The Driftwood’s Greening Salt Spring campaign has kicked off to a great start, with individuals, businesses and schools signing on to clean up the litter in their neighbourhoods in time for Earth Day.
Our very first respondent was Viv Nielsen, who wrote in last Wednesday night. Viv and her 16-year-old son Noel will be taking on Vesuvius Bay Road on April 21, from the Vesuvius ferry terminal to Chu-An Drive and the side roads in between those two spots that lead down to the beach.
“I used to participate, with my son, in our community clean-ups when we lived in Alberta, and I have been wanting to do the same here since we moved back,” Nielsen wrote.
Salt Spring Sneakers running club was a very close second, timing wise. They let us know they will clean up litter on Upper Ganges Road during their regular run, also on Saturday, April 21. They are a big group, so cars are asked to please watch out for them.
Lucy Austin and her daughter Bronwyn plan to pick up litter on both sides of Booth Canal Road, and aim to do the entire stretch this Friday. They used to participate in a program similar to what the Lions ran with youth sports teams here on Salt Spring, in that the municipality paid kids to do the work as a fundraiser for youth groups.
“It was a really small town but we covered a big area. It was a great way to get everything cleaned up in just one day,” Austin said.
There’s no need to wait for the Earth Day weekend when planning a clean-up day. Many of our early participants make a habit of picking up roadside trash as a matter of course, and are happy to join the broader community effort as well. Others have said they’ve noticed the litter and wanted to do something about it, and will now make a point of bringing a bag along with them on their regular walks.
Our initial list of confirmed participants is exciting, but there are plenty of roads left! Contact Elizabeth at 250-537-9933 or enolan@gulfislandsdriftwood.com, or drop by the Driftwood office to get involved. Regular updates are being posted on the Driftwood’s Facebook page.
One thing to point out: It may not have been clear from last week’s material, but volunteers joining the campaign will be responsible for disposing of the items they pick up this time. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will supply garbage pickup and reflective vests, but only to those who take the extra step and join the provincial Adopt a Highway program — which we encourage! Tour Salt Spring’s Jason Griffin and Yael Wand have already indicated they want to go the extra mile and take this on.
The full list of participants so far is:
Viv Nielsen and son Noel: Vesuvius Bay Road from ferry terminal to Chu An Drive, plus side roads to beach.
Salt Spring Sneakers: Upper Ganges Road from Central to Robinson Road.
Tour Salt Spring: Upper Ganges Road from intersection with Lower Ganges Road to intersection with Long Harbour, continuing on Robinson and to Mansell around the corner to 121 Mansell Rd.
Patrick and Rosamund Dupuy: Fulford Harbour starting on Fulford-Ganges Road at the Isabella-side of the bridge over Fulford Creek (by the old inn site) and around the corner on Isabella Point Road to Drummond Park. They will clean up both the roadside and the beach.
Nick Hunt and Celia Duthie: Churchill Road and part of Upper Ganges and Long Harbour roads.
Lucy Austin and daughter Bronwyn: Booth Canal Road (entire).
Driftwood editor Gail Sjuberg: Cranberry Road from intersection with Fulford-Ganges to Blackburn Road.
Driftwood publisher Amber Ogilvie: Channel Ridge Drive.
Fernwood Elementary School: Fernwood Beach cleanup, school grounds cleanup and roadside on the way to the beach.
Salt Spring Middle School: Annual Earth Week activity cleaning up Ganges Village, with each class taking a different section.
Note: The Streets of Salt Spring columnist and mascot DW Salty will visit some participants for a video component of the Greening Salt Spring program. Stay tuned for more details.