Special Features - Campbell River Let's Go Green

2 2 L I APR

The earth is not a platform for human life.

It’s a living being.

We’re not on it but part of it.

It’s health is our health.

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On April 22, some six million Canadians will be celebrating Earth Day in their communities with special gatherings and activities. But Earth Day Canada, the national charitable organization that sponsors the awareness campaign, supports many projects that keep the environment, sustainability and climate change in focus all year long.

• Earth Day Every Day was launched in 2015 to help Canadians reduce their carbon footprint by 20 per cent by 2020. An online platform helps people share their successes and suggestions on social-media and keep track of their efforts to change the way they use energy and interact with the environment.

• EcoMentors links young people with training and resources that can help them develop leadership skills in environmental education and action.

• EcoKids helps school-aged children learn about how they can be good stewards of the environment through curriculum materials and special educational campaigns.

• Beyond Green aims to foster the long-term engagement of Canadians aged 18-30 with environmental issues and sustainable actions.

• Hometown Heroes is an environmental awards program that acknowledges excellence in environmental leadership at the grassroots level.

What can I do in honour of Earth Day? One of the most important things you can do is keep your Earth Day awareness all year long. Take steps to “green” your commute to work; look for ways to reduce your use of fossil-fuel-generated energy; shop locally whenever possible and become an eco-aware consumer.

To learn more about the youth and community programs sponsored by Earth Day Canada, or to learn more about Earth Day events near you, visit Earthday.ca.

4 ways to reduce your carbon foo

Taking care of the planet by reducing carbon footprints is the responsibility of all global citizens.

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activity. Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were induced by your activities in a given time frame typically a year.

Individuals

who take steps to reduce their carbon footprints can have a dramatic impact on their own lives and the lives of those who come after them.

1. Make changes to transportation. Transportation accounts for almost half of all air pollution and more than one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, says the David Suzuki Foundation, a Canadian conservation group. Walking, biking or taking mass transit to get around can reduce your carbon footprint. If you must drive, stick to the speed limit, accelerating and stopping smoothly. Also, maintain your vehicle so it operates as efficiently as possible.

2. Opt out of junk mail. The energy used to produce, deliver and dispose of junk mail produces more greenhouse gas emissions than 2.8 million cars combined. Choose email options for marketing information and bills and ask

companies to reduce the amount of paper correspondence they distribute. There are companies who will contact direct-mail companies for you and eliminate unnecessary junk mail for a nominal fee.

3. Consider solar power. Solar panels installed on the roof of your home can reduce your reliance on electricity and natural gas. Solar companies may offer financing options to minimize upfront costs. Some states have a “net metering” law, which may enable you to eliminate your electricity bill or even earn money by selling electricity back to the grid.

4. Choose local foods. Food production and transportation increases greenhouse gas emissions. Select locally grown and organically produced food. In so doing, you’re not only helping the environment, but you’re also helping local business owners.

There are many ways for concerned citizens to reduce their carbon footprints. Small changes can quickly add up to large, far-reaching results.

tprint

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Dogwood Pet Mart has purchased 750,000 biodegradable doggy poop bags over the last 3 years, which have been distributed throughout many trails and parks in Campbell River.

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y a D h t r a E s W h a t d one t o y o u ? m e a

E - Everyone in the world should put A - All Their garbage and R - Recycling in T - To the appropriate locations to keep our city and planet H - Healthy

By Stu Taylor KEeep Forests Green Reduce reuse And recycle CaRe Environmental ProtecT ReplenisH

By Jean Ternan

Save Our EARTH Our GArden of plenty Recycle – Recycle - Recycle WaTch power use WatcH water use

By Claire Hunston

E - Easy A - access for R - recycling saves the world for T - today’s children so they can learn clean H - habits

By Stu Taylor

Every day should be Earth Day, All parts of our work and our play, Reduce, recycle, reuse.

To help, you have nothing to lose; Help keep Earth’s destruction away.

By Gail Bagshaw

Each one of these needs better care: Animals, plants, possessions, water and air.

Read for advice, conserve, share, reuse and recycle.

Try to walk everywhere or ride your bicycle.

Help save our planet for every heir!

By Nicole Foucault

Ever changing this world of ours, Air pollution from industry and cars.

Recycle, repurpose, reuse they say, and collectively we’ll all change our way.

This planet is dying and we need to fight, Help keep our air and water living right!

By Brenda Green

Celebrate

SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC LOCAL

Friday April 22ND

with us!

Live music by Shane Philip at 11am & 3pm

DEMOS 10:00AM - 1:50PM

This is both a fundraiser for GREENWAY’S LAND TRUST & an opportunity to highlight local growers and manufacturers.

