Canmore Sustainability & Community Resources

🏡 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.