Earth Day promotes waste reduction Waste reduction initiatives, recycling programs and displays by environmental groups are some of the highlights of Earth Day celebrations, April 22 in Village Square. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District and the Resort Municipality of Whistler will showcase waste reduction efforts and education programs at their displays, including backyard and worm composting and children’s games promoting the SLRD’s elementary school 3R Education Program ‘Operation GAG!, the Green Audit Group’. "Getting out into the community is extremely valuable when educating the public on reducing the waste going into our local landfills," says Helene Taylor, SLRD waste reduction co-ordinator. "The public is starving for more information on simple ways to help our environment, such as composting, reducing and reusing." Taylor will demonstrate how to make a worm composting bin using newspaper, a Rubbermaid container and one pound of red wigglers. Worm composting is a portable method of composting fruit and vegetable peelings for those living in homes without backyards or areas where bears are of concern. A life-sized board game from the ‘Operation GAG! waste audit program will be on hand for children and adults to play. Questions pertaining to environmental issues around garbage will be posed and the human game pieces must answer correctly in order to advance on the board. This is part of the region-wide school program that will be shown to the public on Earth Day. "We have 236 landfills in B.C. and 60 per cent will have filled up by the year 2000," says Taylor. "It is time to take seriously our responsibility in reducing our garbage." This spring and summer the SLRD intends on setting up displays throughout the district that will highlight composting, green shopping and community recycling programs. A clothing drive will also be set up in the village to discard via donation all those garments you really don’t need and give them to someone who does. The donations will go to benefit Triage Emergency Services, a homeless shelter in Vancouver. Rain or shine, Earth Day celebrations will take place from noon to 5 p.m. with live musicians entertainers, bird box building and displays by AWARE, the RMOW, the Habitat Improvement Team, Jennifer Jones Bear Foundation, Carney’s Waste Systems and others. Information will be made available about the valley’s various environmental programs and initiatives.
