Tag Archives: Changing the Landscape

Awe and Wonder

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I will have to catch up on the act of blogging once Holy Week observances have concluded.  Suffice it to say that the entire walk has been inspiring.  Tonight, I celebrate the anniversary of my Confirmation and First Communion at the lighting of the Easter Candle and the celebration of the Easter Vigil.  I’m beyond excited and wish my readers a most Holy and beautiful Easter season!  I’m posting a couple of blips from my recent time Changing the Landscape.

The first reading tonight…after the lighting of the Easter Candle, will be from Genesis.  All over the earth, Catholics will enter into the mystery of this HOUR, the hour that has united the faithful for over 2000 years.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:4

 1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

29God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

 

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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Magic on the Pond Today

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. 

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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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?

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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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

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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March 31, 2012

This is the first day since my Lenten journey began that I haven’t been outside, changing the landscape, one bag at a time.  I decided that today I would head out into nature, the way most people do…with the intent of taking it all in; no garbage bag…no rubber gloves, no rubber boots.  It was a glorious day outdoors at 12 degrees, although the last couple of hours it has looked as though the clouds are stirring some weather up.

At two o’clock this afternoon, I had a meeting with Tim Coldwell, Chandos Vice President of Corporate Accounts and his wife.  We spoke informally over a coffee, about the project, my findings during the project and the nature of the solutions that will be offered.  I really appreciated Tim’s accountability on behalf of Chandos and their handling of the South Fish Creek Recreational Association, specific to the clean up.

Chandos

Prior to meeting with me,  Tim took a walk around the site that has been primarily cleared during this stewardship journey of mine.

I brought along a brief, explaining the points on the Chandos website that I most admired and wondered about, along with a few photographs from my archives of the project.  I’d like to post a couple of the vision statements here.

Under Communities

In the communities where we do business our people keep us connected. We support the passions of our people with corporate donations to the charitable causes that our employees and friends are involved in. With this approach, we contribute to the communities that create our business opportunities.

Under Sustainability

Like the spaces we construct, we are an organization built to last. Our planning, decisions and daily actions are all guided by the notion that we are here for the long term. This sense of corporate social responsibility has resulted in our position as the green building contractor of choice – these are just two examples.

We built the first LEED® buildings in the prairies and have developed award-winning expertise in construction waste diversion. Where others saw a financial burden, we saw an opportunity to demonstrate leadership by diverting construction waste at no incremental cost – now standard on all projects. Last year alone we diverted more than 300 train cars of waste from landfills.

Tim flipped over the paperwork that I had prepared and began to draw a map of the area where I have been picking litter.  His map was a good one and he made reference to the slope that has recently been frustrating me.  Since clearing all the large pieces of foam, insulation,  and industrial packaging, there now remain countless wee pieces that will require raking or they WILL end up in the pond and have impact on the environment.  He has agreed that I won’t have to clean these up.

A series of events will now take place as a follow up to the meeting.

1. A team will be established to go out sometime within the next week or two, to rake and clean up the remaining small, but countless items on the slope and the flats that edge the asphalt.

2. The large and obvious items that remain, edging the pond and the fencing will be cleared away.

3. When the ice melts, one or more Chandos employees will bear hip waders/rubber boots and clean out the remaining industrial garbage from the job site.

4. Tim and I will follow up with an inspection of the area before landscaping is pursued.

5. A case study may be developed based on this site by Chandos sustainability department in Edmonton…a study that might convey the importance of environmental issues to every extent for the sake of employee training, specific to expectations.   Words from their website…

Put yourself in your client’s shoes. Ask yourself what they expect and what they appreciate. Think about how the small details can make a big difference in the lives of those you serve. Engage Chandos today for industry insight, recent achievements, issue analysis and more.

6. Tim has approved a contribution to the charity of my choice, a cheque for $1,000.00 to St. Albert the Great Parish, earmarked for our recent drive to support the Feed the Hungry Program.  At 1.97 per meal, this means that Chandos will provide 500 meals for one Feed the Hungry event.  I am most grateful for this contribution.