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Nettle & Co Gathering place Pattison Farms Natural Factors Tannadice Farms Greenway’s Landtrust

2:00PM - 6:00PM 1. Harmonic Arts 2. Home Grown Living Foods 3. Tree Island Yogurt 4. Siglar 5. Hungry Rooster

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Our local family business is celebrating Earth Day at Healthyway on Friday, April 22.

Come and enjoy samples of fresh, fair-traded products from a world family farms.

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where you take everything in here, away from where it’s being burned or buried, and basically turn it into value-added products,” said Morton, who now works with his son Dan, who is the company’s general manager. “We bought this property off of the city specifically as an organic and wood waste processing facility.”

Morton says they didn’t make much, if any, income on the recycling end, but for 19 years, they stayed open seven days a week as a service to the public to take in yard waste.

The company persevered and diversified and although they have backed off from the yard waste, they are still recycling — but now they recycle fish waste and turn it into compost and fertilizer.

“We still work with the fishbased products and landscape products and we still do

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land clearing as well — we bring in all the debris from that and turn it into value-added products,” said Morton. “We still do lots of recycling; we just can’t offer the services to the public like we used to.”

At Renuable Resources Ltd., they do a lot of product manufacturing, and they’re always busy doing research and development.

“You’ve got to keep moving ahead, trying things out,” said Morton.

“We’re the only ones that have locally-made fish compost in Campbell River; everywhere else that sells anything else, it has been trucked in from somewhere else. We’re the only manufacturer in town and as far as I know, we’re the only ones on the Island doing liquid fish fertilizer too.“ Renuable Resources contains its

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recycling facility offers valueadded bulk landscaping products for home and commercial use.

Before starting Renuable Resources, Morton was in the firewood business. He looked after every log yard in Campbell River and Menzies Bay, recovering log ends and turning them into firewood, fence posts and other products. He says he was frustrated that a lot of the wood was still being burned and he decided to start his own facility. In 1989 and 1990, he researched facilities in the United States that were doing what he wanted to do.

“I figured the only way to do it was set up a piece of property

A

We’ve all heard of the 3Rs — reduce, reuse, recycle. But Steve Morton thinks a fourth R — renew — is just as important when it comes to environmental responsibility.

Morton is the president and CEO of Renuable Resources Ltd., which has been renewing waste that would have once been put into the landfill, burned or buried and turning it into unique products for gardens, lawns and farms since 1996.

Renuable Resources is located on 16 acres of industrial park property at 4001 Midport Rd. in Campbell River. The organic and wood waste processing and

Doing our par to help the environment

www.campbellrivermirror.

go green 2016

fish in tanks on the property, and by the end of this year, they’ll be able to contain their composting products indoors as well. Morton is planning a big expansion, where they will build a large building on their property so they can contain more products indoors.

Renuable Resources continues to manufacture a lot of products with the fish, such as fish-based fertilizers and fish compost and Morton believes they are the only company that offers Fish & Chips, a medium-sized cover material

company offers these smaller packaged products at wholesale prices or less for schools that want to participate. One year, Quadra Elementary’s PAC made more than $5,000 profit through this fundraiser.

“We do offer that and the potential is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for school classrooms through the PACs,” said Morton.

To learn more about Renuable Resources Ltd., visit renuable.com.

screened from fish compost.

The company also offers Grassoline, organic liquid fish fertilizers where they’ll take whole fish and turn them into liquid.

When it comes to composting, besides the materials, Renuable Resources also sells composting worms.

“Dan, my son, he grows worms here,” said Morton. “If [people] want to start a composting pile, Dan here grows the worms for that and actually sells pretty much all the bait on Vancouver Island.”

Area schools can get in on the reduce, reuse and recycle game with Renuable Resources, as the company offers fundraisers for school Parent Advisory Councils (PAC) in School District 72 or School District 71. Besides its bulk products, Renuable Resources also has bagged and bottled products, and the

