These are important questions that our BEA team is aiming to answer at an upcoming interactive workshop on Thursday, June 04, 2026. There you will learn why it is important to separate your waste, how to dispose of it in a way that has the least environmental impact, and how discarded material, like an old yogurt container, eventually become new packaging again.

As part of Toronto Climate Week, the Brampton Environmental Alliance is hosting a What Really Happens to Your Recycling? community workshop

Date: Thursday, June 04, 2026
Time: 06:30 PM – 08:00 PM
Location: Paul Palleschi Recreation Centre, Room 2

This workshop will be an opportunity to have a practical, non-technical and interactive conversation about how Ontario’s recycling system is changing, what happens behind the scenes, and why it matters more than most people realize.

The BEA team will be joined by Arjun Krishan, Manager at EFS Plastics, who will walk through the process of how post-consumer recycled materials are transformed into new packaging products righthere in Canada, supporting the circular economy and generating great Canadian jobs.

Whether you’re deeply involved in sustainability or recycling at home and curious about where it all goes — this workshop is for you. We look forward to seeing you there!

This article is not a travelogue. My friend Lisa does a much better job than I in capturing the history, architecture, and visuals of her travels. Lisa was one of seven companions who went with Dayle and me to this beautiful and culturally rich country. You can see her posts about the trip at Lisastokes.ca.

What I want to focus on in this article is how the Dutch people, have largely left behind the debate about the reality of climate change and are simply getting on with the job of addressing it. Contrast that with Canada where federal and provincial governments, from both sides of the political spectrum, are rapidly rolling back climate policy and environmental regulations.

The first notable difference between Canada and the Netherlands is that climate is tied to economics rather than environment. The Dutch Ministry responsible for meeting carbon reduction targets is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. There is a recognition that the Dutch economy, as well as its way of life will be severely impacted if emissions reductions specified in the Paris agreement are not met.

As a tourist, Dutch efforts to reduce carbon emissions are both subtle and obvious. The most obvious is the absence of car culture. The bicycle is the primary mode of travel for short-distance trips throughout the Netherlands. In large cities like Amsterdam bicycles account for almost 1 of every 2 trips taken. Public transit, mostly in the form of trams and trains are used for about 8% of trips. The car still dominates for longer-distance travel on major throughways, although there is a reasonably convenient cycling network connecting towns and cities. But facts and statistics do not do justice to the feeling you get travelling in Holland. The volume of bike traffic is almost overwhelming.

The infrastructure is almost always built with the safety and comfort of both cyclists and pedestrians in mind. Within the towns, and on secondary roads, convenience for car drivers is at best a secondary consideration. In Amsterdam, and smaller cities such as Hoorn or Haarlem, separated bike lanes are the norm for any streets that are expected to carry larger volumes of faster moving traffic. Bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks and pedestrians must take the same care in crossing bicycle lanes as they would a lane for cars.

Side streets are often protected by huge bollards that prevent larger vehicles from entering. These bollards lower into the pavement to allow for passage of local, commercial and or safety vehicles and then rise again once the vehicle has passed.

Streets that accommodate all vehicle types are referred to as “woonerf” or living streets. On these streets the cars are considered “guests”, speeds are limited to 30km per hour and cars must yield to cyclists, even if that means travelling at bicycle speed for a kilometre or more.

From an energy standpoint, the message is clear that the Netherlands is committed to renewable energy. Many older style windmills are still functioning to help pump water or grind grains.

Newer technology windmills are almost always in view, whether as part of offshore windfarms or dotting the landscape amongst the farm fields and flowers. Renewables, mostly solar and wind, now generate more than 50% of the country’s electricity needs with the target to achieve 75% by 2030.

Beyond individual transport and energy were other signs of a collective commitment to reducing carbon emissions. Of course we observed many electric vehicles on the road or plugged into local charging stations. But I wasn’t expecting to see a sign on our boat indicating it used 100% biofuel.

And the motors on the Love boat that we took to tour the canals of Amsterdam were 100% electric!

I also noted a reduced amount of plastic packaging in the Jumbo stores where we bought groceries. Most products are wrapped either in cellophane, paper or cardboard, all biodegradable materials. Public recycling bins are everywhere, and they included separation for organic waste.

Climate friendly industries were highly visible as we travelled through the countryside. Here are a couple of examples.

