direct outcome of building that database which is now well over 300 people and organizations. We are developing an interactive website designed to help people make connections, identify resources in the community and leverage key community-building events and activities. Over time, we see it being a key resource for specific uses e.g. a green business network.

A primary outcome of this project will be strengthened capacity for local governments, the Legacy North Shore citizens' group and other community, private sector and government partners to jointly address key sustainability challenges on the ground through effective mobilization of community assets.  In turn, a valuable by-product should be inspiration, stories and lessons learned in support of other cooperative efforts across Greater Vancouver and beyond. The project will also set the stage for the building of awareness, trust and sound working relationships that are critical to any community sustainability effort.