<html> <body> <h1>Stand Up for Conservation November 15th, from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. is our annual meeting.  Please register and come show your support for a strong conservation movement in Ontario!</h1> <a href="http://www.greenontario.org/cco/agm2005.html"> http://www.greenontario.org/cco/agm2005.html</a> In three short months, we've done a lot.  We've laid the foundation for a new conservation movement; through Doors Closed we've demonstrated how this movement can achieve results;and we're looking at new approaches to social marketing, co-marketing of services, and fundraising. We are also anticipating the first report from Ontario's Chief Energy Conservation Officer, Peter Love, and new Conservation Leadership legislation from the provincial government. That said, we have reached a crucial point in building an effective conservation movement, and it hinges around the current debate over Ontario's electricity supply and demand. Ontario faces a critical decision: <ul> <li>On the one hand we can opt for the traditional expensive, unreliable, and polluting approaches to meeting our electricity demand; or  <li>  <li>we can invest in conservation and energy efficiency: the cheapest, cleanest, and most reliable option. </ul> Bit of a no-brainer, isn't it. Electricity is just the beginning.  Think transportation, urban design, food, air quality, public health, garbage, pollution. Think health: healthy children, healthy communities, and a healthy economy resilient to energy and resource shortages.  This is the kind of decision we as a society are facing on so many fronts. If we don't collectively stand up and say "we conserve!" we will get, by default, more pollution, less nature, a weaker economy, and poorer health. Over the next few weeks, we will be asking you to take several key steps in support of conservation.  The first is to register for our annual meeting and first progress report on We Conserve. <a href="http://www.greenontario.org/cco/agm2005.html"> http://www.greenontario.org/cco/agm2005.html</a> You will shortly receive another e-mail on a membership drive for the Conservation Council.  This drive is aimed at Ontario's non-governmental organizations and individual conservation leaders. For the business community, business associations, and municipalities, a later posting/e-mail and our progress report will include a call for a conservation pledge as the first step in a five year campaign to promote the integration of conservation values into our society and economy.  We are also designing a database to help keep track of all the participants in the conservation movement and better connect those of you with conservation services with the market opportunities. We will also keep you posted on new developments and reports on the conservation front, and let you know where to send your comments and letters of support. Piece by piece, we are finding ways to turn a complex issue into a cohesive movement! I look forward to your continued support and to seeing you on the 15th, Chris Winter Executive Director The Conservation Council of Ontario </body> </html>