And streets in the Netherlands are cleaner than at home, partly because of the culture, and partly because of the teams of street sweepers which can be regularly seen, especially in Amsterdam’s downtown tourist area.

Perhaps one of the reasons why the Dutch are so eager to embrace actions to address climate change is that the country has a lot to lose if global temperatures surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature change threshold considered safe by the scientific community. Time and place didn’t allow us to see some of the Netherland’s amazing flood management systems but this is another way in which the country is embracing the climate challenge.

More than 30% of the country is below current sea levels requiring an intricate system of polders, (large land areas that have been raised above sea level), dykes, (barriers along the coast to hold the sea off the lower lands), and a series of dams, fixed storm surge barriers and portable flood barriers that self-inflate in the presence of high water levels.

In addition to designing systems that keep water out, they also have infrastructure to strategically let water in to be absorbed into restored marshes and estuaries where it reduces flooding risk while supporting natural ecosystems. See, the YouTube video, How the Dutch Keep the Entire Country from Drowning, for a better understanding of how the Dutch have developed the most sophisticated water defence system in the world.

Despite their engineering prowess, the Netherlands still has significant obstacles to overcome to achieve long-term environmental sustainability. Sea levels are rising. The International Panel on Climate Change assumes a maximum rise of 1 metre by the year 2100. But the rate of rise has almost doubled over the last decade to about 4mm each year. This may be due to ocean warming and melting ice in the Arctic, Antarctic and, Greenland that is happening faster than originally assumed. If sea levels rise by 2 metres or more, Netherlands water defence system would need a complete overhaul to prevent catastrophic flooding.

Also, the Netherlands is not on track to achieve its target to reduce carbon emissions by 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. The government’s environmental assessment agency suggests that reductions of between 45% and 53% are more likely based on current performance. That is similar to Canada’s target of 40-45% reduction based on 2005 levels. But reports suggest that Canada’s target for 2030 is also at risk, suggesting 21-28% is a more likely scenario. And Canada’s per capita emissions are more than 2X the Netherland’s and more than 3X the global average. So we here in Canada have a lot to learn from our Dutch cousins. They have left us with big shoes to fill!

Oh, and by the way, the flowers were spectacular!

All this may be about to change in Ontario. This past Thursday, January 1st, responsibility for residential recycling in the province shifted away from municipal governments. The costs of collecting and disposing of recycled material are now borne by retailers and packaging producers under a policy approach called Extended Producer Responsibility, (EPR).

Circular Materials is the not-for-profit organization supporting the EPR program in Ontario and for ensuring packaging suppliers meet their obligations under the new framework. Under this new system, producers are now financially and operationally responsible for managing the waste associated with their products and packaging.

From an environmental perspective this promises to be a major step forward. Up to this point, manufacturers only cared about things like protecting a product during transport, making it more attractive, or making it more difficult to shoplift. Now the cost of disposing of all that excess packaging is borne by the companies that manufacture or retail the product. They are therefore incentivized to reduce those costs by reducing the amount of packaging, and or making packaging easier to recycle through standardization and reduced toxicity of packaging materials. It also means that more materials will be recycled and the same list of materials will be recycled across the Province. These actions reduce costs, and make the system more efficient. They have the extra benefit of lowering the load that these materials have historically imposed on the environment.

Residents of Peel can now put more products in their blue bin. The list includes coated paper products, (coffee cups, ice cream tubs), empty deodorant containers, plastic bottle caps, toothpaste tubes, Styrofoam, bubble wrap, and frozen juice containers. Other products that were accepted in the Peel blue bin before, (like black plastic containers), are now accepted anywhere in the province. No more guesswork about what’s acceptable when visiting friends in a different municipality.

Another advantage of this new system is that it encourages a market for recycled products. Previously low demand meant that much of the collected recycled products was shipped to countries in the global south where it was burned or ended up in landfill. Now, new regulations under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act 2016 stipulate that a certain percentage of a specified material category must be both recovered and reused. This percentage increases over time from 2026-2030. For example, in 2026, 75% of the beverage containers sold in Ontario, (by weight), must be recovered and reused. That increases to 80% by 2030.

