Nova Scotia Update!
Scotty (PEI), Sarah (NS) and Daniel (NFLD) Youth Reps!
The Nova Scotia area, Antigonish to be exact, has been keeping things upbeat.
This past week at ST.FX University students held a Sustainability Week with lots of presentations, booths and activities for students and the townspeople of Antigonish to get out and be informed at and to learn about what are the growing concerns today and what we need to work towards to improve our environment.
Each day held a different topic, Development and Peace helped out with Tuesday March 22nd BOTTLED WATER FREE Day!!!
Getting the word out about our initiatives, what exactly we do as D&P and how we as a community can help to conserve water and stop using bottled water.
Here is just a quick glance of what the week entailed:
Monday, March 21 (Sustainability)
- 9:00 -11:00 am (Outside the library): Fair Trade Coffee & Sustainability Giveaways
- 5:00 – 6:00 pm (93.3 CFXU): Radio Ada
- Tune in to “Radio Ada” at 93.3 CFXU THE FOX for a special talk on “Sustainability & Climate Change”.
- 7:00 – 9:00 pm A Panel Discussion: “Do Canada’s oil sands contribute to building a sustainable society”?
Tuesday, March 22 (Water)
March 22 is International Water Day, so the day’s events will be themed around good ol’ H2O.- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch & Learn – “Local Water Issues” with the Antigonish Harbour Watershed Association (AHWA).
- From 12-2pm: browse some displays from community and campus groups, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE WILL BE ON SITE!
- With a fair trade coffee/tea and lunch, before and after the Lunch & Learn
- 7:00 – 9:00 pm FILM – “Blue Gold: World Water Wars”: Hosted by StFX Chapter of Cinema Politica: This documentary examines environmental and political implications of the planet’s dwindling water supply and asserts that wars in the future will be fought over water. Blue Gold also highlights some success stories of water activists around the world, and makes a strong case for community action.
Wednesday, March 23 (Food):
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch & Learn – “Local & Global Food Security”
From 12-2pm: browse some displays from community and campus groups with a fair trade coffee/tea and lunch, before and after the Lunch & Learn! - 7:00 – 9:00 pm FILM – “The Garden”
This is the story of the now demolished South Central Farm; a community garden and urban farm located in Los Angeles, California. It details the plight of the farmers who organized and worked on the farm. The owner of the lot decided he didn’t want to allow the farmers to use it anymore, and had the garden bulldozed.
Thursday, March 24 (Justice):
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch & Learn – “Global Partnerships & Sustainability” With Wyanne Sandler, Breaking the Silence - From 12-2pm: Browse some displays from community and campus groups with a fair trade coffee/tea and lunch, before and after the Lunch & Learn!
- 7:00 pm (SUB Cafeteria) “Green Gig Coffee House” Off-Campus is hosting the Second Annual “Green Gig Coffee House,” where you can sip some java, listen to some LIVE Local Music, and have a wondrous time on a Thursday evening.
Saturday, March 26 (Earth Hour):
- 8:30-9:30 pm (Everywhere!) EARTH HOUR: Join St. Francis Xavier University and millions of people around the world in turning off your lights to demand action on climate change.
Another Update as D&P rolls on in the East Coast:
This Monday March 28th, a presentation will be given to a local high school in Antigonish in two grade 12 classes, Sarah Cavan, Danny Gillis and Ann Cooke will be presenting the role D&P plays in Canada and what youth/students/communities and people in general can do to help with our topic this year…WATER FOR ALL.
The first class is an IB Global Issues Class, the second class is a combination of 3 classes (there will be about 40ish in total) two global history classes and one global geography class. We want to give youth the opportunity to brainstorm and show them how much they can do to help D&P in the future, to show students it’s the little things such as not buying bottled water that can help, a little goes a long way!
Agenda for our talk is as follows:
- Introduction and Consumer Perspective
- The Journey of Bottled Water Group activity (adapted from a 2011 THINKfast activity)
- Ethical Examination
- Action (Change for the future) and Ideas/Questions
Keeping the word spreading is just what we are doing on the East; D&P is working hard to making things happen. Keep up the great work everyone!!!
Sarah Cavan, Nova Scotia Youth Rep
Nice upbeat post about people taking action for the environment! Similar sustainability events have been occuring at other NS schools like SMU and DAL as well.
Along with all these students, the Ecology Action Center (EAC) in Halifax, NS acts as voice for the environment in Nova Scotia. The EAC is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with 40 days of actions between April 22nd and May 31st & we’re looking for some guest bloggers to post about the events on our blog or their own blog that we can link back to or repost.
If any youth (you interested Sarah?) around Nova Scotia are interested in being involved, let me know! You can check out some of the events at http://40daysofaction.wordpress.com/
& if you’re around the Halifax area, be sure to head out to a few events over the 40 days! It’s an ambitious project and it’s sure to be a lot of fun and a great time to get informed about NS environment!
Cheers!
jeana_macleod232@hotmail.com is the best way to reach me for more info on the 40 Days of Action campaign!