Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Just outside Millet, Alta., there’s a home built entirely from recycled plastic water bottles. Ecoplast Solutions has almost finished turning 1.2 million empty water bottles into a house. “When you’re telling someone you are building a house out of recycled plastic water bottles, it’s hard to fathom,” Kelly Rogers said with a smile. Rogers is the managing partner at Ecoplast Solutions and is excited to get the word out about this new method of building homes.
It was a warm, sunny Aug. 25 morning when we departed from the public slip at Gagetown in a flat-bottomed, aluminum boat. Our guides were three Ducks Unlimited employees: outreach specialist Samantha Brewster and conservation specialist Frank Merrill, both based in Fredericton, and Adam Campbell of the Sackville area, the group's manager of Atlantic operations.
Just as leafy spurge looks harmless but is really an invasive species, purple loosestrife is another attractive-looking plant that can do more damage to the local environment. Purple loosestrife is a wetland invasive species that has taken over the river systems in Eastern Canada. While it looks like a beautiful flower, it is extremely aggressive and can wipe out cattails and other native flora. If its seeds spread, they can choke out wetlands. Purple loosestrife is native to Europe and Asia and was brought to North America in the early 19th century. It was likely introduced when its seeds were included in soil used as ballast in European sailing ships and discarded in North America.
An investment of $104,800 will be made to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve water quality in St. John’s and Corner Brook in Newfoundland and Labrador, thanks to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF). The announcement was made July 20 by Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan Jr. and FCM president Joanne Vanderheyden.
