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Climate-friendly communities - Activate


Now that you are educated and motivated, you can start to draw on the energy of the people in your community to take action on climate change.


Below you will find suggestions on how to


Get started


Form a steering committee - When starting to bring about changes that will affect and involve the community at large, it is important to both consult with and have direction from stakeholders that will be involved.

Approach local stakeholders - Anyone who effects or can be affected by the change or circumstance is a stakeholder.

Some stakeholders in your community might include:

  • Local business owners
  • Parents
  • Youth
  • Elected officials
  • Educational institutions
  • Faith-based organizations
  • Local industry
  • Local community groups

By approaching local stakeholders to be a part of your steering committee, you are ensuring a collaborative decision-making process that includes a variety of perspectives and values. You also gain a team of individuals who will assist you with setting and achieving goals.

Note: In order to have a link between yourself and your municipal council, it is a good idea to invite an elected official to be a member of your committee.

Click here to read more about starting up a local steering committee from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)


Once your committee is formed, you can bring them together to discuss/implement some of the following first steps together:

  • Identify the community vision, mission, goals and objectives.
  • Identify community priorities and needs.
  • Create a local action plan.
  • Assess the available resources, and potential partners (human and financial).
  • Prepare a list of short, medium, and long-term actions.
  • Develop a draft implementation plan for the determined actions.
  • Monitor and evaluate the existing projects over time and review your overall plan.


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Get people


Engage your community

This is just a sample of the many great resources available to help you engage residents in sustainability issues:

Resource title

What it covers

Sharing the Challenge: A guide for community-based environmental planning

Environment Canada’s Atlantic Coastal Action Program has developed a number of resources for sustainable community initiatives.

The document “Sharing the Challenge: A guide for community-based environmental planning” is a comprehensive guide to developing a community environmental plan. This guide includes a step by step approach to involving stakeholders, developing a vision, evaluating environmental issues in your community, determining actions, and putting the plan down on paper.

Citizen Participation and Community Engagement in the Local Action Process: A Guide for Municipalities

This document from the Partners for Climate Protection will guide you through the stakeholder engagement process. This is a critical step in stimulating community ownership at the planning stage of your project and throughout the implementation.

The Natural Step — Sustainable Communities Program

A number of resources developed for the Community-wide Engagement Process program.

The purpose is to use the shared Natural Step framework to bring diverse stakeholders together to create a common understanding of what sustainability means to the community and to develop a strategic plan to help the community move towards its goals.

Kitchen Table Sustainability — Practical Recipes for Community Engagement with Sustainability

This book proposes a bottom-up approach to community engagement and participation.

The book also contains wisdom from those working in the field on a variety of subjects including: community planning, engagement and sustainability practices.


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Get moving


Here are some actions your community can take today:

  • Contact Climate Change Connection - Find out how your community can develop an awareness strategy. Read about current events and activities occurring in communities across Manitoba on our homepage.
  • Join Green Communities Canada - They are a national network of community-based non-profit organizations that deliver innovative environmental programs and services, with a focus on household and community action.
  • Spread the word about your climate change plans by working with your local paper to run articles about climate change issues in your community.
  • Contact Climate Change Connection for your free Idle-Free Zone traffic signs.
  • Visit the following websites to learn how you can make changes to your regular routine and start to live more sustainably.

Resource title

What it covers

Living Green, Living Well

Information and practical guidance to sustainable living in Manitoba (created and maintained by Resource Conservation Manitoba).

David Suzuki Foundation’s “What you can do” website

Learn about actions you can take at home, work, and in the community to lower your impact.

Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Quick Action Guide

Descriptions of 20 corporate and community actions that your can take to make your community more climate-friendly. This guide also provides resources, case studies, and contact information for community leaders who have taken these actions.

GHG Menu

Choose from over 50 actions local governments can take to reduce GHG emissions or conserve energy


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Get connected


Join up with other groups such as


Partners for Climate Protection


The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program is a network of municipalities across Canada that have made a commitment to take action on climate change by reducing greenhouse gases in their municipal operations and their community.

By joining the Partners for Climate Protection program you join hundreds of other communities who are taking advantage of this existing framework and resources (including funding resources available through the Green Municipal Fund).

These Manitoba communities are already following the PCP framework: Brandon, Dauphin, De Salaberry (RM), Morden, Notre Dame de Lourdes (Village), Stanley (RM), St. Laurent (RM), St. Pierre Jolys (Village), Swan River, Taché (RM), Thompson (City), Thompson (RM), The Pas, Virden, Winkler, and Winnipeg

PCP is based on a five milestone framework to guide municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The five milestone process is a flexible performance-based model; milestones do not need to be completed in sequential order. Each milestone provides an opportunity for municipal capacity-building.

The five milestones are:

  • Create a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and forecast
  • Set an emissions reductions target
  • Develop a local action plan
  • Implement the local action plan or a set of activities
  • Monitor progress and reporting results

Click here to learn more or sign up for the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP)


 Climate connection network


Climate Change Connection has created a network - an online database of companies, groups, and organizations that are active in climate change throughout Manitoba.

The Climate connection network is organized by sections such as agriculture, transportation, youth, and environmental.

The network also identifies educators, funders, implementers, and researchers.