March 14

Everyone loves a party. Bring back the old suburban "block party", invite the 'hood, and celebrate a summer day! Here's the catch... it's a geek party (just don't call it that). Because the party will be sustainable! No paper plates, no disposable cups, healthy local foods (where available), etc. This is the place/time to bring up any sustainable community ideas you may have for your 'hood or to share/present information on living sustainably. Your hidden agenda: advocate, educate and learn about what others might be doing towards sustainable living; find out who borrowed your jigsaw a few months ago! And have a fun time doing it while getting to know your community a little better! My partner and I recently bought a small bungalow in a funky, mature neighbourhood in Edmonton and we plan to try this out in September when the university renters are back to keep it lively. Wish us luck!

The word that most comes to mind when I ask myself this question is SHARE! Share your car, share your garden, your house, your meals, your lives.

Local community can come together around food. On the weekend, I went to a brunch with a group of people I didn't know. We sat in the sunshine and ate stupendously good food, and by the end of the meal I felt like I'd connected with a new network of friends in my neighbourhood.

Social sustainability, or "building social capital," puts the individual in a greater context. It's not just ME out there, contributing positively or negatively, but it's US. We can work together to make our communities more sustainable, whether it is creating a community garden, traffic calming, or just meeting neighbours to share a meal. Conversely, actions an individual takes that harm sustainability (SOV driving, etc.) have far-reaching adverse effects beyond the individual level.

Hard and soft networks
There is a lot we can do in our neighbourhoods to advance sustainability. Neighbourhoods are the most important building blocks of our cities and as such, they are critical to sustainable cities and societies.

Hard linkages can be created to advance sustainability such as: promoted mixed use, higher density development, support infill housing of many types; support a range of flexible commercial space at street level in each neighbourhood; install pedestrian, cyclist and transit systems with priority over the car; program our open space for ecology, recreation and food; install innovative infrastructure networks at the neighbourhood / district scale for energy, water, stormwater and waste management; and others.

Soft linkages can include community groups (social capital) that work together to advance sustainable community values, including safety, beautification and livability, community gardening,and community-informed decision making, amongst many others.