Action for Sustainable Urban Land Use

Community Engagement in Sustainable Land Use Planning

Citizens (that's you!) are vital assets in planning for the future of their communities: they are the best experts about the qualities of the places they live and how those places should grow and change.
 
While informed citizen participation can slow down decision-making, it ultimately improves planning processes by building trust and respect between the devleopment community, decision-makers, and residents.

In order to get involved in sustainable planning in your watershed you should:

• Follow your local council activity on development and planning issues.
• Talk to your neighbours and friends about smart growth.
• Write a letter to the local newspaper or call a local radio talk show.
• Question your politicians and candidates at election time.
• Get involved with community groups that are concerned with community or sustainability issues – or, form a new one. 

Sustainable Agricultural Land Use: Action for Citizens

To contribute to sustainable agricultural land use planning in your watershed you may want to take part in or initiate some the following activities:

• Hold a meeting to discuss threats to local farmland and strategies to protect it;

• Circulate a petition stating your opposition to the loss of farmland;

• Make a presentation to your local council;

• Discuss the matter with your local Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC)

• Talk to everyone you know (and everyone they know);

• Write to your local paper (letter to the editor, op-ed, etc.);

• Make an effort to purchase locally-grown products at your local grocer;

• Ask your local grocer why more locally-grown products are not available, or not highlighted;

Sustainable Agricultural Land Use - Action for Land Owners

Land Management for Soils at Risk

Some activities that help to protect and manage soils at risk include:

• Establishing forage or annual barriers for soils at risk(e.g. strip cropping, grassed waterways, perennial forages on severely erodible or saline soils).
• Managing livestock grazing in critical erosion areas.
• Using straw mulch to help establish permanent forage.
• Establishing non-harvested, non-grazed cover crops.
• Modifying equipment for inter-row seeding of covercrops (e.g. relay crops).
• Developing soil erosion and salinity control plans.

Nutrient Management

Some activities that help to prevent unwanted nutrients from contaminating drinking water sources include:

• Modifying agricultural equipment to improve manure application.
• Developing nutrient management plans.

Sourced from Conservation Ontario's Runoff and Erosion Protection Brochure

Action for Sustainable Forestry

Click here for information on sustainable harvesting practices being used in Canada

Protecting Natural Space: Action for Citizens

• Identify, map, and protect environmentally sensitive areas during planning and visioning exercises 
• Support containment boundaries and greenbelts around your community
• Use tools such as conservation or heritage covenants and land trusts on your property
• Visit and celebrate greenways, parks and public open spaces
• Support environmental regulations and by-laws that protect green spaces, natural systems, fish, habitat and wildlife