Spring, and with it new life, new hope, a sun so warm and welcome after a long winter that it fills you with joy; a rushing of rivers, a sprouting of snowdrops and Easter; a song of nature reborn just as it has been sung since before time. Step back for a moment from the crush of everyday life to savour the turning of the tide.
Two days ago, as I was passing through the checkout at the grocery store, I noticed the person ahead of me filling a reusable bag. The person behind me also had bags in her cart. The person at the next checkout had bags as did one at another till. In fact, for the first time in a long, long time, more than half of those at the checkouts had reusable bags. The moment of new beginnings has finally arrived, and we are doing it together.
Together, we are finally taking the first steps toward becoming part of the solution. Already, people have told me that with Easter coming, they have asked at their stores about Fair Trade chocolate. Already people have committed to a flick of the switch during “earth hour”. Simple actions become huge when done together across millions of homes and tens of thousands of businesses worldwide. In fact, at the time of writing this article, 54,000 Canadian homes and 3,200 Canadian businesses have registered on the earth hour web site. Some have said that because of safety concerns they can’t go completely dark, but during that hour they will power down everything they can. Fantastic! And what time better than Easter to begin to build a sustainable future for our children.
This Easter, for the first time, Gamiing Centre for Sustainable Living is holding a spring eco-fair and family day. The fair will have exhibits from companies involved in building a cleaner, safer, more sustainable world. They will include everything from biodegradable household products to straw bale construction. The family day will include the first annual Easter eco-egg hunt, interpretive walks on beautiful trails, works of local artisans, local food and a bake sale. This event gives each of us the opportunity to have fun with our families while learning new ways of protecting our fragile environment. And, best of all, thanks to a grant from Ministry of Energy Community Conservation Initiative, admission is free. So whether you are looking for some family fun or wanting to learn what you can do to build a sustainable world, Gamiing on Pigeon Lake Road, is the place to be on Saturday, March 22.
Whether you want to connect with the earth through community gardens and nature trails, connect with one another through Fair Trade practices and eco-friendly family fun or connect with the future by reducing our demands on earth’s precious resources, the time for action has arrived. Celebrate this Easter with a pledge of renewed faith in the future. Instead of letting our fear of climate change paralyze us into denying its existence, let’s become motivated to the creation of a future that promises hope for all our children. See you next time.