Think Globally Act Locally | The Power Of R

Now is your chance to get rid of those hazardous materials in your house. 

The Comox Strathcona Waste Management service (CSWM) is hosting household hazardous waste drop off days in both the Comox Valley and Campbell River.  The events will be held on Saturday, May 29th in the parking lot of the Driftwood Mall in Courtenay from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and in Campbell River on Saturday, June 5th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Ironwood Mall.

CSWM will be enlisting the services of HAZCO Environmental Services to manage these events. Acceptable materials include household hazardous waste items such as solvents, pesticides, gasoline, cleaners and batteries. For full details on the hazardous waste drop off events visit comoxvalleyrd.ca.

Items that can be diverted to other locations will not be accepted at the hazardous waste clean up event.

·         Residents can return paint in its original container to the Comox Return Centre – Paint Exchange at 678 Anderton Road, Comox or to the Campbell River Bottle Depot at 1580F Willow Street.  However, paint that is not deemed acceptable by these facilities will be accepted at the clean up events. 

·         Electronics can be returned to the Courtenay Return Centre on 1255 McPhee Avenue, and also to  the Campbell River Bottle Depot

·         Oil and oil containers can be returned to locations that are listed on www.usedoilrecycling.com

For more information on recycling other material and to find the closest recycling location to you call the Recycling Hotline at 1-800-667-4321.

The Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) service is a function of the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) and is responsible for two regional waste management centres that serve the Comox Valley and Campbell River, as well as a range of transfer stations and smaller waste-handling and recycling facilities for the electoral areas of the CVRD and the Strathcona Regional District. The CSWM service manages over 100,000 tonnes of waste and recycled material and oversees a number of diversion and education programs. 
Media contact:
Koreen Gurak
Manager of communications
Comox Valley Regional District
Tel: 250-334-6066

The Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) service invites residents to the Comox Valley compost education centre this month for free workshops covering a variety of gardening and lawn care topics.    

The Saturday workshop topics will cover creating healthy soil for healthy plants with Ron McNaughton from Trumpeters Landscaping and container growing with a demonstration by Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) contract educator Patty Rose. Wrapping up the month, the centre will host guest speaker Anthea Kennelly from the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) who will discuss the nutritional importance of fresh produce for a healthy community.   

Each workshop will start at 10 a.m. at the compost education centre located at 4795 Headquarters Road, Courtenay.   

In addition to the workshops, Megan Halstead A. AG., from the Garden Institute of BC Urban Agriculture project, will be on-site on Saturday May 15 and May 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to answer any of your gardening questions.   

Workshop Dates and Topics 

May 15 – Ron McNaughton of Trumpeters Landscaping shares his knowledge on amending your soil organically as part of the CVRD Nature Works pesticide awareness education program.   

May 22 –Patty Rose, CVRD contractor educator will discuss how to grow vegetables and herbs in small spaces.  No garden is too small try container growing.   

May 29 – Anthea Kennelly from VIHA will discuss nutrition in fresh produce and participates can receive a free package of organic vegetable seeds when they join the pledge to “Plant A Row – Grow A Row” for the local Food Bank.  Master Gardeners will be on-site throughout the day to assist in planting techniques of seeds and seedlings.  

For more information on workshops and presentations delivered through the CSWM’s compost education centres including this month’s features visit www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/backyardcomposting .

The Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) service is a function of the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) and is responsible for two regional waste management centres that serve the Comox Valley and Campbell River, as well as a range of transfer stations and smaller waste-handling and recycling facilities for the electoral areas of the CVRD and the Strathcona Regional District. The CSWM service manages over 100,000 tonnes of waste and recycled material and oversees a number of diversion and education programs. 

Media contact:
Koreen Gurak
Manager of communications
Comox Valley Regional District
Tel: 250-334-6066

Franco Noviello of Shaw TV shot this story about Disposable - The Billion Cup Blood Bath. We're really excited about the trailer and the action people are taking to eliminate the use of disposable cups in their life. In this story Franco interviews some of the actors and creators of the special effects used in the short.

Watch this story and then see the full trailer by clicking here

It’s said that April showers bring May flowers, so the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) is offering an informative session on “harvesting” rainwater to help you learn how to nurture those flowers in May.

On Saturday, April 17th at the Comox Valley compost education centre Bob Burgess of Rainwater Connections will be speaking about progressive, yet realistic, means of "harvesting" rainwater and using it in a more productive and beneficial way.  In addition, CVRD contract educator Gayle Bates will provide Comox Valley water users with a first-hand look at various water efficiency measures (i.e.low flow toilets, rain barrels, xeriscaping, etc.) that you can adopt to lead the way in your neighbourhood. 

Rain barrels catch rain from roofs, storing water that can be used to care for lawns and gardens or even wash your car.  Although rain barrels alone do not account for a significant reduction of water due to their limited storage capacity , rain barrel users are often more likely to consider other water efficient measures such as limiting lawn sprinkling and replacing older, water guzzling toilets or appliances.   

“The rain barrel program is a simple measure that all homeowners can set up to assist in accomplishing the goals established in the water efficiency plan,” said CVRD’s engineering analyst Michael Zbarsky. “This workshop on how to harvest rainwater helps to raise awareness and builds a culture of rainwater reuse in the Comox Valley.”

The water efficiency plan is a partnership between the City of Courtenay, the Town of Comox and the Comox Valley Regional District. For more information on the plan and the local Comox Valley water system visit www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/water.

 The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.

