Dear Urban Diplomat: how do I stop my neighbours from covering my street with posters?
Dear Urban Diplomat,
I live in a neighbourhood with an active homeowners’ association that posts notices for every imaginable picnic/lost kitten/Earth Day event on every light pole within a five-block radius. This perky brigade of community boosters makes me want to scream—I’m this close to telling them that, if they really want to save the planet, they might consider nixing the incessant postering. How can I persuade them without getting branded the neighbourhood crank?
—Anti-Poster Girl, Leslieville
It sounds like you’re well on your way to fulfilling that role already. Personally, I’d let it slide. But if you simply can’t, try beating ’em by joining ’em: attend some meetings, and once you’ve nibbled on cookies and established your non-crank credentials, you can point out the irony of wasting paper to promote Earth Day. Then suggest a greener way, be it social media or a community email list. And who knows, maybe you’ll get to know your neighbours instead of just grumbling ineffectually about them behind their backs.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
