LET’S ALL PULL TOGETHER, ONE ECO-ACTION AT A TIME

• BY VALÉRIE LEVÉE

Climate change and the need to protect the environment make us want to act, but the sheer immensity of the task seems to paralyse the eco-citizen in us. Here are four examples of community engagement initiatives illustrating that each of us has the power to act.

AN INFECTIOUS INITIATIVE

In 1992, math and science teacher Yvon Camirand launched the educational activity Un arbre – Une vie [A tree – A life]. The idea was for students to germinate an acorn and follow the development of their oak until it was time to plant it. Since then, lots of schools have taken up the activity, and over 25 years, 26,000 trees have been planted! While Yvon Camirand took the first step and continues to promote the program, other teachers have taken up the baton and become the driving force behind thousands of young people who have planted their own trees.

ALLEYS WAITING TO BE GREENED

In the Rosemont neighbourhood of Montreal, a group of residents led by David-Alexandre Boutin have transformed a vacant lot that no one used, adjacent to Place Basile-Patenaude, into an edible alley. A true community pantry open to all, it grows corn, potatoes, grapes and other fruits and vegetables, including Indigenous food plants like elderberry and serviceberry. The number of green alleys is growing by leaps and bounds in Montreal, and the trend is spreading to Quebec City. Each alley has its own history and personality, created by the people who live along it. Other alleys and abandoned lots are waiting for their turn to be greened.

STRAWBERRIES IN MINGANIE!

Far from the major centres, rural residents are also doing bold and imaginative things for the environment. On Quebec’s North Shore, Le Grenier boreal, which describes itself as a Minganie agroforestry solidarity cooperative, was established in 2013 . The coop harvests wild blueberries, mushrooms and cloudberries, and grows strawberries, tomatoes and cucumber under glass. With a sustainable development mind set, Le Grenier boreal combines economic activity with respect for the environment. If strawberries can grow in Minganie, why not elsewhere?

THEY’RE MARCHING FOR THE CLIMATE AND THEIR FUTURE

Inspired by Greta Thunberg, Sara Montpetit, a student at Robert Gravel school, founded the movement Pour le futur Montréal, and Albert Lalonde, a student at Joseph François Perrault school, decided to join forces with her. Every Friday, since the start of 2019, they’ve been organizing marches and other activities focused on the climate and their future. And they’ve kept it up even in the summer, because, as they point out, the planet never takes a vacation. Motivated by the presence of the young Swedish activist, hundreds of thousands of people, of all ages, came out to show their support in the streets of Montréal on September 27, 2019, and the movement is continuing.

These are just four instances among many. If you visit the exhibition It's time to act at the Biodôme, you’ll discover a host of inspirational environmental initiatives. Setting examples to follow, these citizens are all acting in their own way to protect the environment, and inspiring others to get involved, too. Maybe it’s time for you, for all of us, to swing into action by following their example or coming up with our own initiative?