I felt that the hard work of these past many days has been rewarded through Tim’s authentic listening and the willingness to set in place, appropriate action…action for a better community and a healthier environment.  The culture of the landscape is many-layered and many-faceted.  High school students need to be better stewards, busy or not and teachers and administrators need to encourage this.  Sports facility users need to walk to their garbage/recycle bins and take a degree of pride in the sports center that is now theirs.  South Fish Creek Recreational Association needs to take a stance of pro-active control wherever possible, rather than a stance of defeat.  This is NOT an insurmountable problem.  The landscape CAN be changed, one bag at a time.  The retail stores…Home Depot and Wal-Mart need to look in their back yards.  It’s a disgrace!  Time to take responsibility for each wee piece of land and not wait for someone else to do it!

From Chandos…

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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March 31, 2012 4:00 p.m. Weather 12 degrees, thick dark cloud gathering and threatening rain.

It’s midnight and I decided to upload a quick clip.  First thing this morning, I wrote a letter to Tim Coldwell of  Chandos Construction.  I intended on visiting Chandos on site at the South Fish Creek Recreational Association, but thought I should scope out the website first of all.  It was at this viewing that I decided to contact Tim, Vice President of Corporate Accounts in Calgary, directly.  It was less than minutes from the time that I wrote down my concerns, that I received a very thoughtful response by telephone and we have agreed to meet regarding the matter of the less-than-successful clean-up after this recent project.  He is adamant that this situation be used as an educational tool and we will be discussing the matter very soon.  I was very disheartened yesterday, but am feeling optimistic today.  Thank you, Tim.

What remains at the site anymore is ‘small stuff’ and I am not able to fill an entire bag in an hour. It is a very time-intensive experience now…countless plastic straws, bottle caps and packages, along with new plastic bags and fast food containers that that day’s lunchers toss onto the ground.

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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March 29, 2012 4:00 p.m. Weather 12 degrees, sunshine, wind 40 kms/hr  I stood at the edge of the pond, sad.  Two seagulls, bright white ships, beaks pulled under wings…protection from the wind.  Two geese…a couple…landed precariously on the dark thin ice. Wings stretched out…angled…miraculous flying machines.  My first robin, perched on a low branch.  All this beauty.  But to get to the edge of the pond…to stand there…I had to walk on a blanket of plastic sheeting, pop bottle lids, straws and human refuse.  It’s tricky being grateful and sad, all at once.

I got spider bites on my leg yesterday when I did my pick-up, so I tackled the footwear differently…pants tucked into socks and rubber boots.

Oh Yeah!

My cousin has encouraged me not to blog the photo I took of my leg and I think she is right.  I’m perfecting my approach to this pick-up as I go and have a great pair of thick rubber gloves as well.

Attractive!

I went into the South Fish Creek Recreational Center after I did my picking today and now have the contact information to talk to Chandos Construction, a company that just completed the construction, but in my opinion, neglected their clean-up duties.  Today again, I located large pieces of insulation foam and sheeting in and around the pond.  I think that they need to be held accountable for this job from its beginning until its conclusion.

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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March 28, 2012 10:30 a.m. Weather:  8 degrees Sunny, intermittent cloud.

I decided to tackle the section of Frank’s Flats where dog-owners like to leave their responsibilities behind.  From everything the City believes,  dogs are responsible for the big mess at these parks.  While this wasn’t my favourite day working on this project, I did determine that there is no way that the worst of the dog messes comes close to filling a single bag!  On the other hand, I’ve filled almost 40 bags with person-made litter!  What does that tell you?  I had fun making this film and considered, for one short moment, leaving the bright blue bags behind.  In the end, I imagined that they may be thrown onto the other side of the fence, so chose to retrieve them and get them into my bin.

I met Darlene today, outside of the Tim Hortons that edges onto Frank’s Flats.  I gave her one of the toques that Elma had knit for me last winter.

