We want to tell everyone about climate change; what it is, the impacts, and what we can do. Let’s talk with the community and tell them about this amazing new website that is connecting information, actions, and stories to inspire climate engagement in the Thunder Bay region.

One use for water retained by rain barrels is the maintenance of healthy plants.  Water can be used as needed which means that the surface runoff during storms is eliminated (reduced flooding) and the demand for city water is reduced (reduced water bills).  Also, locally produced vegetables eliminate the greenhouse gases (GHGs) associated with industrial agriculture, storage, transport and distribution of food.

What would you do without power for your clothes dryer?  Using a clothesline can save electricity or gas costs, as rates will continue to sharply rise. Even during wintertime clotheslines will partially dry laundry and help you to save electricity.

I don’t know how climate change will challenge my kids. We’re just starting to see the tip of the iceberg: the tip of the iceberg: crazy weather & seasons…It frightens me. I find courage in how great our kids are, what they will come up with that will help…

A changing climate means that certain things that I enjoy about life in Thunder Bay will be seriously altered. Our quality of life is vulnerable, and that makes climate change an urgent issue. Increasing periods of drought and frequency of extreme heat events may leave our forests and grasslands dry and fire prone. Thunder Bay and area has already experienced periods of fire bans and burn permit suspensions. Without action for climate change mitigation, our campfires and backyard fire pits may become a thing of the past.

The rising average temperatures in NW Ontario this summer led to some droughts early in the growing season. I was looking forward to a great gardening year but it was very hard to get the veggies to take root and fruit trees to blossom without rain for weeks in May. Changes to weather patterns go with climate change and concern me. We need to do what we can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep the climate stable if drought/flood is the alternative, or it will be tough to adapt.

As the world’s economy and climate are rapidly destabilized, we have the power to prepare for the changes, to slow things down, and to move into a future acting like we want humans to be on this planet for at least another few thousand years. We can turn the corner. Will we?

Sudden climate change from rainy to sunny and sunny to snowy can directly affect people’s daily mood and hygiene. So, to stay as per change be awaken, be accepting of change

The snow in this picture is melting so fast my sons had to hold the snowman together so I could get them a picture. That’s how I feel we’re “tackling” climate change: holding it together, looking for the upside. You need hope to inspire action, but if you fail to plan that action – you’re planning to fail. Climate Change means seasons don’t act like they’re supposed to. So more snow-man snow days than our cold winter months used to give us means less food in the garden, better odds of a house insurance claim, more bugs invading and killing that wouldn’t survive an “old” winter. I’d feel better about our ability to thrive despite climate change if we were actively changing to accommodate our changing world rather than just trying to hold the old together.

Increasing temperatures and prolonged heatwaves throughout the summer as a result of climate change will put our most vulnerable population; including infants and elderly people at greater risk of heat induced stress or trauma. Such a potential threat extends towards our animal friends as well, as a sudden spike in temperatures in spring and early summer can adversely impact vulnerable populations such as chicks, small mammals and aquatic species. Migration and spawning habitats for bird and fish species may also pass the temperature threshold required to facilitate these natural processes, leading to declines and possible extirpation (local extinction) of certain species in impacted regions.