A school, a youth club, and a community are doing their best to reduce waste in Saskatchewan, with a little help from an EcoFriendly Action Grant.
Boys & Girls Club of Yorkton
The staff at the Boys & Girls Club of Yorkton are passionate about making a difference and in fostering that passion in children and youth as they grow. With over 15,000 visits to the club each year, Program Manager Erin Roussin saw an opportunity to incorporate environmental education into their summer program, which includes week-long day camps for 5-12 year olds and drop-in evening programs for middle-years youth and teens.
The Club received a $500 EcoFriendly Action Grant to educate the children and youth on reducing, re-using, and recycling and the difference this will make to the environment. In addition to immediate efforts at waste reduction, Erin believes the project will have a long-term impact: “Children and youth being educated on important topics will carry on with them through life as they will have the knowledge and tools needed to make a difference.”
The program ran for 9 weeks over the summer and included:
- The purchase of 3 sets of stacking recycle bins to encourage recycling of a variety of materials;
- The purchase of recycle bags for bagging up items for pick-up;
- Entries into a draw for prizes every time a student brought a litterless lunch (no waste/Ziploc bags);
- Crafts using only recycled items;
- An outdoor garbage clean-up; and
- Talks about topics such as reducing water usage, recycling, and the impact we can all have on our environment.
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| There's no waste in this lunch bag! |
Blaine Lake Composite School
Blaine Lake Composite School is initiating a daily full breakfast program. In order to reduce waste, they received a $500 EcoFriendly Action Grant to purchase non-disposable cutlery and an environmentally friendly dishwasher.
They plan to minimize food waste and environmental impact through careful meal planning with the students in their Commercial Cooking classes, by sourcing local ingredients whenever possible, and by only using reusable dishes and utensils. They will recycle all applicable materials.
Odessa Recreation Association
Odessa is a small community of 250 people southeast of Regina. They were already recycling paper, but their active volunteer base identified a need for additional recycling bins so that they could recycle cans and plastic as well.
The Odessa Recreation Association received a $500 EcoFriendly Action grant to purchase recycling bins. They’ll be located at the rink during the winter and will be moved to the community centre in the summer. They’ll also be made available at the annual truck and tractor pull, which is a community fundraiser.
Photos: Boys and Girls Club of Yorkton
