Going all out for Earth Week
Ecology North plans fish fry and clean-up party as part of celebrations
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Every week is Earth Week as far as Ecology North is concerned.
Ecology North's staff gathers for a group photo ahead of Earth Week. Front row from left: Lyle Fabian, Chloe Dragon Smith, Catherine Jorstead, Dawn Tremblay and Brenda Van Hauvert. Back row from left is Craig Scott and Dylan Cook. The environmental organization has several events scheduled for the week including a fish fry and a spring cleanup. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
Having said that, staff at the Yellowknife-based environmental organization are still excited about gearing up for its official Earth Week activities being held from April 19 to 26. Events are held in Yellowknife in recognition of Earth Day, which is celebrated in 192 countries around the world on April 22.
Earth Week is scheduled to kick off in Yellowknife today with the annual fish fry held in front of the post office.
Think global but eat local, said Dylan Cook, Earth Week co-ordinator for Ecology North.
"It'll be fish burgers by donation," he said. "We get the fish fresh from Great Slave Lake the day before."
Cook said some of the events during Earth Week have a tangible positive effect like the annual spring cleanup on April 26, but he added that it is also a good time to explain to the public exactly what the mandate is for Ecology North.
"We focus on clean water, waste reduction, food security just to name a few," Cook said. "It's also a great time of year to convince people to get outside after a long winter and celebrate the beautiful environment Yellowknife has to offer."
Craig Scott, Ecology North's executive director, said that there is no doubt that when snow melts in the spring it does reveal the city's litter blight. He said he has never seen anyone being ticketed for littering in Yellowknife but would like to see the littering laws were more stringently enforced.
"I've never seen someone getting a ticket for littering," Scott said. "It's hard to catch people littering. It only takes a few seconds to drop something on the ground so it is difficult to catch people.
Cook pointed out that there are more people just walking by litter on the ground than there are people actually littering.
"If everyone were to come out, even just for the one week, and pick up a little more litter than they normally would – it goes a long way. That's our message."
Cook said that it is easy for people in the North to become complacent about the environment – for the most part the city, the water and its air are clean.
But he used the Giant Mine legacy as an example of what can happen if people do not pay attention to what is happening to the environment around them.
He said corporate greed has to take a back seat to protecting the environment and the more people that recognize that the better. He encourages everyone to get involved in Earth week events.
There's lots going on and it's a good opportunity to get out and meet people who care about these issues and care about the environment," Cook said.
