Guest Post: Getting a Cloth Diaper Subsidy going in Victoria, BC

Hello Everyone!   My name is Rachel Aube and I am a local Victoria mom who, like yourself, wants to see a cloth diaper subsidy in place for the CRD. I am hoping to gain the support of local businesses, cloth diaper advocates and families who would benefit from the economic and eco-friendly choice of cloth, and at the same time spread the word about how cloth is better for babies.  Abby Sprouts was one of the first businesses I thought to reach out to, as I know how active Steph is in the Victoria cloth diaper community. We also have the support of the Real Diaper Association and the Real Diaper Industry Association, two very important and established cloth diaper organizations. This lends us a bit of weight when we go to the CRD with our proposal, and we have the entire cloth diaper industry behind us, as well as our local advocates and businesses. It is also one of my goals to ‘roadmap’ our process so others can use our example in their regions to advocate for their own local incentives. We have some very important events happening this weekend, and the opportunity to get the word out about our desire for a subsidy. Thanks to collaboration with City Councilor Philippe Lucas, Victoria City Council has declared April 23rd as Cloth Diaper Day in Victoria, BC. This also coincides with The Great Cloth Diaper Change (Join the facebook event for updates please) Steph is hosting at the Oaklands Community Center. I have already written a press release, and we can use these events, as well as a newly created Facebook page ‘Cloth Diaper Subsidy in Victoria BC’, to get local support for our cause. Here is the basic plan 1) Encourage participation in the Great Cloth Diaper Change locally in Victoria BC. 2) Press release for ‘Cloth Diaper Day’ in Victoria BC advocating for a subsidy 3) Start a petition campaign to advocate for a cloth diaper subsidy in the CRD and promote our Facebook Page ‘Cloth Diaper Subsidy in Victoria BC’. 4) Have a town hall meeting early this summer to collectivize our efforts and lobby the CRD 5) Contact CRD Environment Committee, Heartland Landfill, Solid Waste Reduction Committee and present our plan for a cloth diaper subsidy. There are a variety of subsidies out there, and I have done extensive research on where and which types of subsidies are available. This is important to cite examples of how subsidies are being utilized when we develop our plan. Ideally, the subsidy would be a cash rebate like in most other regions, where you would have to submit the receipts to the CRD for reimbursement. Perhaps the most important part of our plan includes the stipulation that the subsidy is only available if the diapers are purchased in the CRD, thus supporting our local businesses. This is also a great way to ensure that we reduce our carbon footprint and protect baby from potentially unsafe diapers by ordering from overseas or from unknown on-line sources. Although a significant amount of research and preparation has been completed, we need everyone’s support to make this happen. Please be sure to spread the word about our campaign, ‘like’ our Facebook page, and please forward any suggestions or feedback on how we can successfully advocate for a subsidy in the CRD. You can contact me through the Facebook page, or via email at clothdiapersvictoria@yahoo.com Rachel Aube is a WAHM blessed with two boys, aged 3 and 4, and a wonderful husband and father, Sands Falk. Rachel is a University of Victoria graduate, a part-time administrator for the RDIA, and also supports local non-profits Environmental Health Association of BC and The BC School of Art Therapy.     A Note from Steph: We're committed to helping Rachel in whatever way we can and backing her 100% on her endeavor to have a Cloth Diaper Subsidy put into action here in Victoria, BC. Shortly after posting a story on our facebook page, regarding a similar subsidy in a Montreal Borough Rachel contacted me with the details about the Victoria, BC subsidy she has already laid most the ground work for- although I don't know if she saw that! Remember The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011 in Victoria, BC is THIS Saturday!  Please RSVP and get your registrations forms in soon.