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Police raided a cannabi of any charges,” We take $100 Buys and prior ed in store. s dispenCannot off the ticketed sales sary on Wednesday, said Const. Sara prices. Offer be combined with any Ends April 25th, opened in Campbe one of two that Clark. “Camp 2016. ll River only last week. bell River Trees Dispensary on RCMP would 14th Avenue was raided at 2 p.m. like to remind Courtenay 2937 Mounties seized all April 6 and businesses and/ Victoria 3501 Kilpatrick Ave 250-87 money, 1-6074 Saanic cannah Road bis flower and cannabi Nanaimo 3200 or individ uals North Island 250-382-5269 Hwy 250-75 site. Campbell River s extracts on operat ing in 6-4114 manager Ben Hinton Trees branch contrav ention AlistAir tAylor and released without was detained Trees medical marijuana /CAmpbell river of the CDSA and mirror charge later in week and dispensary opened Health Canada the afternoon. regulations that they was raided by the in Campbell River RCMP Wednesday. last ject may “We were a bit surpris to investigation and be sub- nue (see story on page ed with report 3). criminal the rapidity with which charges Campbe of alleged in accordance with Canall River is the newest illegal cannabis the RCMP sales fronobtaine d a search tinuings their investig dian laws. tier in medical marijua warrant,” said Drugsat a shop in Campbell River. Boater had difficultyation na dispensaunder Trees Dispensary spokesp launchi the Contro ries in British believed to ng their“At thisattime breakw lled boats Drug and Subthe investig becaus Big Rock ation and WeeMe Columbia. Both Trees Robb. “It was a bit fast. erson Alex well as cash and be marijuana, as stances ater Boat Launch remains channe Act (CDSA)e the outlet ongoing during last dical Photo by Kelly l is too equipm and. Meanw ” havelow we will not shallow beentide.

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Two school district fountains removed after failing water testing MIKE DAVIES

CAMPBEL L RIVER MIRROR

After high levels found in the drinkin of lead were per cent of location g water of 48 s in the Prince Rupert School District Februar y, school district this past s around the province have been own drinking water testing their for contaminants to find out if they, to take steps to mitigate too, needed this possible health issue.

Deputy Ministe r of Educati on Dave Byng sent a letter districts in the provincto all school Prince Rupert situatio e after the n came to light in the media, saying, “At the request of the Provinc ial Health Officer, I am writing school districts of to remind all the importance of ensuring water quality schools complies with within all agement Best PracticWater ManDrinking Water Protecties and the on Act.” Secretary-Treasu bell River School rer of the CampDistrict (SD72) Kevin Patrick revealed of education at this to the board meeting that testing week’s public pleted across our has been comdistrict and all but two locations came back, “well within compliance and safety levels.”

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go green 2016 Earth Week film festival features

Racing to Zero: In Pursuit of Zero Waste

Youth Action Committee members (left to right): Brendan Mainprize, Nigel Neufeld, Sidney Demuth and Kianna Shwaluk

What does it take for a city to achieve zero waste?

This year’s feature film at the Earth Week Film Festival will share the story of a city trying to do just that.

Three years ago, the mayor of San Francisco pledged to achieve zero waste by 2020.

Racing to Zero tracks San Francisco’s waste stream

diversion tactics and presents innovative new solutions to waste. This film documents a surprising, engaging and inspiring race to zero.

Hosted by the Youth Action Committee, this event will also feature a short film that shares the story of The Campbellton Neighborhood Association’s new community

garden. The Youth Action Committee chose these films to bring light to the importance of reducing our consumption and the amount of material that ends up in Campbell River’s landfill.

The average household in Campbell River discards 340kg of garbage each year, but only 10 per cent of

this garbage belongs in the landfill. Remaining items can be recycled or composted.

The City of Campbell River is striving to reduce the amount of material going into the landfill through public education and recycling programs.

“We hope that this film will bring the issue of over consumption and overflowing landfills into the forefront and inspire residents to think twice before they toss materials into the trash bin,” says Nigel Neufeld, Chair of the Youth

Action Committee.

City representatives, the Youth Action Committee and community environmental groups will be on hand to share information about composting, recycling, and other green initiatives taking place in Campbell River.

“The Earth Week Film Festival is an event for families, students and community members of all ages,” says Councillor Marlene Wright. “It is a great opportunity to celebrate Earth Week and share knowledge

with the community on how we can lower our impact on the environment.”

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the film begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 21 at the Tidemark Theatre. Admission is by donation, with proceeds going to a student environmental bursary.

Tickets will be available at the door on a first come first serve basis at the Tidemark Theatre.

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8 WAYS KIDS CAN GO GREEN Raising eco-friendly children is less complicated than it once was. From very early ages, today’s kids are exposed to environmental topics and how they can do their part to maintain and protect the planet’s resources.

Between activities at daycare and lessons at school to information they receive from educational television programming, some kids are taking their own environmental initiatives — and involving their parents along the way.

Inspiring children to be eco-friendly can be enjoyable and get those creative juices flowing. The following are eight ways children and their families can work together to protect the environment.

1. Precycle. Kids can attempt to reduce waste by recognizing products that could be wasteful and then avoiding those items. Toys or everyday items with excessive packaging that we use without thinking are just some examples of items that can be precycled.

2. Repurpose. Look at items that normally end up in the trash and find new and fun ways to repurpose them. Children can make crafts out of junk mail, catalogs and old newspapers.

