If you’re reading this, you’re probably a good citizen of the Earth. You compost and recycle. You don’t leave lights on in empty rooms or let the water run while you brush your teeth. You may have switched to LED lights and swapped your old appliances for newer energy-efficient ones. You’re conscious of how much you drive, and maybe you’ve even considered buying an electric vehicle the next time you’re car shopping.
“We, as a society, have done a pretty good job of highlighting the need to make individual changes and have done those where we can,” says Cortney LeGros, Coordinator, Outreach, Programs & Partnerships at Huntsville Public Library. “Some people may be thinking, ‘I don’t know what else I can do.'”
There’s been a focus of late on plastic waste, “because there is so much, especially single-use plastic, and there’s so much we can still do,” says LeGros, adding that awareness and change are gaining momentum here, too.
Although there is still much to be done, we also need to celebrate the actions we’ve been taking. That’s where Earth Week activities, held April 23-27, come in. Both at the library and throughout Huntsville at some of their partners, there are a variety of events and activities that celebrate Earth, our place in it, and how we can all work to make it better for the future.
There are workshops where you can learn how to make your own beeswax wraps as a replacement for plastic wrap, how to grow plants without soil (hydroponics) or even just in the air, and how to reduce bathroom and kitchen waste.
There are events that will make you think: the Muskoka Stewardship Conference will help you “connect the drops” and learn more about the Muskoka watershed, and a screening of the documentary Hadwin’s Judgement about “the tormented transformation of Grant Hadwin from expert logger to environmental terrorist, a man who dared to challenge the destruction of the world’s last great temperate rainforest.”
Or help your wee ones understand that they can help out too at the weekly preschool storytime—environmentally themed stories and songs will be followed by a simple Earth Week craft.
The week culminates in Seedy Saturday, on April 27 at the library, where you can pick up seeds at the library’s seed exchange, visit vendors, purchase seedlings or bee boxes and help out local pollinators, sign up for a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program and get fresh veggies all summer long.
See all of the Earth Week activities at huntsvillelibrary.ca, and join the community celebration.
“Sometimes the messages about climate change and sustainability can seem daunting,” says LeGros. “The nice thing about Earth Week is you can celebrate all of the little things that are happening, and realize that all of the little things contribute to big change. We all have to make changes and tell each other about the changes we are making to encourage more people to make them. We are all in this together.”
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