The highest recovery rate will be for cardboard and paper, (85%), and the lowest is for flexible plastic, (25%). A variety of factors contribute to the difference in recovery rates. Cardboard and newsprint is less contaminated, making it easier to recover and reuse than mixed plastics or composite materials. Market demand, regulatory and program structure will also affect recovery rates.

Under the new program, Community Recycling Centres will remain open and will continue collecting electronic waste, hazardous waste and bulk handling of recycled materials. Stewardship Ontario, the organization that historically managed Ontario’s blue bin program, ceased operations at the end of 2025 and transferred all responsibility to Circular Materials.

It will be interesting to see the effect that this new program will have on waste reduction and diversion rates over the coming years. Our hope is that Circular Materials will be diligent, accurate, and transparent in their management and monitoring of program results. We also want the Ontario government to expand the program to make it easier to recycle other materials like tires, textiles, wood and construction material as well as mandate higher recovery rates on plastics, and support Canada’s ban on single-use plastics. Standardized right to repair legislation combined with a consumer green bin incentive would help move the province from laggard to leader in waste management!

Download the free app to your Apple or Android phone for a complete list of what can and cannot be recycled.

Aneet and Rajbalinder talked about the importance of One-planet Living, the concept of staying within the Earth’s limitations in terms of resource extraction, managing waste, and living with each other in harmony.

The BEA has participated in several past events at this school and has found the students, parents and staff to all be engaging and interested in environmental issues and local environmental sustainability. This event lived up to expectations as families signed up to receive the BEA newsletter and committed to participate in BEA events.

On October 8th, Ghazanfar, Yarim, Gunjan, and Rajbalinder attended the W. G. Davis Senior Public School Open House. One-Planet Living and Plant-Based Treaty were among the topics discussed with students and parents.

According to the organizer, Noura Bacon, “the feedback from the evening was spectacular”! The school is hoping to grow connections with community organizations to create lasting partnerships where students feel more connected to their school and community. Ghazanfar and Noura are continuing collaboration discussions on creating a pollinator garden on school property starting next spring. Receiving a thankyou note is always nice.

On October 9th, Yarim, Gunjan, and Aneet participated in an Open House event at Springbrook Public School. Students were encouraged to use plant-based dyes to create postcards with an environmental theme.

They also were played a waste sorting game to help their families put waste products into the right bin.

Finally, students and their parents were told about plant-based eating and using One-Planet principles to learn to live within the earth’s planetary boundaries.

Sasha, the school principal, was thrilled with the BEA exhibits.

This past Thursday, July 24th, 3 members of our BEA board, including David Laing, Aneet Sandhu & Yarim Hinojosa, gave a presentation to the Knightsbridge Association in Brampton. 

This presentation showed the benefits of proper recycling, waste management, composting and the benefits of eating more plants and how proper diversion of waste can help the region of Peel reach its waste diversion targets. 

Did you know? The Peel Region has set a target to divert 70% of all waste away from landfill by 2036. Currently it sits at 50% and diverting more green bin waste would go a long way in helping the Region achieve their target.

Aneet shared best practices for recycling and composting, as well as case studies showing how buildings are implementing their composting programs and resulting in success in reducing smell and waste diversion goals. 

Did you know?  The 1,000-ton rule states that a person is killed every time humanity burns 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide. (Pearce, Western University)

Several points of advocacy to discuss with building property managers were suggested, such as lobbying for more collection points (i.e., mini green bin stations on each floor or closer to exits) and requesting regular cleaning of disposal zones.

Aneet talked about the goals of the BEA and our work and shared online resources such as https://peelregion.ca/waste/sorter

In addition, we addressed the attendees’ common questions and concerns and shared great advice, such as the option of putting the compost bag in the fridge or freezer to reduce smell, among other tips.

In addition to recycling and composting best practices, Yarim highlighted the great benefits of eating more plants for health benefits & how it can help with waste diversion.

Did you know? The majority of food system emissions come from animal agriculture.

Animal agriculture is responsible for around a third of methane emissions, so plant-based diets are critical to our future survival on this planet.

Lead reviewer for IPCC Working Group 1: Durwood Zaelke believes that cuts to methane are our best hope of limiting temperature rises over the next 20 years. 

Yarim also gave great tips on how to use and reuse all parts of vegetables, such as onions, by using parts to cook with, the base or root to regrow it ( free scallions!), and even the onion peels to create a natural fabric dye. 

