The Craik Sustainable Living Project (CSLP) is a nonprofit organization for

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

that aims to advance the local use of more ecologically sound technologies and ways of living in rural

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The four key components of the project are the eco-centre, outreach and education programs, community action, and the

ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community with the goal of becoming more socially, culturally, economically, and/or ecologically sustainable. An ecovillage strives to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural envi ...

History

CSLP was created in 2001 from a partnership between the RM of Craik and the Town of Craik to develop a long-term plan for a sustainable community-based project. At the request of area resident Peter Farden of the Midlakes Community Coalition,

Lynn Oliphant Lynn Oliphant is a professor emeritus from the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan and a founding member of the Prairie Institute for Human Ecology. Oliphant was a frequent candidate for the Green Party ...

proposed a plan for the development of Saskatchewan's first ecovillage, which was adopted by community leaders. Four main areas of development were established to relate to

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

Key activities

Eco-centre

The Eco-centre was a multipurpose facility that was built and designed as a focal point for the project. Completed in 2004 under the direction of designer and project manager Cory Gordon, the . straw bale and timber frame structure features innovative and energy efficient building design and integrated heating, cooling and renewable energy systems. Local and recycled materials were incorporated whenever possible. The philosophy behind this type of construction is known as

green building Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planni ...

. Facilities included a restaurant, golf clubhouse, gift shop and three meeting rooms. The Eco-centre was destroyed by fire on March 24, 2016.

Outreach and education

CSLP supports

Education for Sustainable Development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

, and is working to provide educational opportunities for children, youth and adults on

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

technologies,

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

sustainable living Sustainable living describes a lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of Earth's natural resources by an individual or society. It is referred to as zero wastage living" or "net zero living". Its practitioners often attempt to reduce their e ...

and

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...

. The main projects involved have been the Sustainable Rural Alternatives Seminar Series, the creation of a resource library, and the Climate Change Awareness and Action Pilot Project in the Davidson School Division (which is now part of the Sun West School Division). CSLP representatives have been invited to trade fairs, enviro-forums, eco-fairs and other functions to highlight their work. Promotion of the project has also been advanced through the website, brochures, and articles written for local newspapers and other publications like the Regina EcoLiving Guide. CSLP has also supported the participation of students in the Youth Forum on Sustainability Program, which has resulted in youth helping to organize a number of workshops for students from Grades K-12 including papermaking,

vermicomposting Vermicompost (vermi-compost) is the product of the decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms, to create a mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and ...

and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

. Presenters of these workshops included experts from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...

, and HELP International.

Community action

The Craik Sustainable Living Project strives to motivate local people to reduce their

ecological footprint The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounti ...

. In addition to education initiatives, CSLP seeks funding and resources to support activities that increases energy efficiency of homes and vehicle use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and introduce less contaminants into the environment. An example initiative is the no-idling policy in front of the town and municipal administration buildings.

Ecovillage

An access road to a parcel of land was the first visible indication of the development of the

site in the fall of 2005. The first residents are planning to submit plans and begin construction in the following year. The mayor of the town of Craik at the time, Rod Haugerud, was the first to obtain a lot and begin construction of a straw bale home, but the lot has since been made available to Praxis International Institute. All of the original lots offered have been spoken for, with a second phase underway. Applications are to include plans for energy efficient housing and systems to be built on-site within a year of submission. Future direction for community planning will come from the residents themselves.

Spin-offs and benefits

The project has attracted provincial and national attention, being featured in a number of print publications and television features including CBC's '' The National''. Although receiving praise and awards from outside the community, the innovative approach to addressing rural decline and the need for sustainable living only recently received more widespread local public support after a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

was circulated to address concerns in devoting substantial efforts and resources to this project. In a heartfelt show of support, the assembled crowd rallied behind the mayor and members of the project, while also recognizing the value of the petitioner's concerns in drawing positive attention to the project, although inadvertently. Some of the positive spinoffs of the project are still in the early stages, but include: * while the anticipated construction of a multi-million

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

mill by

Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc Naturally may refer to: ;Albums * ''Naturally!'', an album by Nat Adderley * ''Naturally'' (Houston Person album) * ''Naturally'' (J. J. Cale album) * ''Naturally'' (John Pizzarelli album) * ''Naturally'' (Sharon Jones album) * ''Naturally'' ...

