April 5, 2012, 1:00 p.m. Weather 3 degrees, sunshine and cloud. We received lots of snow last night and I am so grateful that Chandos managed to get their grounds clean-up completed when they did. I didn’t pick litter yesterday; the weather just wasn’t great and the snow was falling. I headed over today though, and filled another bag with a variety of candy packages, industrial garbage and plastic bags. I also took one good spill on the far side of the pond…rubber boots and snow – not a good mix!
South end of Construction: SFCRA
It was a joy to scan the Chandos site clean-up! Awesome!
Parking Lot Ship Shape!
Today’s crud included another large piece of foam insulation, hauled out of pond’s edge and many candy wrappers. I also included in my tasks for the day, a great deal of dog poop detail. It makes me so disappointed about irresponsible dog owners.
Mini Eggs
Early in the afternoon, Katie, of Chandos, dropped by and presented me with a $1,000.00 donation to the Calgary Diocese Feed the Hungry Program. I was so happy about this and while I wasn’t really dressed for a photo op, I wanted to feature Katie today and express my gratitude for the donation. I am going to use my next post as an opportunity to feature my movie of the day.
April 3, 2012, 3:00 p.m. Weather: 11 degrees and fast-becoming VERY windy. The mountains were dazzling white on the horizon. I felt happy inside and really grateful that our visiting-family from London, England, were willing to head to my pond and pick garbage.
YUCK! The secret bush stash of the highschool students!
It turned out to be an adventure in filming…with our star being, 10 year old, Molly.
Detail Shot
While we had troubles with the wind, I hope you will enjoy these environmental stewardship films, as I am thrilled to have been able to collaborate with such a talented star.
Linda, Molly and I found a seagull wing, a bird’s nest and many interesting artifacts of human-kind. I was able to speak with Molly about identifying male and female birds and we saw two muskrats swimming near the pond’s edge. It was a wondrous time.
I had the chance to thank Blair before the team was completely packed up. The parking lot was cleared of rubbish. The bins were full with bags and bags of litter, garbage and waste…and NOT ALL of it created by Chandos…but unfortunately, left by all of the citizens who forget to care for the place that they enjoy on sunny days and explore on wintry days.
I hope that things will change in this park, now that such stewardship has been demonstrated today! While the final wee flick includes much noise, it also shares our huge gratitude! Thank you, Molly. Thank you, Chandos!
Three Cheers!!!
And thank you, for putting your coffee cups in the bin! You don’t know what these small gestures mean!
Did you drink your Tims today? Did you bring your own mug? Did you deposity your cup in a bin?
Chandos Team: Does What They Say They Are Going To Do!
April 3, 2012 10:00 a.m. Weather 12 degrees and much sunshine! The Chandos Team was out and making huge strides, cleaning up the waste materials surrounding the pond and on their slope. I was so impressed and made certain that I met Remy and his people, all such great and positive workers! They were out and working at 7 this morning and I had the chance to visit shortly with Scott and Armando.
Remy Supervises His Chandos Clean Up Team
I told them how much I appreciated the fact that they were pulling some of that foam insulation material out of the natural environment of the pond. They agreed and were extremely productive and supportive!
Scott and Armando: Changing the Landscape, One Bag At a Time
This disproves what most of us might think about BIG corporations. Chandos backs up their word, as published on the internet. They are doing something about their Sustainability reporting. Thank you!
April 1, 2012 2:15 p.m. Weather 12 degrees. It began with sunshine and warmth, but by the time I left ‘the land’, an ominous dark cloud was gathering above the pond. The water keeps opening up every day. There were many birds today; gulls, geese and ducks. The doubling continues and the nesting begins. Evidence of weekend parties was everywhere! This brings to mind a couple of pet peeves. Where better to express them, but on this blog! I will address my observations to the appropriate audience.
1. DOG OWNERS! It is insulting that you pick up your dog poop in a wee plastic bag, knot it and then leave it behind. It isn’t so bad to carry it with you on your walk and then, deposit it in the bin that is right next to the parking lot. I know this seems patronizing to some degree…but, like I stated, it’s a pet peeve. (excuse the pun) I think your hearts are in the right place…and that you are ALMOST there in your right choices for the park environment, but please, use the bins.
2. Tim Hortons DRINKERS: PLEASE! Carry your cup to the bin as well! Today, a polite drinker who had not yet finished drinking their DD coffee, neatly stood their half-filled cup along side the edge of the path. What is with that? Who do you assume will pick that cup up for you? And why? Are you afraid that it should spill? So tidy…and yet, so irresponsible! My readers will not know just how often this happens! This is yet another appeal that we should be stewards of this great land of ours!
I could see the Millers beer bottles sitting on the top of the pond ice. I will grab those on my next visit.
As I was picking this afternoon, I noticed a team of three people walking the perimeter of the land that edges on the South Fish Creek Recreational Association. When I dumped my rubbage in the bin and got Max into the van, I walked over to them, suspecting that they might be Chandos Construction employees. As I approached, I saw one of the young men attempting to shove waste down into the industrial sized bin on location. And sure enough, as I got closer yet, I saw three young men in Chandos hoodies and proceeded to introduce myself by name and then, “Hi there. I’m the bag lady.” Smiles moved across their faces and one young man came toward me, hand extended. “Hi. I’m Blair and we’re with Chandos. We’re surveying the grounds and coming up with a plan for removing the remaining waste.” All three were gentlemen and easily represented the same sense of responsibility that Tim had demonstrated just yesterday. We spoke briefly about a couple of the possibilities they were exploring and I felt so affirmed in the purpose behind my initial inquiries. I am REALLY beginning to like this Company!
Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own. Carol Burnett
