With Eco360 and Dorchester Fire on site to tie fire safety and waste management to cleaner air
Hundreds of fir trees are finding new homes across Tantramar after a Clean Air Day event hosted last Sunday by the Dorchester Adventurers Club.
Hear the story below:
The event was held on the lawn of Station 8 in Dorchester. It brought together children and families for a tree giveaway, recycling activities, and environmental education from Eco360.
The Dorchester Adventurers Club operates under Greater Dorchester Moving Forward. It was formerly known as the Dorchester Beavers and Cubs.
Nina Stright organized the event. I spoke with her on site during the day’s activities.
“So, we have a clean air day event by the Youth Adventure Team under Greater Dorchester Moving Forward, formerly the Dorchester Beavers and Cubs.”
Hundreds of trees distributed
The group received about 600 fir trees. Some were donated to local schools, daycares and community organizations. Others were made available to people attending the event.
“Yes, so we donated some to the schools, some to the daycare, and then some to this event,” said Stright.
Of the 600 trees recieved, Cruickshank said 130 were donated to Dorchester Consolidated School, 20 to DCS Kids Daycare and 300 to the Sackville Scouts. According to Cruickshank, the group arranged for the trees to be collected from Fredericton’s Kingsclear Nursery, operated by the Department of Natural Resources after he’d called them with the idea.
Stright said the tree donation really helped shape the rest of the event.
“We ended up getting the trees donated, and then we thought, who better to contact about clean air than Eco360?”
Eco360 brings recycling lessons to Dorchester
Eco360 summer employees Isabella Caissie and Rebecca Gauvin attended the event to answer questions about recycling, landfills and waste reduction.
Caissie said the goal was to help people better understand what Eco360 does.
“So basically we’re just trying to make everyone acknowledge about what we do, and if anybody has questions, then we are always here to help out and answer the questions, because we are trying to save the earth a little, well, a lot,” said Caissie.
One display showed children what happens to garbage after it is collected.
“Today, we have a replica of the landfill. That is where all your clear bags go,” said Gauvin.
Caissie said Eco360 tries to explain waste in ways children can picture.
“We try to compare our landfill with things that they know. So the landfill is actually the size of two soccer fields.”
She said the comparison often stays with children after the event.
“So usually they tell their parents, ‘We have to recycle for the planet. It’s two soccer fields.’”
Children take the message home
Gauvin said children can have a strong influence on adults when it comes to recycling.
“Kids will have a bigger impact than the adults because when you realize a kid saying, ‘Oh, you have to recycle,’ and all of that, it makes people realize, this is a kid telling me this.”
Jason Holmes from the Dorchester Fire Department also attended and shared fire safety information.
Stright said the main goal was to give children a practical connection to the environment.
“We’re just hoping that kids come out, they get a tree, they learn about some clean air, (about) recycling.” said Stright.
She said early environmental education matters.
“They are our future, and so them learning about clean air really helps for the environment.”
It’s unknown at the time of publishing if any trees remain. For inquiries, reach out to the Dorchester Adventurers Club.
Comments, questions or story ideas? Reach the team at news@chmafm.com
About the reporter
Clinton Davis is a PT journalist/producer with CHMA News covering Tantramar (including Sackville, Dorchester, Port Elgin, Midgic and surrounding communities). He reports on municipal government, public safety, community events, local business, regional issues and ideas across Tantramar.
