Think Globally Act Locally | The Power Of R

My first hour long presentation of the season was at Mark R. Isfeld today. Lee McGeorge invited me to introduce the concept of Globalism to her Social Studies 11 class. It's a difficult topic to narrow down but in the end it's about our interconnectedness with everything on the planet. The presentation focused on the global issue of dealing with our solid waste locally and as a planet. We discussed landfills, global warming and case studies of solid waste issues around the world. The Power of R was in full effect when explaining simple methods to reduce, reuse and recycle our waste.

This class is submitting their Top 5 Steps to lowering their ecological footprints to powerofr@gmail.com. You can too! Just submit a photo of yourself, your age, school and of course, your Top 5. If you are a teacher in the Comox-Strathcona area you can book custom presentations now by emailing me.

"Zac Whyte used great graphics, interaction and movie clips to create a memorable and inspiring presentation on globalization for my class.  He discussed various environmental problems associated with our “throw away” society and challenged the students to make a difference.  His enthusiasm and animation really made the topic accessible and engaging for the students.  One student said, “He was entertaining and didn’t just tell us boring facts.”

Lee McGeorge - Mark R. Isfeld Social Studies 11 Teacher

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.