Huntsville’s Green Team promotes recycling, waste diversion and more at local events

It started in 2003 when Judith Blanchette’s son, Sequoia Henry, was just five years old. They shared a passion for the environment and wanted every day to be Earth Day, so they started a free club to encourage other people to get on board.

Sequoia is now 20 years old, but Muskoka’s Eco Club — The Green Team is still going strong. Until now, they’ve been quietly going about their mission but it’s time to share more publicly what they’ve been up to, says Blanchette.

“We want to get more of a voice, make more of an impact,” she says, adding that the club has just registered as a not-for-profit and is working to get funding for better quality bins for its waste diversion projects.

“Over the years (the club) has focused more on waste management and diverting from landfills. Recycling, reducing, reusing and many more Rs like respect,” notes Blanchette.

What they aren’t about, though, is making people feel bad for their recycling behaviour, or lack of it. “Some environmentalists or green go-getters can be opinionated or in your face if you don’t do things the way they do or care in the same manner, but that’s definitely not our approach. We appreciate what we do and we do it because we like to. It would be nice if everyone were a little more mindful, and we still hope for that, but we don’t judge.”

If you and your family attend the annual Santa Claus Parade, you may have noticed club members walking the parade route to collect waste.

They divert a lot of waste that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill. This year, three bins of paper and one full of plastic were recycled instead of being thrown in the trash. Blanchette was heartened by the amount. It’s less than when they started.

“The support from the crowd when they see us with the recycling bins is mind blowing,” says Blanchette. “When people notice and appreciate it, it shows that we are environmental action in action. We’re not just saying do this or don’t do that. We are actually out there freezing and getting our hands wet and picking up people’s garbage. It makes people think. In the first few years (of collecting), it was double the amount it is now. Something has shifted and that’s all we can ask for.”

The club’s event waste diversion efforts extend beyond the parade. They have also volunteered at past IronMan races, and they continue to collect recycling at Rotary DockFest, Band on the Run, and Canada Day festivities.

They also provide educational activities during Earth Week at the library including a garbage garden demonstration — an aquarium ‘planted’ with garbage to show how little some things break down over time — and worm composting.

“We live in a beautiful part of the world and we have a wonderful two-stream recycling system. It would be great to make an effort to use it,” says Blanchette. “We have a new landfill – let’s prove that we can extend it longer than they say that it will last for. That would be so rewarding as a community.”

(If you’re wondering whether waste from your home should go in the garbage or the recycling bin, check out the District of Muskoka’s Waste Wizard Tool here.)

Over the years, the small club has met wherever they could find space: in the former Ron Henry Jewellers on Main Street before Sequoia’s papa sold the building, in the basement of Judith’s home, at the library, the Summit Centre, The Great Vine, other members’ homes, and at Soul Sistas Wellness Kitchen when Judith owned it. Meetings are now often held at Sustain Eco Store on Main Street East and usually include a creative project and a recycling or environmental game, as well as a litter pick-up afterward.

The club is about “young environmentalists learning about sustainability in a hands-on way,” says Blanchette. “It’s environmental education inspiring children toward sustainability and awareness of their carbon footprint. And making a positive impact to the planet they’ll inherit. We believe we can all make a difference.”

Everyone is welcome to attend any of the club’s diversion events or its meetings. For more information, contact Judith Blanchette at [email protected].

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