David talked about the BEA, the One Planet Framework and the importance of protecting and advocating for our environment in order to ensure everyone in Brampton has the best quality of life.

The Brampton Environmental Alliance or “BEA” is a Brampton-wide network of organizations, community groups and individuals that envision Brampton growing as a sustainable community, one that is healthy and resilient environmentally, socially and economically.

The BEA believes in and supports the ONE PLANET living framework, ten simple principles that cover all aspects of social, environmental and economic sustainability in addition to endorsing the Plant Based Treaty as one of many effective tools in the city of Brampton’s toolkit to help it reach its Climate goals.

Brampton is a growing city, and environmental policy must be a priority to ensure a liveable & prosperous Brampton for all its people and nature.  

We encouraged attendees to join the BEA and be part of our initiatives and programs in making what we do and how people can get involved. In addition inspired attendees to take part and take the One Planet Framework and encouraged attendees to take the pledge. 

In addition, we had two delightful and interactive activities. The first one was a fun ( and competitive) “Waste Sorting” activity. Yarim briefed everyone in detail about the different sorting categories, and then attendees were divided into teams. Each team raced against the clock to sort waste items into their correct categories! 

and finally, the event closed with a Kale seed planting and a flower pot painting activity using recycled aluminium cans to celebrate #Plasticfreejune!

We also distributed recipe cards and colouring pages from our friends Plant Powered for The Earth.

Our presentation aimed to inspire attendees to properly sort their waste and recycling, and to eat more plants, compost, and the One Planet Framework to help reduce their waste, carbon footprint, improve their health, as well as help the Region of Peel achieve its goal of waste diversion earlier than the proposed date of  2036.

If you would like us to give this presentation at your event, institution, organization or to your group, please contact us!

Most Ontarians were not even aware of the government’s intention. The speed at which these bills were rammed through the legislature is nothing short of breathtaking, with next to no committee discussion or public consultation. Bill 5 was first introduced on April 17th and Bill 17 passed first reading on May 12th. Both bills were declared law by Royal Assent this past Thursday before the legislature adjourned until October.

Called omnibus bills, these legislative tools are large complex and far reaching. They limit the powers of municipalities, to make independent land use decisions, to protect important natural heritage features, and to implement sustainable development guidelines that will help our communities to both mitigate against the worst effects of climate change and adapt to those effects that we cannot avoid.

The main purpose of the legislation is to encourage developers to build new and affordable housing faster than they would otherwise. It does so, however, by putting the costs of providing services for those new homes on the backs of existing homeowners. It does this by deferring or eliminating development charges which the municipalities rely on to pay for building schools, recreation centres, roads, parks, etc.

I wrote an article a couple of weeks ago outlining the major problems with Bill 5. Below is a letter I wrote to my MPP Graham McGregor outlining my concerns with Bill 17. If you believe as I do that Bill 5 and Bill 17 are not the way to get more and affordable homes built, I hope you will take the time to let your MPP know how you feel and that you expect them to alter these pieces of legislation before they are allowed to damage our plan for a sustainable future.

Letter dated June 3, 2025.
To: Honourable Graham McGregor, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and MPP for Brampton North.

“Dear Minister McGregor,

I find myself once again in the unfortunate position of writing to you about a piece of legislation which, if passed will be egregiously damaging to municipal plans to protect our environment. I’m talking about Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Smarter and Faster Act, 2025. I am alarmed that Bill 17 is being fast-tracked without debate and that it attacks municipal decision-making powers.  I am particularly concerned that the Bill will threaten the ability of municipalities to continue to use Green Development Standards to ensure that new homes are safe, weather-proof, energy efficient, and more affordable to operate. Construction methods have been quickly evolving, and Ontario’s building code has fallen behind the times. Forward thinking municipalities, like Brampton, are filling the gaps so that new homes are built using modern technologies to withstand extreme weather conditions, while improving energy efficiency and facilitating low-carbon options such as electric vehicle charging, and efficient, clean heating systems.

As a case in point, this past November my wife Dayle and I received an amber alert type message on our phone at 2:00am indicating the presence of a tornado in the vicinity of our home! It didn’t wake me; I was already awake because of the roar of the wind outside. While vicious storms in November have historically been the norm, a late fall tornado in southern Ontario is not. There should be no question that the severity of weather events in our area is increasing due to climate change along with the probability of significant property damage. Our governments, at both the municipal and provincial level, have the power to implement policies that will either mitigate or exacerbate the risks. I’m disappointed that the province has chosen the latter approach in the interests of meeting short-term objectives that are driven by ideological rather than evidence-based factors.

