Examples

Here are some examples that use some or all of the elements of community organizing. Note that these examples all come from the Toronto area, and they all relate to environmental sustainability, which shows how there can be numerous approaches even within one geographic area. 

Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plans (SNAP)

The Toronto Region Conservation Authority has a great program in place to help neighbourhoods develop projects that improve the environment and build community. The website profiles six local plans and their projects - an excellent collaboration between the authority, local municipalities, and the community.

Lead	Network	Scan	Action Plan	Climate Lens	Action
TRCA	yes	no	yes	yes	yes

 

Transition Towns

Transition Towns is a global movement of community-led initiatives to organize and support the transition to a sustainable future. They start with a group of citizens coming together to form a Transition Town, and then grow from there to build working groups and networks around issues of interest.

There are a number of Transition Towns across Canada. There was a Transition Toronto, however Transition Guelph is an even better example of how well they can support local groups and initiatives.

Lead	Network	Scan	Action Plan	Climate Lens	Action
yes: community led	working groups on issues	no	no	yes	yes

 

Green Neigbours

Green Neighbours is a fast growing network of ward-based neighbourhood green groups in Toronto. The two oldest. Green 13 and Green Neighbours 21 have been active as volunteer community groups for years, raising awareness and collaborating on community projects.

Lead	Network	Scan	Action Plan	Climate Lens	Action
yes - community led	informal	no	no	yes	yes

 

CivicAction

CivicAction is a regional network and leadership initiative for the Greater Toronto Area. It brings together business, government, and community leaders to develop projects that address priority issues and contribute to building a better future in the region.

Lead	Network	Scan	Action Plan	Climate Lens	Action
CivicAction	yes	no	yes: a summit every four years	A past priority	yes

 

 

Clearly, it is still an emerging and evolving concept to think of community groups and community networks as active partners in climate action.

If you have other examples or case studies, please let us know!