About Us
The West Kootenay Climate Hub is a non-partisan organization that represents citizens from across the region who want more ambitious climate action to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. We are part of the Canada-wide community climate hub initiative.
We understand that together we are more powerful.
Our mission is to accelerate climate action in our region, and to facilitate communication and collaboration among dedicated individuals and our partner organizations.
Since officially forming in October 2021, we meet monthly to discuss local climate initiatives, create networking opportunities, host community events and webinars, and meet with elected representatives.
We gratefully acknowledge that we live on the traditional and unceded territories of the Sinixt, the Ktunaxa, the Syilx peoples.
Every month we email climate related local events and actions.
Join the Climate Hub to be actively involved in our regular meetings and events.
Meet the organizing team
Laura Sacks
I currently focus my efforts on climate advocacy and empowering others to take action. I founded the local chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and am a Regional Organizer for the Community Climate Hub initiative. I am a trained Climate Reality Leader, and an En-ROADS climate ambassador providing workshops on climate solutions. Before focusing on climate, I had a career as a hydrologist, operated a small organic farm, and helped raise two daughters. This work is ultimately driven by my grave concern for their future.
Judy O’Leary
I started my climate advocacy with Citizens’ Climate Lobby Nelson-West Kootenay and later helped found BC Climate Alliance, this hub and Climate Caucus, where I am a Network Coordinator. In an earlier life on the prairies I coordinated environmental impact assessments and then moved into education. Nelson has been home since 2010.
Fun fact: my dog Harley has attended a lot of climate meetings, and traveled twice to Victoria with me to lobby MLAs.
Ron Robinson
I have been involved with Citizens’ Climate Lobby Nelson - West Kootenay since 2013 and now West Kootenay Climate Hub. I will be facilitating a third climate discussion group for Learning in Retirement and continue to have climate related letters published in national and regional papers across Canada. In my spare time, I’m an active artist in mixed media and sculpture.
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Michael Vecchio
I got involved with climate activism in 2019, when the Fridays for Future West Kootenay started up. I have been volunteering with various climate related organizations since then, including the West Kootenay Climate Hub, Citizens' Climate Lobby Nelson, Extinction Rebellion West Kootenay, BC Climate Alliance. I built and manage the website for the West Kootenay Climate Hub.
I love being in nature with friends rather than playing video games.
Steven Cretney
I run a Nelson-based design and engagement studio, theforest.ca. Focused on endorsing social, environmental and educational initiatives, I collaborate with a variety of non-profits, charities and organizations to increase the impact of their good work, with good communications and design. I am the project lead and a co-facilitator of the Nest Lab, a social innovation lab supporting collaborative community action on climate change in Nelson.
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Craig DeLong
As a forest ecologist researcher, I have a long history with linking climate to ecosystems with research in forest classification, natural disturbance ecology, and old growth forest dynamics. More recently I have been working on a project that examines forest mortality in relation to climate change. I have a keen interest in projects that help reduce our impacts on the environment. I am a director of the Kootenay Outdoor and Environmental Learning Society and project lead for the Rossland Refactory which takes waste plastic from the local area and turns it in to products that can be sold locally thereby reducing the carbon footprint related to the supply chain. I am keen to become involved in more projects within the Kootenays which can reduce our climate footprint locally.
We have another 20-30 active members