If needed, I can provide you with the fact-based arguments as to why Green Development Standards at the municipal level will not impact speed or affordability of housing starts but will improve home efficiencies and reduce operating costs, increasing home affordability for years to come. I would ask you to please raise these issues in your Provincial caucus meetings and let your Premier know that he will be on the wrong side of history if Bill 17 and Bill 5 pass without major modifications.

Thanks for your time and interest.

Sincerely,

David Laing, L6Z 2A1

David Laing – President, Brampton Environmental Alliance https://bramptonea.org

Parent Teacher Night at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School

This past Wednesday April 9th, Dayle and I participated in the parent teacher night at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School to promote the One Planet Living Challenge, create awareness about the Emerald Energy from Waste expansion project and encourage folks to register for Bike the Creek and other cycling events taking place in the city over the next few months. We had great conversations with both parents and students about the history of Earth Day, the importance of living within planetary limits and the joys of cycling and other forms of sustainable transportation. The student ambassadors were wonderfully supportive, coming to our table and asking how they could help. Report cards must been favourable to the students because everyone seemed to be having a good time!

Sustainable Procurement – Brampton’s Community Benefits Workshop

Friday April 11th, I participated in a Community Benefits Workshop hosted by the City of Brampton at the Rose Theatre. It is a fair question to ask what a Community Benefits Workshop has to do with building a sustainable Brampton. Lot’s it turns out.

The Power of Purchase is something that Dayle and I have been interested in for more than a decade. At the retail level this is called conscious consumerism where the consumer makes buying choices based on their values. When large volumes of consumers consciously choose to buy sustainably sourced products from ethical companies, using fair trade practices it sends a powerful market message that environmental and social responsibility is important.

Companies that ignore this message can see sales and profits negatively impacted. The threat is often enough to change how products are designed, manufactured, distributed and disposed of at the end of their intended life. A good example of this is McDonald’s Restaurant chain that, in 2018, replaced plastic straws with paper due to a customer-led campaign.

Customer-led change, however, is relatively rare because of the challenge involved in building a swell of spontaneous feedback. Sustainable corporate procurement practices, on the other hand, can be an even greater market force for good because smaller numbers of buyers are involved in very large purchase decisions both in number and scale of transactions. Corporate procurement, therefore, when driven by a “community benefit strategy”, can be a tool that unlocks transformative local economic opportunities, empowers workers, and leverages social value in creating conditions that will encourage and drive a circular economy.

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that extends the life cycle of both raw materials and products. It does this through mechanisms of sharing, repairing, repurposing, refurbishing, recovery, and recycling. Each time material goes through one of these cycles, rather than being disposed of, it continues adding value to the global economy through job creation and product utility. The objective is to have these products and materials continue providing economic value in perpetuity, generating more wealth and prosperity while limiting the requirement to extract “virgin” material from an earth with rapidly depleting resources.

The City of Brampton is developing a Sustainable Procurement Strategy to leverage large infrastructure projects to improve the quality of life for Brampton residents by requiring community benefits from suppliers while stimulating the local circular economy. This has started with the implementation of a supplier diversity program and a fair wage policy. The current step involves adding a community benefits policy which involves buy-in from potential city partners and suppliers. Hence a reason for last week’s workshop.

The workshop was led by Dr. Mervyn Jones a globally recognized procurement expert with a PhD in Climate Change and over 25 years of sustainability experience. Dr. Jones used his home country of Wales as an example of a community benefits procurement strategy.

In 2015 Wales passed the. “Well-being of Future Generations Act”, which uses the indigenous “seven generation” approach to decision-making, that takes current and future impacts into account.

The Act requires municipalities in the country to work to achieve seven well-being goals, that aim to balance, social, environmental and economic objectives. It also defines five ways of working including, balancing short and long-term needs, integrating objectives of all public bodies, involving people that reflect community diversity, be open to collaboration and, acting to prevent problems from occurring or worsening.

Finally, the Act outlines 50 key performance indicators that are used to measure progress while ministers are required to set milestones in relation to those national indicators.

