 | Home page |  | Text size |  | E-mail this page |
Going beyond the call of duty Pangnirtung resident inspires others to join second community clean-up
Myles Dolphin
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 27, 2013
PANNIQTUUQ/PANGNIRTUNG
A Pangnirtung resident has inspired other members of her community to take part in a second cleanup session in less than 10 days.
This area near Pangnirtung Fisheries Ltd. where abandoned snowmobiles are located in Pangnirtung is scheduled for a community cleanup on June 29. - photo courtesy of David Kilabuk
|
Sheena Machmer, who participated in the June 20 cleanup, wanted to find a way to sustain the enthusiasm and dedication shown by her fellow community members.
On June 22, she harnessed the power of social media to spread her message and encourage others to clean up beyond the hamlet's public places.
She shared a picture of an idyllic spot by the water's edge, down by the Pangnirtung Fisheries Ltd. area, where her children recently spent the afternoon searching for capelin.
"I had a helpless feeling looking around," she said.
"In one small area, there were six broken down snowmobiles. While I can fill up garbage bags full of trash, I can't pick up snowmobiles."
Machmer, 34, grew up in Pond Inlet but moved to Pangnirtung in 1991. She said beautiful fishing spots are being tarnished by scattered metal and wood, material left over from unloading at the docks.
She decided to take a picture of the littered landscape and share it on a Pangnirtung Facebook group, where it instantly produced reactions.
"I asked my partner to take a picture so I could post it just to see what other residents would say," she said.
"Right away, another lady replied that she felt the same way I did, and she wanted to help clean up the spot. It was very surprising, encouraging and humbling to get that kind of support."
By June 25, almost 10 other residents had promised to join the cleanup, which is scheduled for June 29 at the spot where Machmer's picture was taken.
Phoebe Sowdluapik, another Pangnirtung resident, was first to lend her support to the initiative on Facebook.
"It's very important to keep our beautiful land and water clean, especially living in a community where we get high winds," she said.
"We tend to see garbage and debris quite often. There are so many used snowmobiles, old boats and shacks that are quite an eyesore."
If there's enough momentum, Machmer hopes to target different locations in the hamlet to clean up each week.
She also plans on speaking to the senior administrative officer and mayor about finding ways to spend the roughly $33,000 the community received in plastic bag fees from the NorthWest Company in May through the Greener Tomorrow initiative.
"That money could easily be used to hire a few guys and collect all that metal junk around town," she said.
"We need to somehow get rid of it. Residents here are really good at cleaning up the smaller stuff a few times a year but the bigger things never get moved."
| 
