This “How to Stage a Car Free Day in your Community” guide has been created to give Canadians an understanding of the background behind the initiative and what steps you can take to host and benefit from a Car Free Day in your community.

Car Free Day (CFD) is an opportunity for Canadians to take personal, positive and constructive measures to reduce greenhouse gases in their community. To begin the process of establishing the link between the fossil-fueled car, the deteriorating quality of our air and the related health problems associated with them.

Car Free Day will also allow Canadians an opportunity to learn about, and raise awareness on, the issues of smog and air pollution – and their global counterparts – climate change and global warming. These issues are no longer limited to just large cities and urban areas. Recent studies have shown that the amount of smog in the cottage country of Ontario – 300 kilometres north of Toronto – is as bad or worse that in the city itself.

Car Free Day is not about just eliminating the use of your car for one day. It’s about coming to understand the short and long-term effects of the continual use of the car. It’s about looking into alternative options to the car – such as public transit, cycling, car-pooling, walking and telecommuting.

You will learn from this guide about the individuals and groups who are advocating alternatives and are taking action in their communities to reduce car dependency. In 2001, Toronto was part of a global initiative that included over a 1000 cities and 100 million people worldwide.

Download and read the whole guide [.pdf]

Written by Sierra Club of Canada, Eastern Canada Chapter