Our Mandate

Climate and the Arts mandate is to bring climate solutions to the forefront creatively by working collaboratively with art organizations of all descriptions. Solutions-based stories from both the public and arts organizations, will be shared on CreativelyUnited.org, a free community solutions hub and registered non-profit.

The Climate and the Arts series will be inclusive of the entire arts community, who, using creativity, will merge the growing public interest in finding solutions to the growing climate crisis and loss of biodiversity with the arts to educate, inspire and motivate behavioural change.

Performances will be held year round throughout the region. Climates and the Arts collaborators will portray a short story on the climate crisis based on the overall the theme of disruption and optimism. The premise is that disruption will occur both with extreme weather events, but by adopting new and challenging solutions to reduce our carbon footprint, we can adapt to the changing climate.

Collaborative partnerships are already underway with Pacific Opera, Ballet Victoria, the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Victoria Conservatory of Music and the Victoria Chamber Orchestra.

About Our Hummingbird

Gail’s Vision

Gail O’Riordan’s commitment to changing public consciousness about the pending climate crisis and loss of biodiversity inspired the Climate and the Arts Legacy Fund.

Gail, who passed in 2018, was also passionate about the arts and felt that combining climate stories about how humanity can change course with music and the performing arts would enrich the discussion and motivate people to act differently.

Simply put, Gail felt that individual self interest must become aligned with the survival of humanity as a whole. The biggest challenge to changing individual behaviour is that people place self interest in pursuing individual goals and economic gain over thinking about how such actions affect the broader interests of society.

Climate and Earth scientists are clearly telling us that humanity is living outside nature’s limits. This is manifested by increases in atmospheric carbon, acidification of the seas and loss of natural biodiversity such as forests, wetlands, estuaries and grasslands. As a result, the Earth’s atmospheric and oceanographic systems are changing to accommodate these threats. We now see extreme weather events in flooding, fires, droughts, disease and more destructive hurricanes. On the longer term there will be a slow but steady increase in sea levels around the world due to ice melt in polar regions. These changes will increasingly threaten critical natural and engineered infrastructure to support civilization’s key resources— water, energy and food.

The Government of Canada has set an aspirational goal of making Canada carbon neutral by 2050. This means that all human induced carbon sources largely from fossil fuels, but also from poor management of key ecosystems, will have to largely be eliminated within 30 years. In addition, the natural capacity of the Earth’s ecosystem to absorb carbon will have to be increased to reduce to zero human sources of carbon that cannot be eliminated.

Such a goal can be achieved only through a transformational change in human behaviour combined with government policies and innovative technology.

The concept of the Legacy Series is to combine stories of individuals, corporations, governments and innovators who are making positive contributions to achieving the carbon neutrality goal. These stories will be presented at concerts and performances by the arts community— music, theatre, fine arts and dance — where the audience will be exposed to the nature of the crises, as well as the seeds of hope from those who are pioneering a change from self interest to working for the interests of all humanity.

The Legacy Series will encourage audience members to make a pledge of doing things differently based on these stories. Over time it is planned that people will have access to a Carbon Credit Card. Such a card will be used in a similar fashion to a normal credit card except its currency will be carbon units. For every purchase a consumer will use two cards— one for payment and one to track carbon. Consumers will voluntarily set a limit on carbon use over a period of time and keep track of their carbon emissions. Through a pledge to the Carbon and Arts Legacy Series, the total carbon emissions will be continuously reduced to encourage individuals to reduce their overall carbon footprint.

The theme of the Legacy Series is Disruption and Optimism. We will all be disrupted by the climate crisis by experiencing ever frequent and destructive weather events and by having to change our lifestyles from a paradigm of individual gain to one of planetary gain. The aim of the Series is to develop a community of like minded people who will work together towards a carbon neutral future.

Under the Distinguished Patronage of:
Her Honour, The Honourable Janet Austin, OBC
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia