The Gorge Waterway Action Society hosts the first of four events – a Queer Art and Climate Action Seminar in the park on March 21.
The event features LGBTQ2S+ artists, musicians and climate leaders to promote knowledge-sharing and belonging.
“This first event is an exploration in integrating queer perspectives and artistic methods into climate work,” project manager Clover Taylor said in a news release. “Queer people are more likely to experience negative impacts of climate change because of systemic inequalities, but they are still often left out of the conversations surrounding climate change. Our dream for this series is to create spaces to incorporate queer knowledge, art and joy in the climate realm, and to share knowledge and skills for climate adaptation and mitigation.”
The Gorge Waterway Action Society aims to preserve and enhance the waterway through environmental education, climate education, restoration, biological monitoring and community involvement. The four-part Queering Climate Action Series is supported with a Wawanesa Insurance local grant and looks to incorporate queer knowledge, joy and art into climate action.
The project includes workshops and training sessions to equip community members with practical skills for climate adaptation and mitigation, such as ecological restoration. Among the initiatives planned is hands-on restoration work at Esquimalt Gorge Park, which will result in upwards of 600 native plants being placed throughout the vulnerable coastal habitat.
The first seminar is March 21 at 1 p.m. in the Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion.
Space is limited for the free event. Get tickets at gorge.ca/events.
