TALOYOAK/SPENCE BAY
For 20 years or more, the students of Netsilik Ilihakvik have hit the shoreline of the community picking up the debris that floats in from Spence Bay or blows over from the dump.

Students from Netsilik Ilihakvik pose with the Inukshuk they built on the freshly cleaned shoreline of Stanners Harbour in Taloyoak. Back row, from left: Lawrence Kootook and Peter Kamingoak. Middle row, from left: Leanna Kootook, Brandy Aklah, Eli Aupalu, Cody Panigayak and Pauloosie Qayutinuaq. Front row, from left: Annie Aklah and Shaiane Kootook. - photo courtesy of Netsilik Ilihakvik

This environmentally-conscious activity is part of the environmental camp and takes place at the beginning of the school year.

"The whole school does it," said Gina Pizzo, the school's principal. "We have kids from kindergarten to Grade 12. Each class signs up for a day, about three classes a day will go out there. They clean up a section that we've identified in a particular year."

Various areas of Stanners Harbour are chosen from year to year.

"They have a lunch while they're out there. They also do games, like Project Wild games. They'll hunt for fossils, collect plants, look for insects, do natural scavenger hunts, orienteering activities - we make that all part of it. Part of the day is doing clean-up and part of the day is environment-based activities."

Traditional activities with elders are incorporated into the activities, such as identifying plants, their traditional uses, their importance to health and how to make teas.

It's understandable that games and traditional activities would engage the students, but how do they feel about picking garbage?

"The kids are not bothered at all by picking garbage," said Pizzo. "They just know it's a normal thing to do every year. It's an expectation every year that they'll have the environmental camp and they'll clean up a section of shoreline. They prepare for it. They know it's coming."

Pizzo said an incredible amount, as well as an incredible variety, of garbage gets picked up.

"It's quite a bit because it's near the dump itself and, of course, it's the shoreline, so anytime there's a big storm you either get stuff blowing out of the dump or washing ashore. So there's the regular sort of household garbage that you would expect but then there's other things like wood and containers and bottles and broken equipment. There was actually a rotting out old Ski-Doo that had been abandoned on shore. By the time the week is over I wouldn't be surprised if we get a good ton of garbage or more."

Once upon a time, the school could access funds from federal programs to help subsidize the clean-up. Pizzo said there was money for small recycling projects or on-the-land projects, but that funding only lasted for three years.

"We just kept doing it ourselves because it was a popular thing to do. The kids enjoyed it. The staff liked it. It was raising awareness about environmental stewardship, which is one of the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit principles."

The school was then approached by the Great Canadian Shoreline Project, a national initiative spearheaded by the Vancouver Aquarium to protect fragile aquatic ecosystems and people from the harmful effects of shoreline litter.

Through the website, participants can record the garbage they've picked up.

Registration is also online at the clean-up initiative website. Interested communities can participate in the fall clean-up until October 31 or during the spring clean-up.