All Stops Out: Climate Action Organizer
This site aims to empower people in so-called Ontario to take action on climate change as effectively as possible, by collecting concise how-to knowledge in one place. We aim to include all greenhouse gas-reducing actions that are in alignment with a socially just world. Categories of "actors" are listed across the top, with action categories running down the left-hand side, organized according to the following emissions sources:
Industrial Processes
Energy Use
Transportation
Land Use
Waste
Each action can save lives; the more that we can accomplish, the better! Step-by-step guides are included where possible, to make known actions easier to take. That said, climate action can be highly personal, and there are surely lots of actions yet to be thought up! This chart is also not fully comprehensive in that only includes actions quite directly impacting levels of emissions--while indirect actions such as raising awareness, shifting our culture and emotional intelligence, and promoting human rights more broadly are also highly important to climate action as well as being vital in themselves. We also don't cover climate adaptation actions or actions to address ecological concerns outside of climate change, which are also hugely important in addressing the overall extinction crisis.
Please add your own how-to knowledge to any relevant google docs below!
Note: While the government headings below reflect those of the settler population, First Nations are often eligible for similar programs as those available to municipalities; relevant links have been collected here.
Please scroll to the end for further usage guidelines!
Individuals/Families
Workplaces/Groups
Municipal Governments
Ontario Government
Canadian Government
Reduce consumption
-buy only what you need, and secondhand or eco-friendly if you can; share/borrow when you can instead of buying new
-strive to only produce what folks actually want or need, with as small a production impact as possible
-avoid throw-away materials where possible
-craft policy that shifts our economy towards one in which workers can choose to engage in directly providing each other's wants and needs (rather than producing and marketing unnecessary items in order to create excess profits for the elite), e.g. by introducing a basic income and/or increasing social services
Reduce energy demand
-reduce water use both indoors and by replacing lawns with ground-cover/native plants, installing rain barrels
Improve building/
system efficiency
-conduct energy audits to identify retrofit/appliance upgrade opportunities
-architects and builders: take Passive House or Carbon Zero training*
-apply to be part of the Local Improvement Charge home retrofit program
-enact by-law allowing for tiny homes
-farmers: transition to more efficient machinery
-enact by-law mandating that all new municipal builds are Passive House or Carbon Zero
Switch energy sources
-move your money to a bank etc. that does not invest in fossil fuels
-install own heat pumps, solar panels, geothermal, etc.
-fossil fuel providers: transition into renewable energy provision
-enact by-law that all new local? and municipal builds must not use fossil fuels, and that all municipal buildings must switch to renewable energy when heating source needs update
-incentivize local power generation? and work with IESO and Hydro One to plan grid for increased electrification
-halt all investment in fossil fuels and pipelines (and transition workers?)
-invest instead in renewable energy R&D?
-relationship with banks??*
-farmers: make own fuel from animal fat, etc.
-look into district energy and energy storage? to help coordinate or own a part of local power production
Reduce travel distances
-live close to work/work close to or from home
-vacation close to home
-allow work-from-home where reasonable
-limit business travel as much as reasonably possible; use conference calling
-maintain local services and attractions
-update planning policies to ensure new developments are compact, complete communities?
Use least-polluting mode of transport-ation
-walk, cycle, take transit, or car-pool when it's safe instead of driving your own vehicle; contribute to a violence and harassment-free culture so that it is safe for everyone to travel how they wish
-take trains instead of planes for longer trips
-improve safety and connectivity of sidewalk networks, including keeping them snow-free
-support the creation of further bike lanes on new and existing roads
-improve and promote public transit
Improve driving efficiency and vehicle maintenance
-avoid idling, speeding, and accelerating or braking too quickly; take Efficient Driver Training
-enact a by-law banning drive-throughs
-maintain optimal vehicle condition
Downsize vehicles and switch fuels
-if buying/replacing a vehicle, consider car-sharing, downsizing, and/or switching to a hybrid or electric model, or a hydrogen fuel model where larger vehicles are required
-add EV-readiness back into the building code
-consider installing EV-charging stations
-improve? subsidies for hybrid and electric vehicles*
-improve funding for EV charging stations; make accessible for small-scale communities
Protect and restore ecosystems
-support local conservation/restoration efforts
-plant trees/manage forests on your own property
-mandate commercial/industrial reforestation?
-restructure governance to respect Indigenous sovereignty, treaty obligations
-continue strengthening support for conservation
Farm sustainably
-shift to a more plant-based diet
-farmers: use most sustainable livestock practices, and/or transition to something else?
-farmers: restore soil carbon e.g. through permaculture?
-farmers: reduce fertilizer use
-change policy to support small-scale farmers and a shift away from fertilizer dependence and annual seed purchasing?
-provide funding for small-scale farmers to experiment with sustainable innovations
Reduce organic waste
-meal-plan and keep track of groceries to reduce food waste
Divert organic waste
-recycle paper products?, separate yard waste from garbage, and compost or use a green bin for food waste etc.
-start/maintain composting or green bin programs
-manage waste that does end up in any local landfills
Each level of government can also make use of the actions in the workplace category to reduce their corporate (in-house) emissions. Municipalities can also join together to send motions to higher levels of government, where they find support is lacking.
Individuals, meanwhile, can influence their government(s) by:
a) voting (and pushing for electoral reform)
b) contacting their elected representatives:
-google your municipality to find contact info for your city councillor and mayor
-find your MPP's contact info here
-find your MP's contact info here
-you can also contact your premier and prime minister directly
c) petitioning and protesting
d) litigating
Individuals can also influence workplaces other than their own by reaching out to and/or boycotting companies whose climate action is lacking. Individuals can also work to "subvert" the system by engaging each other directly in sharing economies etc., to begin building the world we want to see without waiting for all leadership to come from government.
Please feel free to contact us at info@allstopsout.org