‘Everybody has to participate’: Wasaga Beach climate action group spreading the word at home and garden show

From the Toronto Star, April 3, 2022
By Ian Adams

The Wasaga Beach Climate Action Team wants to let you know where you stand in reducing your carbon footprint.

The 15-member group, formed in 2021, is making its inaugural foray into the public with a booth at the Wasaga Beach Lions Home & Garden Show, April 9 and 10 at the RecPlex, 1724 Mosley St.

“Hopefully the whole show will be good, because it hasn’t happened in two years,” said climate change team member Kathleen Caswell. “We need to get a lot of the community behind (us) to get attention.”

Along with learning about the activities of the team, visitors to the booth will be asked to fill out a survey, along with information on the Canada Greener Homes Program and the water conservation rebate offered by the town for the installation of low-flow toilets and rain barrels.

Visitors will also have a chance to buy a rain barrel, with a portion of the proceeds — $10 from every barrel — going to the team to help fund its activities.

Anyone who can’t make the home show can also purchase a rain barrel at rainbarrel.ca/wasagabeachclimateaction.

The team is also working with the Rotary Club of Wasaga Beach on a tree and shrub fundraiser and planting that will see the club take part in planting 1,000 trees in the Nottawasaga River watershed May 14.

Visitors to the show will be able to buy a tree or shrub for their own property (the Rotary Club is also hosting a tree and shrub sale May 7 in the RecPlex parking lot), which will help fund the tree planting project.

The team will also be encouraging residents to do their own carbon footprint measurement (app.projectneutral.org), “and know where they stand, and hopefully have a target they can hit,” Caswell said.

Climate change team member Ilona Matthews said it’s important to spread the message that individual action can make an impact.

“Don’t expect the government to fix this problem,” she said. “Everybody has to do it themselves, everybody has to help, everybody has to participate.”

The home show will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 9, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 10.

Read the article here