Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day. And when it does, Ecology Ottawa hopes the runoff is properly managed, for the sake of Ottawans and the environment.
The 2024 Ottawa Eco Awards celebrate outstanding individuals in the Ottawa community who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to environmental stewardship, sustainability leadership, and climate action. We have been thrilled with the nominations that we have received from Ottawans for our second Ottawa Eco Awards, and we are heartened to learn about the local eco champions who inspire you.
Ecology Ottawa was at the City Council’s Environment and Climate Change Committee on April 16, 2024, to talk about the Rain Ready Program. We’ve provided our delegations below, and you can also watch the recording.
On April 8, we invited members of City Council’s Environment and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) to attend a webinar on incineration. This webinar is timely: Council is considering incineration as an option for dealing with Ottawa’s waste, since staff has warned Council that the Trail Road Landfill—which currently receives the majority of Ottawans’ garbage—will fill up soon.
At our second Grassroots Groundswell event, we convened municipally focussed grassroots organizations to deepen collaboration and build power for provincial action. The gathering featured presentations on climate justice, elections organizing, the power of municipalities to advance climate action, and weaving stories with data for change.
Ecology Ottawa attended City Council's Environment and Climate Change committee meeting on March 19 to delegate about a staff report about 2023 spending on the Climate Change Master Plan (CCMP). All in all, we were impressed: City staff had only $5 million to work with—yet they turned this into 26 different initiatives.
In celebration of Earth Day 2024, we at Ecology Ottawa are highlighting the people, places, plants, trees, and animals of Ottawa that inspire our communities to take action, find innovative solutions, and work together to protect our environment. We invite you to nominate members of your community that work hard and inspire others to create change!
Ecology Ottawa delegated at City Council’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee on March 5 as the Committee reviewed its Corporate Sponsorship and Advertising policy. We called on the Committee to prohibit fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship in City facilities in this policy.
A group of fifteen organizations, including Ecology Ottawa, is calling on Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Ottawa City Council to end fossil fuel promotion in City facilities.
On March 5, the City’s Finance and Corporate Services Committee meets to discuss the City’s Corporate Sponsorship and Advertising policy. Currently, fossil-fuel companies are allowed to advertise in City facilities like arenas, parks, and City publications.
The Urban Climate Alliance presents "Municipal climate action in Ontario - Working towards sustainable, resilient, and vibrant communities at the local level". The Urban Climate Alliance thanks the Echo Foundation for their support of cross-community collaboration. Watch the recording here!
The City recently announced that it’s reviewing its Idling Control By-law. We’re excited for the opportunity to improve it, so we can reduce our emissions and improve air quality in our communities. Here’s what you need to know.
Bill McKibben’s introduction to his electrifying talk, “Notes on the Climate Struggle,” delivered to a packed audience at Carleton University, hit home for his Ottawa crowd. He had been eager, he said, to visit in February because he wanted to go skating on the canal. The canal, however, was closed on that first day of Winterlude and showed no signs of opening soon. It was a talk we all need to hear.