Juice boxes or plastic containers can be turned into boats or accessories for dolls and action figures. Use natural materials found in the yard or on a nature walk to make a fairy garden or imaginative world for small toys.

3. Reuse. Toting lunch or snacks around can be more eco-friendly when reusable containers are part of the equation. Explore the many lunch bags, beverage cups, thermoses, Bento boxes, and other packaging available.

Many are made from recycled materials as well.

4. Walk. Encourage getting around without firing up the car. Walking, jogging, biking, or scootering around the neighborhood is more eco-friendly than driving. Many adventures can unfold when seeing the world from a pedestrian’s vantage point, but things are easily missed when riding inside cars or trucks.

5. Conserve water. Lessons learned in conservation are important. Water is one resource that is crucial to human life. Kids can

explore ways to cut down on water consumption or use water more efficiently. The environmental resource Green Lifestyle Changes says that a 10-minute shower with a standard shower head can use upward of 80 gallons of water and generate up to four pounds of CO2 emissions. Simply reducing shower time can save energy and water. There are other ways to conserve as well. Make it a family project to collect rain water to use for washing cars or watering plants.

6. Rent rather than buy. From toys to video games to movies, people have more entertainment options than ever before. And nowadays it’s easy to access a fresh supply of entertainment without making purchases that require the manufacturing of new items.

Streaming rented content rather than buying packaged versions can reduce waste in a number of ways.

7. Turn off/turn down. Turn off lights, appliances, electronics, and much more when they’re not in use. Also, encourage children (of an appropriate age) to unplug certain electronics so appliances aren’t consuming electricity while in standby mode, which is called vampire power.

8. Turn time outdoors with your kids into teaching opportunities. The great outdoors provides a great opportunity to teach kids about the environment and how to protect it.

If you like to garden, come planting season explain to your children that planting native plants benefits the environment because such plants have already adapted to the local climate, meaning they won’t need as much water to thrive as non-native plants.

If you enjoy camping as a family, explain the importance of leaving nothing behind at your campsite. Parents can even volunteer their families for weekend park and beach cleanups, using these outings as opportunities to teach kids about the dangers of littering.

Children are the next generation to take on the task of protecting the planet. When they begin an eco-friendly lifestyle early on, they may be more likely to employ the same strategies in adulthood.

Help keep our shoreline clean

Every year, tens of thousands of Canadians participate in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Jointly led by the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF, the Shoreline Cleanup empowers people just like you to take action against shoreline litter through cleanups. We are one of the largest direct action environmental programs in Canada and the third largest cleanup in the world.

Shoreline litter comes from many sources, which are all a result of human activities.

At popular shorelines close to cities and towns, litter may be accidentally or deliberately dumped right at the shoreline. At other shorelines, wind, rain and currents may have carried litter huge distances from where it was originally generated. The following are different sources of shoreline litter.

Recreational Activities Most litter items fall into this category, including food wrappers, drink containers, plastic bags, caps, lids and cans. This litter is created at picnics, sports events, festivals, barbecues and outdoor events. Items can be blown into the water, or carried by creeks, rivers and storm drains to the shoreline and onward.

Smoking Related Activities Cigarettes, plastic cigar tips, lighters and cigarette packaging are the obvious result of smoking activities. Every year, cigarette butts are the most common litter item found on our shorelines.

Fishing and Shipping This category includes many activities, from recreational fishing and boating, to commercial activities such as fishing, shipping and cruise ships. Harmful items include fishing line, nets, oil bottles, rope, crab/lobster traps and sinkers.

Dumping Many shorelines such as river beds can become a dumping ground for large items that should be disposed at a dump. This garbage can include building and construction materials, household appliances, tires, batteries and even car parts.

Medical and Personal Hygiene Resulting from sewage overflow or personal carelessness, litter items from this category require special handling. This category can include diapers, condoms, tampons and syringes.

Natural Disasters Natural disasters such as typhoons, hurricanes and tsunamis can wash huge volumes of debris into waterways in a short period of time. The 2011 tsunami in Japan is a tragic example. Tonnes of debris from Japan washed up on the shores of British Columbia in the months and years following the disaster.

Visit www.shorelinecleanup.ca to join or coordinate a shoreline cleanup in your area, and help keep our oceans clean.

Source: www.shorelinecleanup.ca

A healthy environment sustains healthy communities.

Make every day Earth Day. Campbell River Community Office: 908 Island Hwy Campbell River, V9W 2C3

Phone: 250-287-5100 or 866-387-5100 Fax: 250-287-5105

Claire Trevena, MLA North Island claire.trevena.mla@leg.bc.ca www.clairetrevena.ca

go green 2016