(NC)—In Pitt Meadows, BC, Laurie Darcus is known as the “green queen”. Laurie is involved in all kinds of environmental initiatives, including her role as a site coordinator for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC), an initiative of Vancouver Aquarium and WWF, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited.
For last year’s cleanup along the Alouette River, Laurie went above and beyond the call of duty and organized a local paddling club to come with their canoes, enabling her team to clean previously inaccessible areas along the river.
“I also became a volunteer site coordinator to build relationships with other community members,” says Laurie.
Like Laurie, you can help keep Canada’s shorelines and waters clean and healthy for everyone, including the wildlife and communities that depend on them. To join, register today for the GCSC, from September 17 to 25, 2011 at shorelinecleanup.ca.
The cleanup is open to everyone across Canada and takes place anywhere land meets water. Start a new cleanup or join an existing one.
The GCSC is supported by partial proceeds from Loblaw’s national pay–for–plastic shopping bag program, which funds green initiatives and helps reduce the number of plastic shopping bags in landfills – and shorelines. The fewer plastic bags in use, the fewer will end up littering our waters. In 2010, Loblaw customers used 73 percent fewer plastic shopping bags than they did before the Company implemented the five-cent–per bag charge. Since 2007, Loblaw has reduced the number of shopping bags from its stores by 2.5 billion.
Dangers of Shoreline Litter
Shoreline litter and pollution puts ecosystems, wildlife and people at risk. It can degrade water quality through contamination and by preventing the natural cleansing cycles of the plants and animals that live in the ecosystem. Animals run the risk of getting tangled or ingesting litter or other pollutants. It can create dangers for people, as well, and cause economic damage to areas that rely on tourism or water-based industry, like fishing.
Dirty Dozen: Top Litter Items from the 2010 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
1. cigarettes/cigarette filters
2. food wrappers
3. plastic bags
4. caps/lids
5. cups and plates
6.plastic beverage bottles
