Rider pride

So I have been living in BC for 6 months now. Meh. To be honest I commend BC for being a green province and all the initiatives it has started and followed through with in terms of being environmentally sound but I am really getting sick of it.

So I am going to start to look into what my hometown and home province is doing. I need a shot of enthusiasm for "community" etc and I don't feel the motivation being a transient in this place. BC and more specifically, Victoria is not my home so I don't feel a need to get involved, to get informed or to even care. I am quite the opposite of "engaged"...I am somewhat intentianally "unengaged".

So what is Saskatchewan doing in terms of sustainability, community engagement and the environment?

Roadmap 2020 is site that outlines many of the plans and initiatives started by the city of Sasaktoon to become more sustainable. Not only does it address ways to become more sustainable, it also address the issue of climate change. It addresses the 2 issues together so that members of a community can see how they are related. Instead of throwing around the "sustainability" buzzword, which to be honest really doesn't mean much to the average person, Saskatoon is putting words into practice using terms and plans that the common person can understand.

Being in a climate that requires more energy for heating and not having a "clean" source of power I think it is commendable that the city is working hard to show its citizens ways to reduce their energy bills, which include both private and civic methods from personal housing to business plans as well as transportation.

I feel a surge of pride when I read more and more about Saskatoon's efforts. I feel like I am a member of that comunity and I look forward to getting involved when I go back. I am excited to put this degree to use. This brings me to think about what is necessary to engage a member of the community. Speaking from experience a memeber has to feel like where they live is his or her home. Trust and reciprocity are two important aspects (as talked about in class) and in my opinion they can only occur when a person feels a sense of belonging. What makes a person feel like they belong is different for each individual. Feeling I belong has yet to come to me mainly because of my personality and the fact that I am still adjusting to being a Canadian resident again (and a resident in a vastly different area of Canada to boot!) Add to that the fact that I don't have the money or time to socialize and you get a recipe for "unengagement".