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More Than Meetings: How Art and Young Adults Helped Build a Climate Movement in Vernon, BC
Updated: Aug 20
By Barry Dorval, Member of Stop Sprawl Vernon Coalition and Okanagan Climate Hub
On many afternoons during the Stop Sprawl Vernon campaign, a large, old harvest table in a home on the outskirts of Vernon became an unlikely centre of climate action.
Friends gathered there to carve images into linoleum blocks, share ideas, ask questions, laugh, and sometimes debate the best way forward. Drying posters hung from string stretched across rafters. Some folks were always there; others dropped in when they could. Some brought baking to share. Everyone contributed what they could.
At first glance, this may not look like a traditional climate campaign. No professional organisers, no large communications team, and no carefully managed brand strategy. There were simply people who cared deeply about their community, who believed that the future of their city mattered.
These small acts of creativity and collaboration were part of a larger citizen-led movement responding to a proposed sprawl development on the outskirts of Vernon, British Columbia. Our experience taught us that effective climate action is not just about policies and technical arguments. It is also about relationships, storytelling, creativity, and the belief that ordinary people have more power than they realise when they work together and support others to do the same.
Start with what people care about
When Kerkhoff Develop-Build proposed the 580 Commonage development in early 2025, its scale was unlike anything Vernon had seen before. The proposal called for 4,000 homes on an undisturbed hillside 7 km from the urban core.
The developer conjured up an attractive vision: “attainable” housing, an integrated community, protected natural areas, and a development that would be “light on the land.”
No mention of downsides.
The climate problem was obvious: thousands of cars spewing CO2 day after day after day. But there were so many other issues too: habitat loss, water scarcity, transportation impacts, wildfire threats, and long-term financial debt for taxpayers. And is it attainable and affordable? This plan required a deeper conversation about the kind of community Vernon wanted.
As we navigated that debate, we learned that climate activism becomes more meaningful when it connects with the issues people experience in their daily lives.
Surprise, surprise, many people were not thinking about GHG emissions. They were concerned about traffic, taxes, wildlife, water, or the character of the place they call home.
And that’s okay. Connecting climate goals to these everyday concerns allowed more people to see themselves in this conversation.
Creativity helps turn issues into stories
From the beginning, Stop Sprawl Vernon recognised that we were doing more than sharing information. We were telling a different story about the future of our community.
A parallel project called Where is Planet B?, led by Deb, a community artist, helped shape this understanding. The initiative used collaborative art-making as a tool for climate awareness and social change. The group embraced linocut printing because the process itself reflected the values they wanted to promote: simplicity, participation, creativity, and shared ownership.
Deb joined Stop Sprawl Vernon and brought her passion with her. When we developed lawn signs, we chose to use a block-print image rather than a professionally designed graphic. The imperfections were embraced. This was not a campaign created by experts or consultants. It was generated by us, regular folks using the skills and resources we had.
The same approach shaped our posters, T-shirts, and public events.
Our shirts’ message was simple: “Sprawl costs us all.” The images—a dollar sign, an owl, a car with exhaust, and water drops—evoked the concerns that motivated many people: infrastructure costs, habitat loss, transportation challenges, carbon pollution, and water.
And the shirts did more than spread a message. They created a sense of belonging. Wearing one became a way of saying, “I have stake in this community too.”
This was a vital lesson: creativity does not just communicate a movement; it helps build one.
Young people bring new energy and new ways of seeing
The value of intergenerational collaboration was also highlighted by our process.
Well before 580 Commonage came along, a Neighbours United deep canvassing initiative brought Liz, a young community organiser, to Vernon to work alongside local climate advocates. Through this campaign, she helped facilitate authentic conversations about climate and community values while building genuine relationships across generations. When that project ended, Liz stayed put, and those relationships became an important foundation for what followed.
As Vernon was completing its new Official Community Plan, a process that became deeply intertwined with the debate over the proposed Commonage development, Liz spoke at a public hearing before council for her first time. Her willingness to step into that public role reflected her growing connection to Vernon. More importantly, it reinforced a culture, a culture that she was instrumental in building, in which younger and older organisers learned from one another and shared leadership together.
As the campaign grew, young people also became central to our communications efforts. Erin developed our website and social media presence, bringing experience, energy, and a different perspective to online audience engagement. Our outreach into the community exploded with her reels. Sam and Heidi contributed to planning, technology, and events facilitation.
Their approach sometimes challenged those of us who are older. We had conversations about tone, messaging, and how bold to be. Some of us worried about being too confrontational or causing offence. Younger organizers often helped us see that authenticity and courage were also important.
At the same time, older members brought experience, organisational knowledge, and a commitment to creating a supportive environment.
The lesson was not that one generation had the answers; rather, it was that movements become stronger as different generations learn from each other.
Resilience is built through relationships
Grassroots organising isn’t easy.
Stop Sprawl Vernon faced external challenges: a well-resourced developer, competing public narratives, and the complexity of municipal decision-making. But we also experienced internal challenges. Like many volunteer groups, we sometimes struggled with differences about objectives, timing, and process.
Looking back, one lesson is clear: groups need to care for their relationships while they do the work. Some challenges that might have been easier to address early on became more difficult when left unresolved.
But the story is also one of resilience.
A willow tree is a metaphor for what we experienced. Willows bend and twist in strong winds. Sometimes branches break off. Yet willows remain rooted and continue to grow.
Our group was not strong because we avoided challenges. We were strong because we tried to work through them. We leaned into each other’s strengths, trusted one another, and stayed committed to a shared purpose even when the path was hard.
Ordinary people can shape the future
In the end, Stop Sprawl Vernon was successful. Ordinary people from an ordinary city won the day.
In a tight 4-to-3 decision, Vernon City Council defeated the proposal at second reading, preventing the development from moving forward. At least for now, the land remains protected from sprawling development.
And maybe that’s the most important lesson from Stop Sprawl Vernon: Ordinary people have more power than they realise.
That power doesn’t come from having the most money, the biggest organisation, or the loudest voice. It comes from relationships, creativity, persistence, and the willingness to work together.
And that power is greater than the sum of its parts. When ordinary people bring different skills, perspectives, and experiences together, something new emerges.
We become stronger, not only as advocates, but as neighbours and as humans.
Every community has ordinary people who care about its future. The challenge is creating spaces where they can come together, discover their shared purpose, and realise what they are capable of building.
That’s where effective climate action begins.
About the Author
Barry Dorval is a retired teacher and community volunteer in Vernon, B.C. He is one of many local folks working together on climate action through a variety of initiatives including Climate Action Now!, Climate Action Ripple Effect (CARE), Climate Ambassadors, Climate Engagement Centre, and Stop Sprawl Vernon. Clearly, Vernon is a busy community!
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