WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What do sub-prime mortgages have to do with Atlantic salmon, SUVs and globalization? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 They all depend on cheap oil, but oil is peaking. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So you can count on the price at the pump going up. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And as transportation costs rises, so will the costs of our food. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That means that we have to wean ourselves from fossil fuels and re-engineer our lives 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to adapt to a world of growing energy scarcity. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The good news is your neighbors and your neighborhood are about to get a lot more important 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the not too distant future. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Margaret Mead, a famous anthropologist, once said, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "Never underestimate how a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has!" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That's where community power comes in. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Thinking and acting locally is the only way that we are going to able to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 address the issue facing us today and generations to come. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We have significant challenges in front of us. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 CO2 emissions are pouring into the atmosphere. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If the global climate warms beyond an average increase of 2 degrees, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the impacts will be far more devastating than we can imagine. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Community power and the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) is a way for people 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to share adversity and decide what to do about it 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 while creating economic benefits. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Green Energy and Green Economy Act is unlike anything else in North America. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It created the framework for a cross-section of communities to come together and create NOTE Paragraph 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the infrastructure to turn vision into action. We are facing two paths: the Hard Path, centralized production of energy with continuous consumption and limitless growth; or the Soft Path: local production of energy, locally owned with resilient and sustainable communities. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We need to make a choice of which direction we want to take. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Hard Path is more of the same, and leads to irreversable consequences. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We need to make this choice together to decide on the vision we want for our community. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And to take action on what we want to create together. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The greatest challenge is about leadership. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Finding those people in the community who have the passion 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and who want to make a difference. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That is where YOU come in. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If you are a local guy, a girl, a local group, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a church, or a local leader, who sees the benefit 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of community power and you want to build community resilliancy. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But where to start? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That is where we at OSEA come in. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with our roadmap to getting your community power project from vision to reality. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 OSEA's Roadmap To Success Workshop will take you on a deep dive 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 into the roadmap tools and techniques. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We will create a project in your community 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and help you develop an action plan 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to bring it from vision to reality. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Community Energy Partnership Program (CEPP) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 offers a 90% grant on eligible activities 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that have the technical, financial and governing feasability of a community project. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the Act chains the cooperatives corporation act 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to allow for the creation of a renewable energy cooperative 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as a means to encourage community involvement. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Fun, challenging, paving the way for community-inspired actions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to save the planet. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a reason to meet your neighbors throughout your community. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's a way for all of us to literally invest in the future. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You'll be able to actually buy a share in the development of the community-operated energy cooperative. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You'll be a member of a democratically-controlled investment opportunity 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who's primary role, after return to investors, shareholders, members, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is returned to the community. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Supporting community sports, cultural, environmental, and other philanthropic activities. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Is a renewable energy co-operative the right model for YOUR group? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is important to decide, as it will influence how you raise capital for the project. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A 250 kilowatt solar can cost up to one million, five hundred thousand dollars. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That's a big investment for a community. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A 2 megawatt wind project can be four to five million. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But communities are doing it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And sharing the investment opportunities locally, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 rather than with the ups and downs of the Stock Market. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The same process is applicable to other renewable energy technologies. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Now, you are ready to submit your CEPP application. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This will help you understand more of the technical, financial, and governance options. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Through the < > Community Power Services Group, we can assist you through the application process 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as well as help you to manage your project. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The Workshop will connect people with passion in the community 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to organizations and people with assets 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that can accommodate renewable generation projects: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 municipal buildings, hospitals, brownfield sites, used landfills, quarries, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 business rooftops. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Once you've found the heart and mind of the community, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 then there is nothing stopping you from moving your project foreward. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And what do you know? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Other things start to happen: 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you begin to drive less, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 shop locally 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 get to meet new people, build a community energy plan 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 influence local politicians on environmental matters. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 You have the capacity to act locally and think locally.