I really do enjoy the holidays, even though again this year our plans with friends and family were stymied due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, it was good time to get caught up on my reading.
For some years now, some writers have taken to weaving climate change scenarios into their fiction—often referred to as Cli-Fi (“Climate Fiction”).
One such writer is Kim Stanley Robinson. Back in the early ‘90s, long before Elon Musk was talking about Mars, Robinson was busy writing about terraforming Mars as an escape for humans from the deterioration of Earth’s ecosystem. In his latest books, The MInistry of the Future and New York 2140, he has become more blatant in his call for us to wake up to the climate reality and, in particular, to recognize how economics and global finance and banking are limiting progress on climate action.
Picking up on messages like Robinson’s, our 2022 Strategic Directions focus on reaching out to our business community, consumers, and investors alike to urge aggressive action on reducing emissions.
The Path to Net Zero for Business program, in cooperation with the Orillia and District Chamber of Commerce, is just now at the conceptual stage, but our plan is to provide information and tools to assist our local businesses to become more sustainable, more purpose-driven and ultimately more profitable
While promoting zero emission vehicles, home energy efficiency retrofits, alternative energy sources, the City’s Climate Action Plan, and other elements of climate action, we will also be presenting seminars and webinars to strengthen understanding of our role as consumers and investors—to learn how we can redirect business, finance, and the economy toward more sustainable practices.
For 2022 I encourage you all to think about how you can achieve better environmental outcomes through your business, with your purchases, and through your investments.
I am optimistic that 2022 is going to be a year of substantial progress toward sustainability for our community. I am looking forward to working with all of you toward that end.
Stan
