April, Earth Month: Activities for Outaouais
Sonia Roy
It's official. April 2022 was once again a time of environmental activities of all kinds for Gatineau. Throughout what is internationally recognized as Earth Month (April 22 being Earth Day), Gatineau residents were able to register and attend conferences, participate in chores and discussions on the environment, global warming and even gardening! Here is a summary of the activities carried out by various organizations and actors in Gatineau.
The City of Gatineau
A true leader in the field, the City of Gatineau and its employees set the example to follow this year by offering their citizens a wide range of thematic activities throughout the month of April. Several conferences were held (most of them available online, via sharing platforms such as Zoom) on various current environmental topics.
From virtual conferences on electric cars to the reduction of carbon footprints, as well as the organization and recruitment of participants for chores in May 2022 (spring clean-up, litter & styrofoam pick-up) and for the new Commission de l'environnement et de la lutte aux changements climatiques, chaired by Mayor France Bélisle, Gatineau certainly stood out in 2022 for its proactivity. Let's not forget the Bouge Bouge Outaouais festival that will take place on May 15 at Jacques-Cartier Park, for which registrations are now officially open!
The Université du Québec en Outaouais
The Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), a well-known institution of higher learning in the region, is getting involved with its student community for Earth Month by offering free environmental thematic programming.
Each week in April, an activity dedicated to the environment took place: a mini-training session in horticulture and seedling production by horti-cité, a talk on recycling at the café-bar le Tonik, a housekeeping chore of the campus, as well as a collection of donations for la FRIP’ gratuite thrift store, an initiative partly subsidized by the City of Gatineau's Green Fund.
The UQO and its institutions also organized a green giveaway for its student communities: members were able to get free seed packets for vegetable gardens, various beeswax-based food films, as well as local vegetables from the Marché de l'Outaouais.
An opportunity to vote with your wallet:
During Earth Month and Earth Day, many retailers, some more well-known than others, such as furniture giant IKEA and Canadian company Mountain Equipment, offer their customers the opportunity to support the environmental cause by purchasing their products (a rebate is given to organizations involved in environmental protection and/or tree planting), by participating in their physical activity challenges ("Move for the Planet") and in some workshops offered by climate change actors.
The Marché de l'Outaouais, which works with more than 100 local producers, also took advantage of the month of April to relaunch its weekly basket program, a product pick-up and delivery system aimed at accessibility and promotion of foods from the region. Eating better while supporting the local economy has never been easier!
Photo 1 credit: Sonia Roy
Photo 1 caption: Pink Lake in Gatineau
Photos 2 & 3 credit: Courtesy of the Université de l'Outaouais.
Photo 2 caption: "Take Action" poster.
Photo 3 caption: "Earth Month" poster.