Brampton’s Community Benefits Policy is a transformative initiative, harnessing the City’s purchasing influence to create economic opportunities, promote inclusive training programs, and expand employment opportunities for residents, especially those from equity-deserving groups. It is paving the way for lasting change and the enrichment of the economic, social and environmental fabric of our community.

Reconnect Brampton’s “Sip & Stroll”

On Saturday April 12th, Dayle and I led a “Sip & Stroll” walking tour organized by Halley Patel the Regional Coordinator at Reconnect Brampton. About 15 participants met at Ryan’s Chai Cafe and enjoyed a complimentary hot brew before starting the tour.

Created by Environmental Defence, the Reconnection Project is designed to connect people with nature and community by making it easy to, know about, and participate in, local events that focus on the outdoors.

The tour used seven stops to illustrate how climate change is affecting Brampton’s downtown area and to discuss the City’s plans for managing flooding, creating new development opportunities and encouraging active and sustainable transportation. The tour also highlighted a bit of Brampton heritage and how residents can be more involved in the City’s planning process.

Wards 3&4 Earth Day Event at McCandless Park

Sunday April 13th, Dayle and I met up with BEA Board members Yarim and Amisha at Councillor Santos’s Earth Day Event in Andrew McCandless Park. There were several environmental activities to keep participants busy including, a tree-planting hosted by Credit Valley Conservation, and a park clean-up hosted by People Against Littering. There was also information about the City’s Plant-based Treaty initiative, which I’ve written about in a previous post.

While it was nice being part of this important environmental day and saying hi to friends and colleagues, one of the reasons Dayle and I wanted to attend this specific event was that we had a significant amount of electronics for recycling. Friends and family had added to the pile over the past several months and the collection included old cathode ray TV sets, rotary dial phones, a Blackberry Pearl phone, (with flip-down real keyboard), a night-side table radio with built in lamp, and a host of computer and stereo sound system equipment.

Alison, Rebecca and the other volunteers from the electronics recycling organization “Let’s Get Together” helped unload our van and then weighed and sorted all of the old retired items. LGT is a not-for-profit whose mission is to support the circular economy by repairing old computers and other electronics and then working to ensure that every youth has access to technology and equal opportunity allowing those youth to pursue higher education without barriers and with “purposeful support”. So far LGT has redistributed more than 5,000 computers back to the community, has diverted more than 120,000 pounds of e-waste from landfills, and has provided more than 12,000 digital literacy workshops.

Credit Valley Conservation hosts Fletcher’s Creek SNAP Workshop

On Monday April 14th, I attended a workshop hosted by Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC) in support of the Fletchers Creek Sustainable Neighbourhoods Action Program (SNAP). SNAP takes an integrated approach to improve the environment in a chosen neighbourhood, building climate resiliency by greening local infrastructure and encouraging positive behaviour change among the residents through programs, events, and education. The SNAP was initiated by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Both TRCA and CVC have delivered SNAP projects in Brampton including, County Court Blvd, Bramalea, and Fletchers Creek. Each project is unique and engages the residents in helping define project priorities and actions.

The Fletchers Creek project is focused around 5 themes, Living Parks and Nature, Green Streets, Strong Schools, Resilient Homes and Businesses, and Active People. Within those themes, 27 actions have been completed or are in progress. Highlights over the past 5 years include

• Installation of rain gardens at three schools,
• Delivery of a “Your Green Yard” program,
• Numerous tree and rain barrel giveaways,
• 5,628 trees & shrubs planted,
• 7,717 wildflowers, grasses, and sedges planted,
• 11 community projects started including a catchment basin painting project,
• 388 sustainable actions taken at homes
• 345 events hosted, and,
• 7,472 people engaged in the neighbourhood!

Each table was assigned one of the 5 themes and was asked to reflect on the accomplishments over the past 5 years, and help define the priorities and capacity requirements for how the project should evolve over the next 5 years. It was great to see the level of commitment, passion, competency and experience demonstrated by the workshop participants. I’ll write another blog once the workshop results have been synthesized and shared with the group.

April 22, 2025 will mark the 55th anniversary of the first Earth Day celebration. April 1970 represented a rare time for U.S. environmental activism, where Democrats and Republicans joined with labour and business leaders, as well as members of the public from all walks of life to support legislative action that would start to curtail human caused environmental degradation. The first Earth Day was the catalyst for change but the seeds of that change had been planted during the previous decades.

