Polson Park clock. (file photo/Vernon Matters Staff)

By Pete McIntyre

taking action

Students make a difference by cleaning Polson Park

Oct 25, 2022 | 2:53 PM

Local students are taking action to combat climate change by cleaning up Vernon’s best known park.

The event in Polson Park will be held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. this Friday (Oct. 28), and is organized by Seaton Secondary student Ava Walker.

“I want to be able to show people that anyone can take action to help fight climate change. No matter how small you think your efforts are, you can always make a positive difference,” Walker, a founding member of the Vernon Youth Conservation Society, said.

A number of student volunteers have agreed to participate and organizers have raised over $100 to purchase the clean-up supplies.

“We will be doing a trash pick up and hopefully removing some biohazard material such as used needles,” Walker told Vernon Matters. “I do not yet have a trash company to assist me though I am still looking.”

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There will also be an information table for the public to learn more about local climate issues and light refreshments for the volunteers.

The park clean-up, along with other climate-focused projects, are part of a City of Vernon, School District 22 and Fresh Outlook Foundation initiative where teens throughout the district work collaboratively with support from a community mentor to highlight work they are doing to combat climate change.

Teen volunteers on the clean-up crew had the following responses when asked what conservation means to them.

• “To take care of the land and being able to preserve it for future generations”
• “Environmental clean up is important to me because I want to keep our city clean. I want to help my community”
• “To me conservation means preserving and protecting the environment around us for future generations to see and to allow everyone a bright future.”
• “To me the environment is where we are, what we live in, it’s your home. I am here because as a society we seem to struggle at keeping important places clean and at the cost of our ecosystem and animals who inhabit these areas”
• “I just like nature, it’s like home to me. It means everything to clean and conserve our home.”
• “The environment means a lot to me because it what helps bring communities together and it should be safe.
• ”The environment to me represents what humanity can look like and shows how people can act.”

Walker said CARE (Climate Action Ripple Effect) projects will be showcased at a city-wide event early December.

Anyone interested in learning more, or to volunteer with the Vernon Youth Conservation Society’s Polson Park clean up, can email Ava Walker at ava.walker1984@gmail.com.