The Race May Be Seven Years Old, But We’re Still Sprinting
Seven years later and it’s still a race. Sure some people would say
it’s a marathon now, but remember it’s your energy that keeps you going,
and we’re STILL energized by this project. When it first started in
2002, the big hope was for Zero Waste by 2010. Clearly that’s not going
to happen, but a lot of positives HAVE happened.
For instance, Toronto has gone from creating over 920 000 tonnes of waste
a year to 497 809 tonnes of waste. That’s big progress. 42% of our waste is
being diverted. Of course that leaves 58% to go. I wonder how much of that
is packaging.
The Green Bin program has taken lots of organics out of our landfills.
Big progress. Of course, given that 51% of Torontonians live in apartments,
a lot of green bin material is still going in the garbage. Bringing the
Green Bin to apartments and condos is a must.
More and more people understand that plastic bags and plastic water
bottles have some problems associated with them. Good progress. Of course, a
lot of people still keep using them.
There’s lots still to be done. And sure, I may be biased as an educator,
but it starts with educating people. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to
do here. Our students are learning about BOTH sides of the issue and, in the
end, it’s for them to decide what the best moves for the environment are.
Here’s a clue though, the first R will always be the most important. Reduce.
So go ahead, and read through our web pages to see what’s been happening at
St. John the Evangelist. The race may be a marathon, but like the true beep
test runners we are, we’re going for a personal best, and we need your help.
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