Our Chance to Make a
Difference
Linnea Goh
EXPERIENCES CANADA 150 & ME
We are lucky to live in a country that values the fundamental freedom of thought,
belief, opinion and expression under our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Even as
youth we have a voice and can shape the country we envision. I believe the greatest
opportunity for Canadian youth is to step up and make a difference, to create the
Canada of our future.
Take me - I am just one out of Canada’s 4.6 million youth between 15
and 24. As a Canadian who lives on the coast, I am passionate about
oceans and concerned about their health. Canada has the most coast
line in the world - 244,000 km - and we as a country have the
responsibility to look after it.
A family back packing trip in August 2016 to Cape
Scott Provincial Park inspired me to motivate youth to
step up, make a difference and become more
sustainable.
Cape Scott Provincial Park is located at the
northwestern tip of Vancouver Island, British
Columbia, Canada. It is known for its remoteness,
magnificent white sand beaches and coastal
scenery.
After two days and 18km of hiking, I was looking forward to
exploring the intertidal life on the beach. To my surprise, I
found more plastic than shells brought in by the tide. I even
found a ring buoy from Singapore, where my dad is from!
I had heard about the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, a vortex of trash the size of
Alberta, in the Pacific Ocean. From tiny particles of plastic, to plastic bags and plastic
bottles, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch affects marine life as well as coastlines
throughout the world. I knew it was important as millions of marine animals and
birds die each year after ingesting plastics. After seeing all the plastic on the beach
at Cape Scott, the evidence was in front of me and I could not ignore it.
I felt I had the responsibility to take action in my community. After I returned home,
I participated in Metro Vancouver’s Youth 4 Action Sustainability Toolbox – a youth
leadership program where I met a fellow student activist from Richmond, another
municipality in Metro Vancouver. Both of us were concerned about the amount of
plastics in the environment. Together we created a Facebook page called Plastic
Connection BC, a youth-led project that aims to educate sustainable plastic usage
and disposal among British Columbians.
Posting on Plastic Connection BC, made me want to make a difference to reduce
plastic in my life. As co-president École Windsor Secondary’s Green Team, I took the
initiative and asked the rest of the Green Team to help me. We were concerned
about the amount of single-use plastic drink bottles consumed at our school and the
connection to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
We wanted to show the student body how much
plastic waste was being generated just from
single-use water bottles sold in the cafeteria and
vending machines. We created an educational
campaign, with posters linked to Plastic
Connection BC to show the impact of plastic
waste on the environment.
With a month’s worth of plastic bottles from the
school’s recycling, we also created a giant ‘W’ for
Windsor as a visual representation of Windsor’s
waste.
The sculpture was displayed
in the school’s cafeteria and
we ran a contest to guess
the number of plastic bottles
(660) with the prize being a
stainless steel water bottle.
The Green Team’s campaign inspired the school’s Student Council to encourage the
use of reusable water bottles. The school already has refilling stations for water
bottles. Windsor’s Student Council is in the process of designing a reusable water
bottle with the school’s logo for their online store.
The Green Team’s is also tracking and graphing
the number of water bottles collected each month
for the rest of the year. With this initiative, we are
optimistic that our students can change our
practices and reduce the amount of plastics
entering the environment.
I may be just one Canadian youth but I’ve realized that my actions can make change
for our country. I feel empowered in my ability to be a leader to inspire others and
to be an environmental steward. Together, our generation of young Canadians can
make a difference and create a more sustainable planet. I am hopeful for a Canada
where future generations can visit Cape Scott and find a pristine and healthy
ecosystem devoid of plastics.
Imagine the Canada we could create, if all Canadian youth inspire each other to
become engaged to take action - for environmental sustainability, human rights, or
global relations – the opportunities we have are endless. We are lucky to live in a
country where we as youth can be heard.
Note: All photos in this essay are originals taken by myself, friends and family.