The Steveston Salmon Festival is one step closer to a zero waste celebration, all it needs is everyone to bring their own dishes and cutlery.
That’s the goal set out in the Yes You Can! campaign initiated by the Steveston Salmon Festival organizers.
Instead of reaching for the paper plates that gets composted and plastic cutlery that end up in the landfill, Ann Metcalfe, environment committee member, says about five to 10 people have participated in the past two years, since the festival started encouraging participants to bring their own dishes.
“It might be 20 or 50 people out of 80,000, but it’s for people to look at their own values, and if they are really conscious of respecting the planet and its resources then this is something they can do to be aligned with their values and teach them to their kids,” said Metcalfe.
Stationed next to the popular salmon barbeque, the environment booth will be entering those who show they’ve brought their own dishes into a prize draw, with items donated by the Richmond Environmental Programs Department.
Winners will then be announced by phone, email or presented at the booth at 5 p.m. There are also stickers for the kids.
Although most waste from the festival gets recycled, Metcalfe believes reducing is still the best solution for the environment.
“The compostable fits into the recycling, and this just takes it one step further.”
