Earth Day Sixteen Years Later.

Back in 1992 I was a young mother at home with two very small children. Harrowsmiths latest issue was all about garbage and ways that households like mine could strive not to have any garbage. One of the articles suggested a book called the Canadian Green Consumer Guide for further reading.

The book introduced me to the concept of reduce reuse recycle. Reducing is the easiest and the best way to save resources because it doesn’t cost anything. Reusing something for another purpose, ie that glass jar you bought full of pickles can now be used to store rice, is second best because you will use a bit of energy, hot water and soap to clean the glass jar. Recycling should be our last resort because it takes the most energy to make that empty plastic coke bottle into a polertec sweater.

In town a Recycling Society was formed and I became a member. After successfully lobbying our local governments we were able to change the way our garbage was managed. Our biggest achievement was the implementation of a recycling/ reusing center.

A friend and I designed and sewed hundreds of nylon bags to be sold in my friends earth friendly store as shopping bags. I still use mine today for grocery shopping.

Another local group, The Peace River Organic Producers Association, aimed at educating local farmers about organic farming and encouraging them to become certified. I attended a meeting and became a member that very night.

It was exciting times. the notion of being green was becoming mainstream The momentum was building and the first earth summit was held in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. More than 100 heads of state attended to sign the convention on climate change, biological diversity and sustainability.

I find it ironic that all this happened sixteen years ago. Today we are still talking about banning plastic shopping bags. Cities like Prince George still do not have a blue box collection program which would force people to at least recycle.

In the movie An Inconvenient Truth, we are told climate change is occurring too fast. I say whatever we do from this day forward will have to be implemented a lot faster than what we have accomplished in the last sixteen years.