Media contact:
Koreen Gurak
Manager of communication
Public Affairs and Information Systems Branch
Tel: 250-334-6066    

It’s amazing how many batteries we actually use. It seems like everything these days is powered by a battery of some kind. Laptops, ipods, cameras, toys, flashlights, and watches are used in many households. The scary thing is that these amazing technologies, that fuel our appetite for batteries, are filling our landfills with poisons.  I’m not saying stop using electronics but I am saying let’s make sure that the dead batteries that run our gadgets stay far away from the landfill.

I found a few old batteries in my garage. You’ve likely seen old batteries before but it only adds to my point of being diligent with your disposal practices. Batteries contain different chemicals that can cause explosions and even burn holes in your skin. That’s not pretty. The batteries here in the picture are the most common sizes. Billions of them enter landfills each year around the world. I don’t know about you but that freaks me right out.

When a battery goes in the landfill it doesn’t take long before its metal casing gets crushed by heavy objects, it rusts in the rain, and then corrodes enough to release the toxic paste inside. The toxic paste dissolves into rain and ground water. Once the poison is in the water, animals and humans might drink it and contract cancer or sickness from the dissolved poison crystals.  

Collect your old batteries in a cardboard box and make sure that they don’t get thrown into the landfill. If you go to a school that has a battery collection program make sure you support it. Tell your friends and family about the dangers of batteries in the landfill. Once your battery box is full or every six months, take the dead batteries to your local Waste Management Centre recycling area. You don’t want to have batteries like the ones in the picture above lying around your home.

I’m really proud of all the schools that are participating in this program. Keep up the great work!

This  February and March I had the distinct pleasure of teaching an entire Social Studies 11 Environment Unit to Jouska Lockquell’s Mark R. Isfeld class. This experience was a real honour and thrill for me because I was able to work with youth for six consecutive classes and cover an intense survey of international, regional and local environmental issues involving solid waste, water and pesticides. By the end of the unit, we were taking individual action to better the planet in some way. There were letters written, phone calls made, projects planned and positive strides being made to heal the earth. The experience was amazing and I’m having a hard time finding the words to describe it. After looking over the feedback from the students, I think they say it best. Here are some comments.

“I thought your presentations were very effective and fascinating. There were many things that I learned that changed my point of view in many ways. The presentations definitely made me want to look at ways to make a change. I liked your sense of humour and the fact that you had everyone involved in the discussions.”

 “Your presentation has made me a bit of a paranoid angry mess, and I love that. I have never been so aware of what is going on around me. I have been recycling like mad, and spending my time more wisely. By that I mean not shopping when I’m bored or to make myself feel good. Thank you so much!!!”

“Your teaching style ensured that I will remember this for a long time.”

“I felt that your overall class lessons were superb.”

“I enjoyed the unit because it was presented in a way that made me understand. You definitely know how to get us thinking and get us excited to change something.”

“I enjoyed this unit immensely, thanks so much for coming! I quite enjoyed learning where my clothes were made and how I can shop smart and reduce cotton poison in India.”

“Thanks for sharing your knowledge and stories with us! I thought you did a great job sharing/showing all the different things that go on that we don’t know a lot about. I don’t really think there is much you could improve on. You were really easy to talk and listen to! It was really inspiring!”

“I really like how you could connect with us and keep us engaged. After your presentations I always feel like I have the power, and your personal experiences and movie clips you made showed me that everything is attainable.”

“You were really interesting; you have a good style of teaching.”

“I really enjoyed the story about the Air Jordans. It made me realize how even simple changes in our lifestyles can change the lives of people all around the world.”

“I very much enjoyed these presentations. Your passion is contagious, and many conversations with my friends have opened from the issues you raised in this unit. I can honestly say that I am more knowledgeable now…”  

Gayle and I have been touring all of the sites in the Comox Valley Regional District and the Strathcona Regional District lately. Throughout the year we will be visiting schools all over the Mid-Island and groups in your area. Follow us on our journey. We will be posting tweets so you can see what we're up to. We'll also be posting links to cool facts and steps that we can all take to lower our footprint. Naturally, there will be funny pictures and video posts too. You can find us at twitter.com/powerofr

This picture was taken at the CVRD fresh water pump station. I was checking out the big chlorine tanks and decided to bust a fresh move in the HazMat suit. Ayooohhh

Welcome to Beyond The Blue Box a blog created just for you.  My name is Zac and you can find out more about me by visiting my profile page at zacwhyte.com. As a contract Youth Waste Reduction Educator for the Comox Valley Regional District my job is to assist you in learning about the Power of R. Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. These are the core elements that will help us create a healthier planet.  Of course, it will take a lot of work from all of us but the rewards are huge. What we have on this planet is worth taking care of. We can each take small steps to reduce our ecological footprints together. We can keep our fresh water clean and plentiful, our forests, rivers and oceans full of wildlife and plants, and most importantly, we can have fun doing it. Taking care of our environment feels good and the best part is the environment will take care of us in return.

Nobody is perfect. That is the point of this blog. You can follow along with me and take daily steps to implement the Power Of R into our daily lives. Before you know it we’ll be living well and feeling good about our actions. I do things like ride my bike instead of driving to work on good weather days. I use less water each day by remembering to turn the tap off when I brush my teeth. I even take an old ice cream bucket into the shower now. At the end of my shower I have an extra bucket of water to feed my plants with. I have a long way to go but with your help we can work together and make our mark on the earth smaller each day.

With each step I lower my impact on the planet. When I add up all of those steps over the course of a year, my ecological footprint is reduced significantly. It’s a game that everyone can play to create a better environment for all of us to live and play in.  

Finally, I want to hear what you’re up to. How are you reducing your ecological footprint? If you email me your 10 steps that implement the Power of R and a picture of you at work your story could be featured on this blog. Cool! It’s going to be a great year so let’s get started.