Rural Routes to Climate Solutions was established in 2017 to provide learning and capacity building opportunities for rural Albertans to find out how they can benefit from climate solutions. We believe climate solutions have additional benefits for rural communities that go beyond lowering our carbon footprint, like:

• building resilience against extreme weather
• creating new economic opportunities in the community
• improving soil health
• protecting biodiversity, and
• establishing energy independence

Adopting climate solutions is a win-win. Rural Routes to Climate Solutions works to remove barriers and fill gaps so we can put this strategy into action. We do this by:

1. Putting community front and centre in our work. Through all of our projects, resources and events we are aiming to build thriving and resilient rural communities. We hold the space to bring individuals, groups and communities together to create, identify and implement solutions that work for them, in their specific situations.
2. Recognizing climate conversations can be tough in the Prairies. We know that many of us have family working in oil and gas or have forbearers that farmed in ways that we now know weren’t great for the land. These personal connections and feelings can make it awkward to participate in climate conversations. We have adopted a ‘made-in-Alberta’, rural approach to make it easier to participate in open conversations about our future.
3. Telling inspiring stories. We are a solutions-focused organization, so we don’t focus too much on the doom and gloom. We use storytelling to provide inspiration and examples of how rural climate solutions can be beneficial to all and those benefits go beyond just addressing a changing climate.

Rural communities in Alberta and across the world can play a pivotal role in building the low-carbon economy of the future.