Darlene holds out her new toque.

She is Cantonese and has learned her english, just by being with people.  She let me photograph her recycling and her material possessions.  We chatted for some time about my project and some of what she does.  She took the Tim Hortons coffee that a young lady passed to her, transferred the coffee into an insulated thermos and then put her cup into one of her bags on her cart.  I told her how much I appreciated that she doesn’t throw her cups onto the ground.  She said, “Oh yes, that would be a disgrace.”

Darlene’s Stuff

 

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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March 26, 2012 5:30 p.m. -3 degrees The sky looked white and threatening…off-and-on snowflakes of the large wet variety.  I focused on one small section edging on the pond today, picking up litter that had since flown into previously cleaned areas, along the way.  I made a mere dent, but in the larger picture, things were looking better.

Here, a close-up of Max’s paw as he raised it for my wiping, upon entering the house.  He charges after the multitudes of ground squirrels that peek their heads out and then nose dive once they see him coming.  This reminds me of Chevy Chase and Ground Hog Day.  He routinely starts pawing at one of their escape routes and I can’t help but get a big laugh at the whole event!

Workin’ Dog!

Changing the Landscape: One Bag At a Time

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March 24, 2012 1:30 p.m. 4 degrees intermittent cloud

I didn’t even want to go out today to pick up other people’s garbage.  What do people care anyway?  Out of some sort of self-discipline, I went ahead.  I didn’t feel enthusiasm, but did it out of care for the birds who will be soon nesting in the area and other wildlife.  Driving through the construction zone for the new Deerfooot expansion, I kept in mind how wildlife is already being crowded out by our consumerism and our development.  This is the least I can do.

March 24, 2012 Any given day, I pick up at least 20 Tim Hortons cups, with plastic lids.

After picking, I took my stacks of over 23 Tim Hortons cups to the store, neighbouring the park.  I left my stack in the van, but went in to explore this franchise’s alignment with their own sustainability report.  I found one small sign that encourages people to bring in their travel mugs and save ten cents on their cup of coffee.  I was lucky to find both the manager and the owner, willing to speak with me.  It was a sensible conversation.  The owner listened to what I had to say about the sustainability report and the goal to reduce packaging by 5% every year for the past three years.  He heard what I had to say about implementing a deposit program for returned cups. (I could get rich on a program like this.)  He heard what I had to say about the need for a recycling program that guarantees the scrubbing out of the poly lining and that these cups should NOT be landing in our landfills.  He told me that there would be some follow-up in terms of his input at a future meeting with his fellow business people.  I’m going to hold him to this.

Lattes! The Highschool Market!

Off of the Tim Hortons website….

At Tim Hortons, we are aware of the environmental impacts of our packaging and waste materials. We are attempting to deal with the litter issue in a variety of ways:

  • We have anti-litter messages on all of our packaging items, including a “Do Not Litter” message on all of our take-out cups. Sadly, many people do not pay attention to these messages but we continue to work with other members of our industry to tackle the litter problem in a meaningful and effective way.
  • To ensure a clean community many Tim Hortons restaurants sponsor local clean up events and activities in their communities.
  • We have waste reduction strategies to try and combat litter from its source. Tim Hortons is one of the few quick service restaurants to offer china mugs, plates and bowls to guests eating in our restaurants. This helps to reduce paper waste being created in the first place.
  • All Tim Hortons restaurants sell reusable Tim Mugs. And while a Tim Mug may not be a practical solution for all guests it does provide a good alternative. The incentive for purchasing a Tim Mug is that the first coffee is free (coupon included inside the Tim Travel Mug) and each refill gets a 10 cent discount (hot beverage discount applies to any travel mug fill).

I’m also really wondering about the burned pages of this particular book…every day for more than a month I have trashed these. 

As I pick up other people’s garbage (for example, I found Coach Harvie’s notebook, ripped and soaked on the edge of the park today…) I think about the garbage collectors written into several of my favourite novels.  I’m going to write a separate post about that some time in the future.