The City’s annual Spring Give-A-Shirt campaign kicks off Earth Week April 7. Set out bags of gently used clothing, linens, and footwear on your regular collection day during the week. Be sure to mark these bags with a large and clear sign that reads “Cornwall Gives-A-Shirt.”
The next Earth Week activity is a sustainable building workshop presented by the City’s Environmental Services Department and the River Institute. On April 9 at 5 p.m., Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Solutions will feature a panel of sustainable builders and energy experts from Eastern Ontario and Akwesasne. Learn about building history, advancements, code changes, design, airtightness, and energy auditing and modeling.
This workshop will have breakout groups that will allow for more intimate discussions. Participants can ask questions and share ideas and experiences. The presentations will be streamed live on the River Institute’s social media for those who cannot attend in person. Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Solutions will take place in Salon A at the Civic Complex. Go to https://www.cornwall.ca/en/live-here/earth-week.aspx to register for the event.
Get your hands dirty the next day at the Cornwall Public Library. On April 10 from 4 PM until 6 PM, Kristen from Radical Roots will provide an overview of native gardening benefits and guide participants in a hands-on activity. Afterward, participants can take home their seed bombs to plant in their own gardens. To register with the Cornwall Public Library for this all-ages event. https://www.library.cornwall.on.ca/event/seed-bomb-workshop-adults-19672
Thanks to funding from the United Way’s Youth Investing in Community grant, Cornwall’s Youth for Climate Action Working Group will be hosting a free pollinator garden workshop on April 11 from 4 PM until 6 PM in the MacEwen Room at the Benson Centre. In this workshop for youth, participants will learn about biodiversity and the importance of native plants. Participants will receive a pollinator seed kit to take home. High school and college students are encouraged to attend. Reserve your spot at https://www.cornwall.ca/en/live-here/earth-week.aspx.
New to Earth Week this year is the Upper St. Lawrence Community BioBlitz. The City, the River Institute, Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA), Bird Friendly Cornwall, and Cornwall’s Youth for Climate Action Working Group are inviting you to participate in a month long BioBlitz. From April 7 to May 7, use the iNaturalist app to log the species you observe in and along the St. Lawrence River – birds, plants, amphibians, insects, to name a few. Prizes will be given out to the top participants, and an in-person BioBlitz Earth Day event will be held April 22 in Cornwall (exact location TBA). For more information on how to get involved, email yrozon@riverinstitute.ca.
Earth Week wraps up with the City’s 5th Annual Eco Day. Join us on Saturday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Civic Complex. This year the event will be both inside the salons and outdoors on the west side of the Complex. The Parks and Landscaping Department will be back offering free mulch and compost, and Cornwall Transit will once again be featuring one of its hybrid buses equipped with a bike rack. Bring your bike and learn how to use the rack. Another reason to bring your bicycle to Eco Day is to receive a free safety check and spring tune-up courtesy of a local bike enthusiast and the Cornwall Police.
Eco Day is also an opportunity to safely dispose of your electronic waste – no bigger than a breadbox. In addition to small electronic waste, you can also bring gently used eyeglasses and unused black garbage bags to be donated to charities. Local non-profit Warm Up Cornwall will be accepting yarn donations, and you will be able to swap seeds with Transition Cornwall+. Let’s keep these items in circulation and out of our landfill. Enjoy live music and learn how to paint and illustrate birds. Find out how your compost is managed after it leaves your home. Stay for the full event and learn about local efforts to promote sustainability by talking to City departments, organizations, clubs, and businesses.
Celebrate Migratory Bird Day May 14 with the City, RRCA, and Bird Friendly Cornwall by participating in a community tree planting event place at St. Joseph Park. Thanks to funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, the City will be also planting trees on Danis, Lefebvre, and Easton avenues, First St. East, and Walton Street this spring.
For more information and for assistance registering for all the above, email sustainabilty@cornwall.ca or call 613-930-2787, ext. 2507.
