Huh? What is even that? Civic engagement encompasses the multiple ways people address public interests and can make a difference in their communities. Those public interests include issues such as affordable housing, better public transit, and a climate action plan.
The beauty of civic engagement is that you don’t need to run for office to be an active citizen. There are many different ways you can show up! And you probably already do some of the things listed below.
Here are five simple ways you can address sustainability in your civic engagement.
Vote with your values
With any upcoming elections from the municipal to the federal level, be sure to inform yourself. By becoming familiar with the candidate’s platforms and what they stand for, you are able to vote for someone who best represents your values. If you are reading this article, there is a big chance your values include sustainability: take a close look at the candidate’s platforms and previous performance to grasp how strong and concrete their commitment to a sustainability agenda is.
Hold your elected leaders accountable
Voting is only part of the work—once a candidate has been elected, citizens must remain engaged to ensure they are truly represented by them and hold elected leaders accountable to their campaign promises.
You can do this by contacting your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP), taking part in protests, and signing petitions that call for greater environmental protection and climate justice.
Share, share, share
Sharing takes different forms and levels of effort, but all kinds of sharing is valuable. Be it knowledge, resources, opportunities, time or materials. In a society as consumerist as the one we live in, and in times of significant social disconnect, sharing becomes an act of community care.
You can start by sharing with friends and family, and maybe organically grow a community-run initiative from it! Take a look at these awesome examples for some out-of-the-box inspiration:
- Library of Things: Co-founded by Office of Sustainability’s very own Devon Fernandes, this initiative allows members to borrow items that are only occasionally used. Why spend thousands of dollars on camping gear if you can borrow up to 10 camping items at a time?
- Toronto Tool Library: Very similar to the Library of Things, this initiative focuses on tools. You can borrow tools for gardening or for that DIY project you’ve wanted to try!
- Stooping Toronto: Gambling meets Value Village in this Instagram that shares street finds up for grabs (for FREE!). You can grab items shared on their page or send them pictures of items found during your neighbourhood walk.
Be more active in your community
Participate in more events and activities. Yes, I know, online events get draining after a while, but they give us the chance to expand the geographical reach of our “community.” By attending events virtually, you might connect with people you wouldn’t have met in person!
Humber is a great place to start. There is a wide range of events and opportunities available. From events run by the Office of Sustainability, Indigenous Education and Engagement, Black Academic Success and Engagement, the LGBTQ+ Resource Centre, and student-run IGNITE clubs, there is a lot to choose from! To find events beyond what’s offered by the college, try browsing through Eventbrite.
If you want to volunteer in a position that more directly addresses sustainability, why not become a Sustainability Ambassador or an Arboretum Ambassador?
You can also develop your own community project or take part in different existing initiatives. A great example is the 100in1Day, a project that incentivizes community action by inviting people to make interventions that transform their cities for a day. Youth can also apply for grants to boost their community project idea, such as the #RisingYouth grants.
Stay informed!
Create the habit of reading the news, finding the frequency and amount of news that work for you—overwhelming yourself with news articles won’t do much good. If you wish to know about a broader range of news pieces, why not invite your friends for frequent news-sharing circles? This way, you can organize the group to cover more topics and discuss main news events with the group.
Here are some great resources you can access through Instagram:
- Apathy is Boring: All things youth engagement, voting, and a witty selection of memes!
- The Feed: Bite-sized information made accessible to those who want to understand politics but might not be familiar with the topics yet.
- Democratic Engagement Exchange: A group at Ryerson that does all things democracy at postsecondary institutions, especially incentivizing students to vote.
- Climate Justice Toronto: Large organizing platform in Toronto for issues related to climate justice.
Now that you have a solid starting point to address sustainability through civic engagement, let’s get to work.
Humber's Office of Sustainability 