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.<\/p>\n
Sequoia is now 20 years old, but Muskoka\u2019s Eco Club \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t do things the way they do or care in the same manner, but that\u2019s 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.”<\/p>\n
If you and your family attend the annual Santa Claus Parade, you may have noticed club members walking the parade route to collect waste.<\/p>\n\n\t\t