After WWII and up to the end of the 1960’s, the public and press had been largely ambivalent to concerns about the effects of a polluted environment on human health. Without legislation or regulation, industry was allowed to disperse vast quantities of toxic pollutants into the air and water. Automotive companies were allowed to build large heavy automobiles with inefficient engines that burned huge quantities of leaded gas. Lead, and its combustion related byproducts, are known carcinogens and neurotoxins. Research reported in Psychiatrist.com has linked the decades use of leaded gasoline to increased rates of violent crime, mental illness and other negative psychological effects, the impacts of which linger even today.

In addition, oil and chemical spills were a regular occurrence in the 50s and 60s. There were stories of waterways, so polluted with industrial effluent that they caught fire, the most notable being the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland Ohio that went up in flames on June 22, 1969.

In the 1940’s the chemical industry invented synthetic pesticides most notably DDT. These chemicals were used in large quantities to control insect transmitted diseases such as malaria and typhus and as a way to improve crop and livestock yields. But they also had nasty side effects including animal reproductive disruptions and “bio-accumulation”, meaning they would build up in the tissues of plants and animals which further accumulated up the food chain until toxicity levels caused the plant or animal to die. It took the 1962 book called “Silent Spring”, written by Rachel Carson, an American marine biologist and environmental activist, to begin raising public awareness of the escalating human and ecological dangers, associated with the unrestricted use of these toxins.

Senator Gaylord Nelson, spurred to action by a large 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara California, struck a committee with the aim to bring national attention to air and water pollution. He convinced Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman to co-chair the committee. They engaged a young activist named Denis Hayes to organize university campus teach-ins and engage national media to raise public awareness. They chose April 22, 1970 to be Earth Day because they though a weekday falling between spring break and final exams would allow for large student engagement. They were right, An estimated 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day, making it the largest political demonstration in U.S. history at that point. The movement led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. and Canadian water pollution regulations including, the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Since President Trump and his team entered the Whitehouse in January they have fired or threatened the jobs of hundreds of EPA workers and have targeted hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for the protection of the great lakes. North of the border, Prime Minister Carney has eliminated the consumer carbon tax and has promised to streamline project reviews to make Canada an energy superpower.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister has committed to continued support for focused green incentives for energy retrofits and EV charging infrastructure. He will maintain an “improved” industrial carbon tax as well as maintain the oil and gas sector emissions cap. All of these initiatives would be scrapped under a government led by Pierre Pollievre, according to the Conservative party platform.

The point is that no matter who you vote for on April 28th, make sure the candidates and the party understand that you feel it important to maintain strong environmental regulations that will encourage environmental innovation, hold companies to account for environmental damage and prevent catastrophic climate change and ecosystem collapse. Our forests are already burning more than they need to because of climate change; we don’t need our rivers ablaze again as well.

What you can do.

• Vote for the party that has the best vision for an environmentally sustainable Canada,
• Write to or speak with your local candidates to let them know that economic growth must be in balance with the need for a sustainable environment,
• Stay informed about local environmental issues by subscribing to the BEA newsletter,
• Join the BEA and take part in environmental events

Earth Hour, Earth Day, Earth Month – What’s the Difference?

• Earth Hour:
  • What: A global initiative where people, communities, and businesses turn off non-essential lights for one hour (8:30 PM to 9:30 PM local time) to raise awareness about climate change and environmental issues. 
  • When: Typically on the last Saturday of March. 
  • Focus: Symbolic action to highlight the importance of environmental action and encourage people to take action against climate change. 
  • Example: In 2023, Earth Hour took place on March 25th. 
• Earth Day:
  • What: An annual event on April 22 dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and action. 
  • When: April 22nd every year. 
  • Focus: A day to celebrate the Earth, raise awareness about environmental issues, and encourage people to take action to protect the planet. 
  • Example: The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. 
• Earth Month:
  • What: A broader period in April that focuses on environmental awareness and action. 
  • When: The entire month of April. 
  • Focus: A month-long celebration of the Earth, with various activities and events to promote environmental protection and sustainability. 
  • Example: Many organizations, including the National Environmental Education Foundation, celebrate Earth Month throughout April.