🏡 Local Organizations:

• Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley
  → Focus: Climate action, education, community sustainability.
  → Workshops, volunteer opportunities, community action programs.
  → biosphereinstitute.org
  

• Canmore Community Garden
  → Focus: Local food security, sustainable gardening.
  → Seasonal plots available, workshops on organic gardening.
  → canmorecommunitygardens.org
  

• WildSmart (Through Biosphere Institute)
  → Focus: Coexisting with wildlife, nature conservation.
  → Public talks, bear safety education, wilderness stewardship.
  → wildsmart.ca
  

• Recycle More Canmore
  → Focus: Proper recycling education specific to the Bow Valley.
  → Reducing landfill waste, where/how to recycle different materials.
  → canmore.ca/residents/waste-collection/recycling
  
  

🌿 Outdoor Connection & Volunteer Opportunities:

• Trail Maintenance Volunteer Programs (Check through Alberta Parks)
  → Focus: Helping maintain Canmore's many trail systems sustainably.
  

• Mountain Clean-Up Days (Seasonal)
  → Parks or informal local groups organize garbage cleanups around trails, climbing areas, and parks (great for eco-action and meeting like-minded people).
  

• Bow Valley Climate Action (regional group based nearby)
  → Focus: Community-driven climate advocacy and education events.
  → bowvalleyclimateaction.org
  

📚 Local Sustainability Reads / Learning Ideas:

• Books to Read

• "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Indigenous knowledge + nature)

• "The Future We Choose" by Christiana Figueres (climate hope and action)

• "The Nature Fix" by Florence Williams (mental health + nature connection)
  

• Podcasts

• Outrage + Optimism (climate leadership and hope)

• The Climate Curious Podcast (short, accessible episodes about climate topics)

🛍️ Sustainable Shopping and Local Actions:

• Mountain Mercantile (eco-goods and low-waste items)

• Rusticana Grocery (local and organic grocery options)

• Bear and the Flower Farm (sustainable meat producer nearby)

• Gear Up (used high-quality outdoor wear like patagonia/rab/etc.)

Shop local, support sustainable brands, and buy second hand gear (tons of options for outdoor gear swap or reuse in Canmore/Banff).

🧘‍♂️Wellness-Focused Sustainability Tie-Ins:

• Mindfulness Walks: Self-led in places like Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk, Quarry Lake Park, or Nordic Centre trails.

• Join a Yoga Class: Studios like The Yoga Lounge often incorporate mindfulness and nature connection into their practice, which is deeply tied to climate resilience and mental health.