The SustainableU people (an interesting mix of the CRD, BC Hydro, Walmart, and others) are hosting a series of workshops this fall on transportation and how people’s choice affect the environment and their community. As they say
Leave with the tools and information to deliver presentations and spread the word to your peers. We equip you with a toolkit and the knowledge to capture any audience – from drivers to walkers – in any sort of setting.
The seminars, two hours long, are free, and there are a lot of them. Take a look:
| Tuesday, November 2 | Camosun College Lansdowne Campus – Young Building, Room 310 | 4-6pm |
| Thursday, November 4 | Uvic Campus – David Strong Building Room C103 | 12-1:50pm |
| Tuesday, November 9 | CRD Headquarters, Room 107 | 12-2pm |
| Wednesday, November 10 | 620 View Street, Room 517(Victoria Car Share Co-op) | 5:30-7:30pm |
| Saturday, November 13 | Saanich Commonwealth Place, Cedars Room | 9:30-11:30am |
| Tuesday, November 16 | Camosun College Interurban campus, Liz Ashton Campus Centre Building, Room 122 | 4-6pm |
| Tuesday, November 16 | Gordon Head Recreation Centre, Feltham Room | 5:30-7:30pm |
| Sunday, November 21 |
Esquimalt Recreation Centre, 527 Fraser Street | 10-12pm |
| Tuesday, November 23 | CRD Parks Cedar Room | 2-4pm |
| Wednesday, November 24 | Learning and Career Centre (Naden 136) | 8:30-10:30am |
| Thursday, November 25 | Pearkes Recreation Centre | 5:30-7:30pm |
| Monday, November 29 |
Esquimalt Recreation Centre, 527 Fraser Street. Pioneer Hall A | 7-9pm |
The idea is to “teach the teachers”, as it were. The workshop attendees go out and get people in the community to voluntarily pledge to reduce the amount of driving they do, which isn’t exactly a new idea — albeit one that hasn’t been tried here in the CRD that I know of although I could be wrong — just search for “car diet pledge” or “drive less pledge” to get an idea.
Registration is free and is run through the CRD. Visit the Transportation Tune-up page to learn more. As an incentive, they have laid on a few prizes for participants, bikes, bus passes, and similar items. More you sign up, the more you win. As they put it, “Think of this as an eco-friendly pyramid scheme.”
(h/t to Rita Fromholt from UVic Sustainability for pointing these out)