Environmental organizations in Squamish, are coming together to host an Earth Day event featuring education workshops, wildlife-spotting walks, and a scavenger hunt.
Christian Ahrenkiel, a Squamish Environment Society organizer and Quest University student who moved to Squamish from Colorado, is trying to start a tradition where all Squamish's environmental organizations host the event collaboratively.
"Earth Day has a really interesting dueling meaning for me," he said. "It's become representative of a global movement towards environmentalism… but it can also be really personal … it allows communities to focus on their own environmental issues."
For Squamish, the conservation and sustainability student thinks that might mean maintaining its picturesque environment alongside development to safeguard its outdoor identity as it grows.
This year Earth Day falls on Sunday, April 22.
From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Squamish's Junction Park will be filled with representatives from Eagle Watch, Squamish Trail Society, Squamish Streamkeepers Society, Wildsafe BC, My Sea to Sky, the Squamish Climate Action Network and the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative.
"What has happened in the past is that multiple organizations would hold events in different locations and residents would have to pick and choose what they could go to," Ahrenkiel said. "We're trying to have everyone come together."
The global theme for this year's Earth Day is plastics—particularly the plastics that are polluting our oceans.
The environmental organizations in Junction Park will host a number of activities, including showing people how to turn discarded plastic and glass into useful things around the house.
"One fun one is how to turn a plastic bottle into a musical instrument," Ahrenkiel said.
They'll also have trash and recyclable sorting events to show residents where certain items should go.
Squamish Pitch-In Week also starts April 22, and a community clean-up will take place starting on Earth Day. Prizes will be given out at the park for the team that brings back the most garbage and the team that brings back the most exciting trash item.
At the end, the Environment Society will drop off the refuse off at the appropriate depots.
Away from the park, there's also an Earth Day scavenger hunt on the South Dyke Trail. Participants can hike to take pictures of signs placed by the Environment Society about plants in the area. People who find all the markers will be entered to win a prize from Climb On Squamish.
A bird-watching walk is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. until noon.
Those inclined to garden can also head to the Squamish Public Library for workshops hosted by the Squamish Climate Action Network.
The organization's president, Michalina Hunter, said that they'll first do a seed library orientation at 10 a.m. showing guests how to take out seeds for everything from vegetables to herbs to bee-friendly plants. Around 11 a.m., they'll host a workshop on how to start early-season gardening.
"I think it's really important for people to connect with nature," Hunter said. "And to just think about the impact that our everyday lives have on the environment."
