Marsh Creek’s big clean

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on May 11th, 2010.

The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:

This Saturday, a group of Saint Johners will volunteer their morning to help spruce up one of the area’s important waterways during the 14th annual Marsh Creek Cleanup.

“This is a popular event – a lot of our volunteers are people and families who come back every year,” says Canaport LNG’s Kate Shannon, whose company has hosted the event in partnership with ACAP Saint John for the last three years. “Getting people involved in cleaning up the community is a great way to increase awareness and environmental stewardship.”

The Marsh Creek Cleanup gives volunteers the opportunity to team up with family, friends and colleagues to make this area a little greener, but it also serves as the catalyst for a conversation on litter, why people leave their debris in areas like Marsh Creek, and ways to prevent litter at its source. The debris collected each year does not get there on its own, and starting the dialogue about who put it there and why, and more appropriate methods for disposal, is an important step in tackling this issue.

“Our hope is that participants will realize how important it is to take care of our community, and think about it next time they need to dispose of waste,” says Shannon. “We want people to be more aware of the waste people create and how they should dispose of it.” Increasing public awareness on the seemingly insignificant action of litter and how it impacts our environment and visual beauty of the city is a good first step toward changing individual behaviour when it comes to waste disposal.

Many of the issues that threaten our environment can seem larger than life, but working together to collect litter is something anyone can do, and if last year’s number is any indication, the result of this collective effort is pretty impressive: more than 210 volunteers collected about five tonnes – 92 shopping cards, 352 bags of garbage, 23 tires and loads of construction debris and other items.

Prizes are awarded to the team that collects the most garbage and the team that finds the most unique item, but all volunteers share the sense of accomplishment that results in seeing not only how much waste can be collected in such a short amount of time, but the difference in how the areas looks and feels because of it.

The 2010 Marsh Creek Cleanup will take place Saturday, 9 a.m. till 12 p.m., rain or shine. Volunteers should register by Friday. For more information, please visit www.fusionsj.com.

Claire Ryan is on the FUSION Saint John board. Reach her at cryan@mtlpr.ca.