Introduction

In 2001, the Town of Craik and the Rural Municipality of Craik No. 222, in southcentral Saskatchewan, Canada, began working in partnership to develop a long-term plan for a sustainable community-based project. This partnership emerged out of the shared concern of the need for local and tangible initiatives addressing climate change and the socio-economic revitalization of this rural community. From this partnership, the Craik Sustainable Living Project (CSLP) was formed.

The Craik Sustainable Living Project aims to advance the local use of more ecologically sound technologies and ways of living. The community of Craik is part of the bioregion known as the Midlakes Region, which is defined by Last Mountain Lake to the east and Lake Diefenbaker to the west, and extends from the town of Hanley to the north to Chamberlain to the south. The CSLP also strives to serve as a model inspiring and enabling positive change in other communities in western Canada and elsewhere. A wide range of sustainable alternatives – such as those related to land use, food and fibre production, shelter, energy generation and conservation, water and waste management, and recycling are featured in the 4 key activities of this project: the Eco-centre, Outreach and Education, Community Action, and the Eco-Village.

We believe that sustainability will become the dominant issue of the 21st century. Our society needs to develop ways of living that are economically viable and socially just which do not at the same time destroy the ecological base that sustains us and all other life on the planet. The Town and the Rural Municipality of Craik therefore, have embarked on a joint long-term project in search of ways of living that address the issue of sustainability and rural revitalization through physical demonstration of viable solutions.