The rain didn’t stop Stratford coming out in droves for Earth Day this weekend.
Climate Momentum hosted their second annual Earth Day Street Party at Factory 163, after a rain forecast threatened their outdoor party at Market Square.
Bill James-Abra of Climate Momentum introduced himself at the event and thanked everyone for coming out. He quoted the artist of the street party poster, Jenn Mezei, and said that the strongest resource to fight climate change is our neighbours.
“That's why we have street parties,” James-Abra told the crowd. “So that we can get out and meet our neighbours, our eco-neighbours, and connect with one another because it is our most powerful resource for dealing with climate change.”
Booths from various organizations packed the venue, with food and drinks being offered by Grounded, the Planet Diner, and revel.
As part of the event, seeds were given out by various organizations like the Stratford and Area Master Gardeners, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, and the Stratford Library.
The idea is to provide an accessible way for citizens to do something to improve diversity in the area.
The City of Stratford was also at the party. Sadaf Ghalib, the City’s manager of climate change programs, told StratfordToday that they are engaging with citizens on their net zero plan: the Community Emissions Action Plan.
The plan will guide Stratford in its collective efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.
They collected in-person opinions at the party. A survey is available on Engage Stratford until May 12.
The survey can be found here.
Deep Roots comes out on top
During the party, James-Abra announced a surprise: a Canada-wide win for the Stratford District Secondary School's Deep Roots eco-club.
Deep Roots won the 2023 Canadian Youth Climate Action Award from Pivot Green, a Canadian organization that aims to inspire restorative climate action.
The award recognizes the important work that young Canadians are undertaking in the fight against climate change.
The project which clinched the win for Deep Roots was an intergenerational garden on their school site. Instead of cutting grass, Deep Roots is instead harvesting vegetables and berry plants.
Lucy Chung excitedly told StratfordToday that she couldn't believe that they won.
Deep Roots beat organizations across the country, including runner-ups in Vancouver and Scarborough. The judges of the competition gave this statement about the efforts of Canadian youth:
“We were extremely impressed and inspired by the quality and quantity of submissions from coast to coast. It is clear that young Canadians are not sitting on the sidelines throwing up their hands in despair. On the contrary, these submissions are an unmistakable indication that young people are actively engaged and involved in a variety of impactful programs in their community.”
For the win, Deep Roots won a plaque and an honorarium of $1,500 to support ongoing work.
