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Ecowrappin'

With Kris Lee

Are you a 'picker upper or passer byer'?

Friday, August 2, 2002

(The whole concept of an on-line newsvenue (can't really call it a paper) captured my interest because we do not need to cut down trees, use chemicals for printing or fossil fuels for distribution and there is no waste when you are finished reading the 'paper'! The goal is to share my experiences on environmental issues and provide links to the special people and organizations that are working in a positive way to make the Earth a better place. Although, I have been involved with environmental issues for over 10 years there is still much to discover. In order to build a local and global learning curve, the readers are encouraged to share their ideas and experiences.)

Have you ever walked behind a person who opens a package of gum and throws the wrapper onto the street? What would you do? Walk away and forget about it or pick up the wrapper, tap the person on the shoulder and say, "Excuse me but you dropped this BY MISTAKE!".

Whether you're the 'picker upper' or the 'passer byer' is determined by many factors mainly due to your vision of a community. The person who picks up the litter is acting on a belief that they can make a difference at the expense of their own comfort. After all, the litterer could very easily respond with a few anatomical descriptions of where to place the wrapper and one is literally left 'holding the bag'.

Here are some oldies but goodies for not getting involved in societal problems. 'They're all corrupt and the government is going to do whatever they please anyway so why bother.' 'One individual can't make a difference so it's a waste of time.' ' I just want to mind my own business and not get my face punched in'. It's true that speaking one's mind may cause some discomfort where they point at you and say, "So you're one of those (types)".

Luckily, not everyone feels this way. There are people who do get involved and only the future will tell whether or not they've made a difference. However, there is one guarantee... If you do not become involved, you definitely will not make a difference.

John Jackson, a well-known environmental activist and university professor, who works with communities on environmental issues, explains it this way. "Citizens often assume that they don't have the skills necessary to work for changes. 'I'm not a public speaker.' 'I don't know how to do research.' 'I don't know how to organize a meeting'. But when they make the effort they quickly find that they develop skills they never dreamt they had."

Is it a right or a privilege to expect a clean environment? In Ontario, it is considered a right, thus the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR). Via the Environmental Registry section of the EBR, the information about most structural changes to facilities such as factories and even farms, which affect water or air quality, have to be placed on the web site. Every Ontario citizen has the right to find out what is happening in their neighbourhood in terms of these changes and be given at least 30 days to respond. Even if you do not want to write letters or object to structural changes in your neighbourhood factories, it's fun to just surf (ie. snoop).

The Ontario provincial government has set up a web page (your tax dollars at work) hoping to inform all of us about the state of our environment at the neighbourhood level.We can access this site at www.ene.gov.on.ca.

From this home page just click the EBR icon, then go to Environmental Registry, then postings and finally under 'text search' just type in the name of your community or closest city/town. Simply by learning more about our communities, we join the multitude of 'picker uppers'. What does Mother Nature and our mom have in common? They both expect us to clean up our messes!!!

In future articles, I hope to share more information about the environment and how many fascinating people from all sectors of life are endeavouring to make the Earth a better place.



Kris Lee is a high school science teacher in Wallaceburg, Ont. She is working hard to bridge the gap between industry and community, with a major goal of reducing harmful effects to the environment. For over 10 years Kris has been an active member of several national industry and government advisory panels.