Although the island had no official Earth Day festival this year, Salt Spring Islanders still took to the streets and schools to do their part for the planet.
Leading up to Earth Day, islanders took part in the Driftwood’s Greening Salt Spring campaign. Participation this year was more than double that of the inaugural year. More information about that successful event is available in a separate story in this week’s Driftwood and online.
The Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce organized a Ganges clean-up to help foster a more inviting environment for local storefronts. Businesses and members of the public were invited to participate. Local business owners were asked to clean up garbage and recyclables from their premises, as well as sweep sidewalks and clean up any dust from the winter. Islanders met at the Ganges Fire Hall at 10 a.m. to clean garbage and invasive species from around town. Volunteers came out even though it was raining.
The Salt Spring Island Elementary School got in on the action too, with tree-planting, garden work and an Easter egg hunt for the little ones. Trees were planted from the school’s nursery, and parents helped out in the garden.