Check out our list of cleanups happening in and around the City of Toronto this season. Hosting a cleanup or know of an upcoming one that isn’t listed? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list!
Right Whales Return to Canadian Waters Early and Bring 7 Reasons for Hope with Them
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans reported last week that North Atlantic Right Whales have returned to Canadian waters a month early this year (they typically arrive in June). Spotted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from a surveillance plane, the whales brought a little surprise something along with them. Seven little somethings, to be exact: seven new calves!
The Truth About Biodegradable and Compostable Bags is Out - But No One is Asking the Right Questions
If you’ve been proudly accepting biodegradable bags while out shopping and chucking them in your compost bin - STOP RIGHT NOW. And keep reading.
Three years ago, Richard Thompson, a British marine biologist who studies plastic waste, decided to find out for himself if the claims about biodegradable and compostable bags were true. In 2015, he and his graduate students at Plymouth University took several test subjects and placed them in three different environments: immersed in water, buried in soil, or exposed to outdoor air (like litter).
How One Girl from Sweden Sparked a Global Youth-Led Climate Movement
On August 20 of 2018, a 16-year-old from Sweden began skipping school every Friday to sit steadfast outside the Swedish embassy, with a painted sign and some flyers, in protest of inaction on climate change. Greta Thunberg was specifically calling out the failure of politicians to bring the country in line with the Paris climate agreement.
People are Picking up Trash for a New Internet Challenge: Say Hello to #TrashTag
Well, it’s 2019 and memes really do come true. In reference to the ridiculous spoof internet challenges involving teens, Byron Román of Phoenix, AZ, posted to Facebook earlier this week that it would be great if the Internet could take up a more meaningful challenge than eating tide pods:
"Here is a new #challenge for all you bored teens," Román posted on Facebook. "Take a photo of an area that needs some cleaning or maintenance, then take a photo after you have done something about it, and post it."
Ontario Eyes Single-Use Plastic Ban to Save the Great Lakes
Nearly a tonne of waste is generated per person in Ontario each year. If we don’t have the facilities to deal with it and it’s increasingly becoming a state of emergency for the environment - why not just ban it? This is exactly what Ontario is now eyeing with the NDP poised to introduce a private member's bill that calls for the phase-out of single-use plastics by 2025.