Earth Day is coming up on Sunday and Richmond youth are embracing a global focus as they prepare for an annual sustainability summit.
The seventh annual Richmond Earth Day Youth, or REaDY, Summit is a youth-led conference presented in collaboration by the City of Richmond, the Richmond School District and the David Suzuki Foundation. This year, the event takes place shortly after Earth Day, on April 27, and will focus on "One Earth, One Mind: From Local to Global” at Cambie Secondary School.
For the first time ever, elementary school classes will be able to attend REaDY as a field trip. Another new addition to the event this year includes an afternoon event held for the city’s green ambassadors who will tour the Alexandra District Energy Utility and Terra Nova Pollinator Pasture to learn about the city’s sustainability projects.
Hamilton Community Centre is also celebrating Earth Day by hosting a community clean-up complete with crafts, refreshments and prizes on April 21 in celebration of Earth Day. Participants will be eligible to win a $50 City of Richmond recreation gift card.
A nation-wide initiative
Every year on April 22, Earth Day Canada inspires Canadians to commit to conservation. This year’s focus of the national campaign is to consume less and play more. Across the country, the Earth Day project features crowdfunding, social media campaigns and contests.
Nationally, the Earth Day campaign hopes to raise $25,000 through a crowdfunding campaign for EarthPLAY programs that bring opportunities for youth to play in schools, parks and green spaces. Earth Day Canada has also created a campaign for schools to encourage them to reclaim outdoor play through an extended recess or by hosting a day of adventure play.
“Outdoor play is vital to the healthy development, education and well-being of our children and to the sustainability of the planet,” said Deborah Doncaster, president of Earth Day Canada in a press release.
“Consuming less is a moral imperative. Buying things and acquiring wealth does not create lasting happiness. Connecting to others and our natural environment is the key. This is the mindset of sustainability. Our children gain these values through spontaneous, unstructured outdoor play.”