did not materialize, the site that would have been used by the mill has been purchased by Titan Clean Energy Projects, a project developer in renewable biomass energy. * a revitalization of interest in developing tourism in the area, leading to support of projects such as a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

xeric Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

garden and

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

, walking and riding trails, and a bird viewing platform and interpretive area. * attraction of new residents to a small Saskatchewan community, at a time when most small towns are experiencing steady declines. * construction of a

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

store, using strawbale construction, which offers a variety of flax-related products for sale * increasing community awareness of sustainability through numerous workshops * the planting of 64 000 fast growing hybrid poplars as part of an

agroforestry Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. Trees produce a wide range of useful and marketable products from fruits/nuts, medicines, wood products, etc. This intentional ...

program called Forest 2020. * scheduled meetings as well as informal networking between politicians, environmental-activists, organic farmers, eco-tourists and other interested citizens in the restaurant and meeting rooms * the development of a

Green Map ] Green Maps are locally created environmentally themed maps with a universal symbol set and map-making resources provided by the non-profit Green Map System. Based on the principles of cartography each Green Map plots the locations of a community' ...

of the area The project continues to act as a catalyst, capturing people's interest and imagination. This has been expressed in a number of ways, including a music festival in a hemp field, research into developing sustainable industries in the area, and an invitation to participate in the development of a Regional Centre of Expertise for research and education, with direction and involvement coming from two universities and the United Nations. * CSLP depends on volunteer work, donations and fundraising efforts. Numerous grants have also been successfully applied for to support various projects, including the resource library and the Nature Gardens. CSLP administered the Craik Community - Midlakes Region One-Tonne Challenge, a federally funded program for

climate change education Climate change education (CCE) is education that aims to address and develop effective responses to climate change. It helps learners understand the causes and consequences of climate change, prepares them to live with the impacts of climate change ...

and the reduction of CO₂ emissions that was cut by the Harper Conservative Government in 2006 and has not yet been replaced with an alternative program.

Awards and recognition

*February 17, 2005 - One Tonne Challenge Proposal accepted for the Craik Community-Mid-Lakes area *May 6, 2005 – FCM-CH2M HILL Sustainable Community Award for Community Engagement *June 12, 2005 - Canadian Geographic Canadian Environment Award to Lynn Oliphant *April 6, 2006 - Tourism Saskatchewan's Land of Living Skies Award of Excellence *2008-2012 - UN RCE Saskatchewan Recognition Awards for various initiatives

References

External links

Craik Sustainable Living Project

* ttps://archive.today/20240524144755/https://www.webcitation.org/5knWRYywU?url=http://www.geocities.com/craiklibrary/booklist.html%3F1082585456531 CSLP Resource Library Book List
The Ecovillage Model

Articles

"High on Hemp" - Explore, Winter '09

"Little Footprint on the Prairie" - Briarpatch Magazine, Dec '08

"Strategic Sustainability and Community Infrastructure Case Study #1, July '08

Construction starts at Craik" - Canadian Cohousing Network, Summer '08 (page 8)

* ttp://www.vindeglace.com/VISTA44_pp62_63.pdf "Living Off the Land" - VISTA Health Magazine, Jan/Feb '06
"The Little Town That Could" - Peace and Environment News, May/June '05

"Saskatchewan's new eco-community" - Western Standard.ca, Feb. '05

"From Dream to Eco-Reality" - Regina Eco-Living Guide, '05

"Craik EcoVillage - a Model for Sustainable Living" - The Commonwealth, Dec '04

"Prairie Town Goes Sustainable" - Natural Life Magazine, Oct/Nov '04 (page 18)

"Sustainable Living in Rural Saskatchewan" - Research paper for CorporateKnights

Video, television

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110526031122/http://www.scn.ca/showdetails.php?episode=1728 "Craik: Building a Green Community - Episode 3, Green Life series
"The Village Green” - ZootPictures Inc.
{{Coord, 51, 03, 36, N, 105, 48, 09, W, region:CA-SK_type:landmark, display=title Environmental organizations based in Saskatchewan Charities based in Canada Ecovillages 2001 establishments in Saskatchewan Non-profit organizations based in Saskatchewan