Stephen Vance, Staff
The Municipality of Meaford will once again celebrate Earth Week this year with a range of activities and initiatives that will run from April 17 through to April 25.
Building on the success of the first two years of this initiative, the week is packed full of interesting activities and learning opportunities, all focused on the protection and improvement of our environment.
This year, Earth Week activities begin on Sunday, April 17 from 10:30 – 11:30 am with a talk at Christ Church Anglican about Divesting from Oil. Peter Burns, PhD, from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto President’s Committee on Divestment will lead the discussion. The University of Toronto’s special committee on divestment recently recommended that U of T divest from oil. Burns will speak about the issues the committee wrestled with.
Also on Sunday, April 17, from 4 – 5:30 pm, a documentary film will be shown at Meaford Hall. Racing to Zero: In Pursuit of Zero Waste follows San Francisco’s innovative efforts toward achieving zero waste, thereby dramatically reducing the city’s carbon footprint. Councillor Jaden Calvert will facilitate the discussion following the film. Cost is $7 adult, $2 student.
A Seed Packing Party will be held in the Meaford Public Library board room on Tuesday, April 19 from 1 to 2 pm. The Meaford Seed Library has purchased locally harvested seeds in bulk. Help to package the seeds so they can be loaned out to others and take home a package for your own garden. Space is limited, please register at the Meaford Public Library in advance.
On Wednesday, April 20 from 1 – 2 pm, you can Make Your Own Terrarium at the Woodford Community Centre. Bring your own glass container, and put together your own small garden that will last all year long. Stones, plants, and other materials will be provided. Space is limited, please register at the Meaford Public Library in advance. $5 per person.
The Gardens Awake on Thursday, April 21, 6:30 – 7:30 pm in the Meaford Public Library board room, when local gardening expert Lynne Marie Sullivan explains how to bring your garden to life this spring. Space is limited, please register at the Meaford Public Library in advance.
Meteorite Hunter Patrick Hermann will be at the Woodford Centre on Friday, April 22 between 10 and 11:30 am to talk about objects from outer space found here on earth.
The Meaford Public Library is kicking off this year’s Koffee House Reads series during Earth Week with David Wilding-Davies of Ashanti Coffee. Wilding-Davies’ book, My Cattle Look Thin, recounts his experience owning a 1,000 acre coffee farm in Zimbabwe. Tickets are $5 per person and are available at the Meaford Public Library. The event is being held at the Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre from 2 – 3 pm.
On Saturday, April 23, 9 am – 3 pm, the enormously popular RE-Use & ECO Fair will take place at the Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre. The RE-Use Fair is a one day community event where unwanted but reusable household items are collected and passed on to local charities, non-profits, artisans, schools and faith-based groups that need them. The second annual ECO-Fair will feature various vendors promoting and selling eco-friendly products, and local non-profit groups with an interest in a healthy environment. Throughout the day there will be live entertainment, drop-in activities for kids, and a guest speaker who will discuss backyard chickens.
For the sixth year in a row, The Meaford Independent is once again hosting the annual Memorial Park Clean-up on Sunday, April 24 from 1 – 3 pm. Come and join us in the annual spring clean-up of Memorial Park. Bags and plastic gloves are provided. At 1 pm sharp there is a short safety briefing. Refreshments are provided by The Meaford Independent. Young children should bring along an adult.
