CAFES Rural Outreach

CAFES is committed to represent voices across all rural, suburban and urban areas of Ottawa. We are very pleased that our network has members from every Ward across Ottawa and our board of directors has two members from the rural area. We are seeking to continue building even stronger engagement with rural residents.

Recently, we have had several successful events in rural communities. In September, we attended the Carp Fair alongside the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa (EVCO), where we had an amazing time chatting with residents about renewable energy while giving out solar-powered popcorn!

We had a fantastic "Hope in Action" climate action dialogue event in October in partnership with the Manotick United Church, with inspiring talks from Energy Transition Consultant Mike Fletcher and eco-theologian Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington.

The CAFES network was a strong supporter of the 2024 Rural Summit process, updating and encouraging our members to participate in the ward workshops and the summit event. The outcome documents from November 2 can be found here . We were truly excited to hear for example,

• Calls for the City to do more to protect and conserve our natural heritage, such as forests, wetlands and other natural lands
• Calls for tax breaks or grants for naturalized lands, such as wildflower fields, wetlands, forests to incentivize their maintenance and creation;
• Calls for using incentives to improve environmental protection;
• Protecting agricultural land and fighting climate change in a way that considers the needs and interests of farmers and rural residents, including exploring the creation of a low-interest loan program for on-farm capital investments in anaerobic digesters
• Calls for creative options for managing food waste, including through on-property composting partnerships

Overall the Rural Summit, including the published compendium of 100 topics discussed, was a truly impressive exercise in civic participation by residents and listening by the City. We will be watching for the follow-ups at the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and other city committees in 2025.

Later in November, CAFES was present at the Navan Market and then enjoyed a fun Climate Fresk board game night in Navan-Vars in collaboration with the Navan-Vars United Church - learning more about climate change while enjoying a chili dinner and beverages. Another Climate Fresk night is coming up soon on January 17th in Carp - sign up here! (Psst - invite to all generations, free pizza)

Are you a rural resident looking to get more involved with CAFES and our climate and environment projects? See options below for ways to join us!

• We are looking for new members to join our Board of Directors! We are especially looking for those from a rural community in Ottawa. See our post here to learn more about our Board Member responsibilities and how you can express your interest.
• Join us as a member! Visit our "Get Involved" page HERE to see our organizational and individual memberships.
• Volunteer with us! If you have an idea about how you would like to volunteer for CAFES, or would like to staff the CAFES table at your community events, please write to us at info@cafesottawa.ca.