Looking in the rear-view mirror… and at what’s coming next
Am I the only one who feels that we just started 2025? How did it go by so fast???
After going through the list of this year’s accomplishments, I have a theory: time flies when we are busy doing what we love! And Transition Kamloops, with the help of our wonderful supporters, has done a lot!
Last year at this time, we were embarking on a strategic planning process with the help of consultant Daphane Nelson. We identified four key priorities:
- Improve our own organizational sustainability
- Grow our influence locally
- Hold elected officials to account
- Support action teams and community initiatives
All are important, but we decided to focus primarily on the first priority this year because it is key to our future.
Building organizational sustainability
Transition Kamloops is maturing as an organization. As we grow, we want to make sure we aren’t burning people out. Our core team took the time this year to look at our internal systems. We mapped our workflow and distributed core roles more equitably; we created and documented our systems for tasks like writing the monthly newsletter; and we did a lot of cross-training (you probably noticed several different newsletter authors this year). It’s a work in progress, but the end goal is to ensure that Transition Kamloops will be around for the long haul. You’ll be hearing more about this in the new year.
Grow our influence
What’s the difference between a small band of earnest advocates and a powerful, respected organization that makes a difference in the community? Numbers. You, dear readers, are our superpower.
We are proud of where we have arrived after a decade of being active, but we recognize that we could be doing more. Important goals for Transition Kamloops are reaching new audiences, growing our base, supporting more action teams, and being able to count on bringing out a crowd when it really matters.
- Upgrading our website was also identified as a priority in order to get to the next level, and we were thrilled to launch a beautiful new website courtesy of the wonderful team at Adroit Technology. Not only did they design a new website for us, they provided prompt and friendly support every time we had a question or an issue. If you want to support local businesses, think about moving your IT and web development functions to Kamloops’ own Adroit.
- Upping our social media game is part and parcel of reaching new audiences. As of last month, we have a skilled and dedicated volunteer doing our Facebook/Instagram, and we look forward to expanding our activities on other platforms.
Hold our elected officials to account
Since the last election, it has been a constant process of encouraging this Council to uphold previous commitments—despite sharing reams of research showing that investing in climate action up front is much more affordable in the long run than mopping up after increasingly frequent extreme weather and wildfire events.
We all wonder sometimes whether our input makes any difference, but those comments at public meetings and on the City’s Let’s Talk page do get reviewed and counted. This time last year, we asked you to speak up for the Climate Action Levy at the City’s budget session, and in the end the Levy was maintained. You helped ensure that Kamloops has public cooling amenities during heat waves, that the Bike Valet will continue, and that active transportation infrastructure will continue to improve (even if not as fast as we would like!) Providing feedback to Council is still one of the most effective ways to have impact—and we’re going to keep asking for your help with it.
This year, Transition Kamloops successfully applied to be part of the KAMPLAN Advisory Group, which allowed us to give feedback directly to staff during the update of the City’s Official Community Plan. We didn’t win every skirmish, but many positive changes were included in the update.
As we try to do for every election, we surveyed the federal candidates early in the year and produced a Voters Guide. We were grateful to work with several other non-profits in the two local ridings on refining the questions. We got a lot of feedback that this tool was much appreciated by our supporters—although it sure would have been nice if both incumbents, Conservative MPs Frank Caputo and Mel Arnold, hadn’t ignored our requests for their input, leaving us with nothing but their voting records to hold them to account! Fortunately, our volunteers did the research, and those records provided a clear picture of their positions. We’re gearing up to do the same in advance of the October 2026 municipal election.
Support action teams and community initiatives
Transition Kamloops supports a network of grassroots projects being done by our own action teams as well as various other groups. We partner with other organizations whenever possible, leveraging our impact. Our website, our monthly newsletter, and our social media spread good news about what’s happening in our community, and offer a way for folks to get involved.
Our dedicated Repair Cafe team continued their amazing work during four very well-attended pop-up events this year, rescuing hundreds (363 if you’re counting!) of appliances, pieces of furniture, bikes, clothing and other items from the landfill. Their success rate on repairs was over 60 percent! The event organizers send huge thanks to the support team, the fixers, and to YOU for bringing in your items! Next event: March 12, 2026.
Good news: the Propel Us Car Share, which was one of our most popular Climate Action Fest projects has now incorporated as a non-profit cooperative. Propel Us is looking for input from residents via its impact study survey, to help shape how this co-op will best serve Kamloops. Catch up with them here.
We’re also pleased that clothing swaps for women and children (another “Climate Action Fest” initiative) continue to be organized every spring and fall—an easy way to reduce the impact of fast fashion.
We hosted a webinar with the Community Energy Association on the financing, rebates, and incentives available for home improvement projects through the Retrofit Assist program. If you’re considering adding insulation, upgrading to a heat pump, or installing new windows or solar panels, check it out!
We had booths at a few Farmers’ Markets and at the Beach Clean-up this year. These are always fun for us and provide a way for groups like our Green Burial team to connect with the public. We also did the usual smattering of presentations at various clubs and conferences.
While all that was going on, we continued to host our (almost) monthly Green Drinks, an accessible space for conversation and networking where ideas for future initiatives can percolate. We are planning to offer more opportunities for folks to engage with us and get involved on project teams—watch for details in the January newsletter.
That’s a snapshot of what our small-but-mighty organization was up to this year. I am so proud of the many supporters who step up regularly in big ways and small ways, and I’m so grateful to be part of it all. Let’s keep growing together!
Gisela Ruckert, President of Transition Kamloops
PS: Your turn. What kind of projects would you like to see us take on in 2026? What would YOU like to get involved with? Let us know here.
Transition Kamloops
Transition Kamloops is a volunteer-driven, registered not-for-profit society focused on increasing local resilience and self-sufficiency in food, water, energy, culture and wellness. We emphasize a local economy, healthy ecosystems, and grassroots community building, while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. We believe in a better way: a community that sustains life in all its diversity, strives for equality and justice and invests in the future.
Transition Kamloops recognizes that we are living on Secwépemcul’ecw—land that was never ceded to settlers, and continues to be home to vibrant Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions. We acknowledge the impact of colonization, forced displacement, and ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous peoples. We commit to listening, learning, and building positive relationships with Indigenous communities as we work towards reconciliation.
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