Youth Sustainability Workshop

A one-day youth and sustainability workshop was held on March 4th, 2006 at The Kier Gallery in Charlottetown.

With the central theme being "Start Where You Are" the workshop hosted youth guest speakers and activities related to everyday needs and issues such as food, transportation, housing, awareness of energy consumption etc. Participants were shown ways to make small changes in their daily lives that would reduce their impact on climate change, the environment and their wallets!

The workshop was designed and delivered by youth. It was felt that a message of positive change would be well received from youth speakers. The result was that many of the participants felt empowered and inspired to take positive action because of the demonstrated support and leadership of their peers.

The day began beautifully with a Sweet Grass Ceremony performed by Keptin John Joe Sark. Indeed it was important to set the tone with a moments reverence for the Earth and all that she provides us with.

Our first speaker, Jiselle Bakker Student Coucil Secertary, made a presentation the Homeroom Challenge. This initiative was designed by Student Council Members at Bluefield High School in Hampshire, PEI. The project was an inter-class competition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by getting students to commit and act on the One-Tonne Challenge. The project was funded by a micro grant from the Youth Environmental network. Grants were available to youth led, youth driven initiatives raising awareness on climate change and encouraging an appreciation of the environment. The project began in January and lasted two months. At the outset of the project Bluefield's emissions ranked #196 compared with schools across Canada. At the highest peak during the project Bluefield was ranked #4 for a total of 124 tonnes and #1 for 6.33 tonnes per student!

Zoe Caron of the Sierra Youth Coalition in Halifax, N.S made an excellent and educational presentation on the science behind climate change and Sustainable Campuses. The Sustainable Campuses Project is a national initiative that inspires, informs, trains, and supports Canadian students working toward social equity, ecological integrity and economic prosperity on their campuses. These changes are achieved through changing institutional operations, improving curricula and mobilizing campus community members' support.

Since 1998, the Sustainable Campuses project has worked with thousands of students from across Canada in order to change environmental and social practices on Canadian campuses and to empower youth to influence decision makers.

For more information on Sustainable Campuses and the Sierra Youth Coalition visit Sustainable Campuses community website.

By noon it was time to make our way to the Charlottetown Farmers Market. We boarded "The Caboose", one of the buses on the newly implemented Charlottetown Transit routes. On the ride Lennie MacPherson, a volunteer with the Public Transit Coalition, spoke to the group about the importance of public transit and it's affects on reducing emissions. You can learn more about the Public Transit Coalition at their blogspot, or give Aaron Hawkins a call at (902) 566-4696. There are also Charlottetown Transit routes posted at: www.thebus.ca

Upon our arrival at the Farmers Market we were greeted by local organic farmer Raymond Loo. Raymond held a discussion with us on organic farming and it's positive impacts on the environment, local economy and human health. There were lots of ideas sparked by this discussion and we only wished that we had more time to talk with him! Raymond is also a board member with Organic PEI you can find out more about this organization at: www.organicpei.com.

The Farmers Market is a cooperative that hosts a variety of local organic food producers, vendors and artisans. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch and most participants went shopping with their new Eco-Action cloth bags. You can visit the Farmers Market at 100 Belvedere Avenue year-round on Saturdays from 9am-2pm. Enjoy!

The afternoon was dedicated to a presentation on Eco-Villages and Intentional Communities. Guest speaker Linsea Allen-McCoy, community member of the Prairies Edge Eco-Village, was a very inspirational and dynamic speaker. Through a slide show and interactive games Linsea introduced the group to what an Intentional Community is, how they generally function and what it means to be a member of such a community.

Find out more about the Prairies Edge Eco-Village and commnities like it on our Sustainable Communities page.

We explored many ideas on how to make changes that will reduce our impact and encourage others to do the same. One of those avenues is definitely through the arts. Displayed at the workshop were paintings, sculptures and photos by different Island artists. Leslie Dubey allowed us to display her artwork that expressed the importance of keeping our shores and seas free of waste. Leslie has committed her artistic vision to using the recycling the waste she collects on the Island's north shore in her art. This is a fine example of taking action and spreading the positive message that we can all do our part. in our own way.