Climate Week: Westmount Trash Pickup
In the spirit of Earth Day, a dozen students gathered after classes on April 22nd and they roamed the streets of Westmount to collect littered trash. The initiative was organized by the Social Justice Committee chaired by Emily Hong and was one of the many week-long activities regarding Climate Week.
After meeting up on the front lawn and distributing the gloves, trash bags, and pincers provided by the organizers, the students made their way down Claremont Avenue, collecting and throwing out every item of trash along the way.
Countless different objects were found: disposable masks, cigarette buds, plastic rings that hold cans of soda, candy wrappers, plastic water bottles, mittens, garbage bags, and much more. In the “we all have a role to play” spirit, the trash picker-uppers spent over an hour in neighbouring streets and managed to fill a meter-tall bag’s worth of garbage.
Moreover, the participants that are part of the Environmental Studies Certificate were able to earn credit for taking part in this endeavour.
As for the earlier part of the week, on Tuesday, April 19th, there was a trivia game about climate with a reusable straw as the prize, an Earth-theme search puzzle, and a Fermi question at the Alcoves! The next day, a recycling drive was hosted, collecting items such as small electronics, chargers, earphones, keyboards, pens, and highlighters.
On Thursday the 21st, Urban Roots took over and sold adorable succulents and all kinds of plants!
Lastly, on Friday, students were encouraged to wear green and participate in the Westmount clean-up! Along with the Social Justice committee, the Charities & Volunteering and External Affairs committees took part in the organization of Climate Week.
Finally, the College library put together and featured on its shelves a selection of books exploring what we can and need to do to help our planet.
All in all, Climate Week was a blue-and-green outright success.
All Photo Credit: Jean-Christophe Tates-Leclercq
