The day to day of making a difference

What I love about the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is that it is relevant regardless of how far into the issue of sustainable living you have gone. For Kim Ansell it has been a chance to become a leader. I met Kim at an event hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium on the issue of marine debris. She started organizing a cleanup at Ansell beach in 2010.
“Interest in the cleanup came about when I saw an advertisement in the local newspaper and decided I wanted to be part of it. At work, I am on the Green Initiative & Health and Safety Committee. We are setting up extensive recycling programs (beyond curbside) at the various programs offered by our agency, and the cleanup seemed like a great way to get the agency more aware of the need to recycle and the impact of garbage on the environment overall. As Ansell Place is one of my favourite local shore dives, the location seemed like the natural place to organize a cleanup, both above and below water.”

Picking through litter at Ansell place (c) WWF-Canada
The GCSC has been more than just an exercise in personal leadership; it has also been an opportunity to reach out to other communities and engage them in issues of sustainability. It was a chance to bring the employees of Hollyburn Family Services out for the a few hours and see that not everyone has embraced recycling to the same extent that Hollyburn has in their move beyond the standard curb side recycling. More than once I heard one of the first time participants (Laura, Laetitia, Holly, Gabe, Brenda, Kristin and Brock / Patty) exclaimed something like “I can’t believe people would just dump stuff like this.”

Sadly, Kim has discovered that illegal dumping at secluded parks has become a serious problem. With Ansell place being a popular dive site, members of the dive community are grateful for Kim’s efforts and people like Scott Meixner, a director with the Underwater Council of B.C., have gone even further and begun cleaning up under water! The main thing the divers are finding is remnants of sport fishing gear. This gear is impacting the environment as animals are attempting to eat it or are getting tangled up in the lines. While I have never come across a study that quantifies the impacts of this remnant gear stories such as the rescue and recovery of Flash the Stellar Sea lion by the Vancouver Aquarium does hint at a larger issue.

Because Ansell place is a popular beach-fishing area, Scott and Kim have found more snagged lines, hooks and sinkers than they could ever collect. That sad truth holds across the country, there is more litter spread across the country than any individual or single event could possibly hope to pick up. Let’s hope that seeing a co-worker, friend or family member out cleaning our waterways will inspire people to reduce the waste in the first place, helping to keep our waterways clean and reducing the amount to be picked up next year.