What would you give the Peterborough Region if you could gift it a special gift in 2022? This is part two of our three-part holiday column series featuring the responses of local leaders to the question, “What is your green wish for our community for 2022?”
Last week we featured the wishes from local politicians as well as business leaders. We are thrilled to welcome in the New Year with the next set of green wishes, this week as 2021 ends.
We would love to hear your thoughts! Share your green wishes for 2022 with us via social media @PtboGreenUP, or by visiting greenup.on.ca/green-wish.
GreenUP wishes you a happy holiday season!
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Tegan Moss, Executive Director at GreenUP
When I’m outside, I often feel connected and content. I will be attracted to something, whether it is a moment on my commute to work or hours spent digging in my garden.
An earthworm reminds you that the soil is alive. A sunbeam strikes a leaf that is absorbing CO2. With a backdrop of wispy cloud cover, pollinators buzz by. I could be stunned by the beauty, resilience and strength of the natural world for a few seconds.
My green wish is for 2022 that everyone feels connected to nature, and that we can use that feeling to drive action and address climate change.
Scott McKinlay is a Board Member at For Our Grandchildren
Two years of WTFs (Wishes that Failed) have passed and one thing is clear: People from all walks of the life have found solace within nature.
So, my wish for 2022 and beyond, is that people and governments continue to find, preserve and nurture opportunities to connect with our natural roots. Not only do they inspire compassion for Earthmates, but also they rekindle an appreciation of the delicate balance between water, wind, fire, and earth.
We need more victories such as Jackson Park’s heritage classification, and less destruction to achieve short-term gains.
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Malaika Collette is a Climate Activist and Program Coordinator at Kawartha World Issues Centre
My green wish is for our community in 2022 that we become stronger as a climate community, continue to build relationships and plan engaging and impactful activities, and that we grow even more.
I hope our community can organize and participate in mass mobilizations in order to continue to show that we have the power to create change.
I would also like to see climate changes prioritized in the upcoming municipal and provincial elections.
Julie Cosgrove, Executive director of the Kawartha World Issues Centre
My green wish is to take a moment to remember the time months ago when the sky was clear and the blue deeperened. When birds flew in and animals returned to our quiet streets, we can recollect that moment and find what it is we love about our beautiful home.
Thich Nhat Hn, Zen master and peace activist refers to love being more than a feeling.
My hope is that we all realize our collective power to protect what we value and love, and to allow the transformation that climate change and a Just COVID recovery require of us, before it’s too late.
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Jacob Rodenberg, Executive Director of Camp Kawartha, and Co-author of The Big Book of Nature Activities
Here’s hoping that we can do more than just doing less harm and strive to do good. Let’s create natural rich spaces where both nature and people thrive. Let’s go beyond merely sustaining and work towards regenerating. Nature can be restored.
It is possible to infuse built spaces with nature, both inside and outside. We can use natural materials — so that when their life cycle is over, they become part of the soil. Let’s plant food right next to where we live, so we can harvest local and healthy food. Let’s design products based on the circular economy. In nature nothing goes to waste — so every product, when its useful life is over, can be re-purposed for something else.
The answer to these difficult times is right there, in nature.
Drew Monkman is an Author, Columnist and Naturalist. He is also a Retired Teacher. He is Co-author of Big Book of Nature Activities.
My hope is that Bird Friendly Peterborough – a local conservation group – will be able to have Peterborough designated as Bird Friendly City.
Over the past 50 years, North American bird population has dropped by more that 25%. This trend can be reversed with science-backed actions.
It would be a source pride for the community and a way to show Canada that our city is taking important steps to help birds in our backyard. See www.birdfriendlypeterborough.ca.
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Cam Douglas, Coordinator of Youth Leadership in Sustainability and Lead Teacher
My green wish is to focus locally and politically in the coming year. I hope the candidates who stand for the 2022 municipal elections understand the need to move beyond the business as usual approach to city budgeting, policy and operations in order address the climate and biodiversity crises that our community faces.
I also hope that the citizens of the city will be vocal in pushing for the political space to address these crises, so that leaders can move more easily in the right direction. Finally, I hope our city’s youth are engaged directly and sincerely in decision-making, and that that they can see their priorities reflected in council decisions.
Our response to COVID shows what we can do together when we’re at our best. Rest, breathe, then let’s get to work!
Brianna Salmon, Executive director of Green Communities Canada
My green wish for 2022 is that communities across the country come together to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing upon the lessons we’ve learned about the power of collective action, the need to prioritize those who are most vulnerable, and the importance of investing in locally.
These lessons will be crucial for addressing the climate crisis. We also need a massive and sustained commitment from all levels.
I hope to see 2022 as a year of creative, inclusive and lasting solutions.
Please return next week for the third and final instalment of our green wish 2022 series when we’ll feature green wishes from local cultural leaders and celebrities.
We’d love to hear from you, too. You can share your green wishes on our social media pages @PtboGreenUP and by visiting greenup.on.ca/green-wish.
