How do you make people care about climate change in their day to day lives? Kamloops city staff say leading by example is a good start.

Sustainability services supervisor Glen Cheetham took that question from Kamloops city council recently.

“Certainly there’s going to be a need for regulation changes and targets and low-carbon fuel standards and all of those types of signals to help the market kind of respond in the way we need it to respond. But when it comes down to it, a lot of these choices are choices made by people in our community,” he says.

“As a local government, I think there’s a lot of leadership already happening in terms of motivating people to think of it in a more personal matter. The folks around the table that have made decisions to decarbonize their transportation, that isn’t unnoticed. Again, I think the city plays an important role, and I think the focus on leading by example is another very effective way to communicate.”

Cheetham also used the Kamloops Thompson School District as an example, saying he’s been pleased about its increasing focus on learning materials about climate change.

“Really challenging students to understand the issue at a deeper level. As well as what their personal stake is in the issue.”

Cheetham answered that question from council members while unveiling the city’s “eight big moves,” aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Kamloops by at least 82 per cent by 2050.