Canterbury Folk Festival served food on re-usable dishes
Diverting from landfills and recycling when and where it's possible
By Mark Schadenberg
While throngs of music fans (including
myself) were in Ingersoll this past weekend for the annual Canterbury
Folk Festival, the same folks who are faithful to the fables of folk
music, were also in Yvonne Mott Memorial Park to enjoy lunch or
dinner.
A hearty congratulations must be passed
along to the Canterbury organizing committee for a terrific roster of
music, but also equally for their cooperation and consideration for
the environment as patrons could purchase food on a reusable plate.
That's right, the Canterbury festival
had a volunteer crew washing plates and cutlery so it could be used
again and again – and not directed to a landfill site.
The committee also utilized solar
panels to heat the water.
The park had its share of waste bins,
but I noticed even more recycling containers.
The evolution of this diversion of
garbage can trace its way back to Mike Farlow, who noticed many years
ago that the festival was not making enough effort to recycle some of
its waste. Plastic water bottles were a silly invention, but
sometimes they are necessary at such outdoor festivities, but they
must be recycled.
No matter if you live in a multi-storey
building, everyone must recycle.
Is there anything worse then going on a
nature walk and noticing that everyone who seemingly loves nature is
littering?
NO DUMP
See the Woodstock
Sentinel-Review link below, but as the years marched on, Farlow is
now a strong advocate against a metro Toronto dump arriving on the
outskirts of Ingersoll in a former Carmeuse Lime quarry / pit. Walker
Environmental is the proponent of the dump, while hundreds of dozens
of local protesters are working diligently to stop the process. The
proposed dump is only a few dozen metres from an Ingersoll cemetery.
While it's technically located in Zorra township, the quarry is also
very close to the villages of Centreville and Beachville.
The eco-system would most certainly be
effected with a dump at this location because in essence the retired
quarry is now a picturesque lake – returned to nature and a
now-abundant supply to the regional aquifer / water table.
The mayor of Ingersoll is both the
long-time chair of the Canterbury fest and a vocal opponent to the
possible dump. Earlier this year, Ted Comiskey travelled to Belgium
to present some facts. Why Belgium? The head office for Carmeuse is
located there.
I would think it impossible to find
someone in Oxford County who is in favour of the proposed GTA
landfill.
Ingersoll mayor Ted Comiskey (right)
and South-West Oxford mayor and Oxford warden David Mayberry
(Picture credited to 104.7 Heart FM)
(Picture credited to 104.7 Heart FM)
Letter by MPP Ernie Hardeman
I would also hopefully believe that
just like the Canterbury folk festival, residents of Oxford are also
doing their honest best to divert garbage from the county's facility
in Salford. There are many words beginning with a 'R' or a 'D' –
divert, recycle, reuse, reduce, re-direct, re-purpose and recover.
It's difficult to recycle at large community events such as Cowapolooza in Woodstock, so the Ingersoll committee must be congratulated.
I think our water resource is precious,
so I wonder why people wash their driveways or water their lawns less
than 48 hours since a major rainfall. In Woodstock, we have something
called City Beautiful awards to recognize home owners and businesses
who make our community shine with unique and wonderful landscaping
projects. However, some irrigation systems should be turned off after
a Mother Nature deluge.
I like the principles behind re-using
some construction materials, which has created the Re-Store sideline
for Habitat For Humanity.
Recycling is paramount. I our household
recycles more than anyone on our street – plastics, glass jars,
cardboard, bubble wrap, egg containers, many other paper products,
and we re-direct (through the Lions Club) our pop cans and top tabs
as well as a community fundraiser. With two young children we know
that egg containers and paper towel rolls can be utilized for crafts.
I'm not going to stand on top of a
mountain (of recycled newsprint) and proclaim everything is perfect
with our municipal systems, but anyone wanting to deliver kitchen
compost to the yard on James Street certainly can do so as there is
no city-run pickup service in Woodstock for egg shells, potato peels,
cantaloupe, corn cobs, cabbage and let us not forget about rotten
lettuce.
The City of Woodstock should actually
be recognized as it creates its own mulch from fallen trees, and even
reuses gravel or crushed concrete or stone.
I hope that when my two children grow
up, Carmeuse is a county park for canoeing, kayaking, and scuba
diving – similar to the former quarry in Innerkip known as Trout
Lake (satellite picture above).
As a Realtor, I know the amount of
paper in an office has not been reduced as we have several forms to
fill out for a transaction beyond an Agreement Of Purchase And Sale.
I think we have 801 distinct forms actually, including OREA Form 801
to notify an agent we have a signed offer on their listing.
I also email my newsletters, so they
never have to be printed. If you want to be added to my mailout list,
email me at: mschadenberg@rogers.com
LINKS:
http://www.1047.ca/news/local-news/changes-coming-to-garbage-and-recycling-collection/
http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=237&rid=15&gid=118572
http://london.ctvnews.ca/ingersoll-mayor-fights-potential-mega-landfill-1.1511203
www.habitat4home.ca
FACEBOOK:
OPAL Alliance, which stands for Oxford People Against the Landfill
OPAL Alliance, which stands for Oxford People Against the Landfill
Carmeuse discussion group
Thoughts and Ideas from . . .
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty
757
Dundas St, Woodstock
www.wesellwoodstock.com
(519)
537-1553, cell or text
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter:
markroyallepage
Facebook:
Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion
. . . Direction . . . Determination . . . Destination
No comments:
Post a Comment