Submitted by KTBC&G
The Bagida’waad Alliance, with support from Keep The Bruce Clean and Green (KTBC&G) team, organized a cleanup of the Tobermory Harbour on Sunday, October 17, 2021. The Bagida’waad Alliance, led by Chippewas of Nawash Fishing Families, is a not-for-profit corporation doing climate research on the waters of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, and encouraging youth to hear the stories of the Elders about the fish.
They also do active stewardship of the lands and waters like shoreline cleanups around the Saugeen/Bruce Peninsula shoreline throughout Saukiing Anishinaabekiing. This is to encourage people to pick up garbage and keep it out of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Bagida’waad means “they set a net” in Anishinaabemowin. Feel free to contact Bagida’waad at bagidawaad@gmail.com or check social media for their programs
Our volunteers were offered bags, gloves, masks and arm extenders. We had an energetic clean up crew: Natasha, Andrew and Miingan Akiwenzie; Rino and Paola Noto, Mia Toose, Dan West, Trish Watson, Yvette Roberts, Bunkey and Geoff Cunliffe and Angie Beutel. We found many of the most common types of garbage, but an alarming amount of cigarette butts!
Important Facts:
• According to National Geographic and the World Health Organization:
-people buy 18 billion cigarettes a day
–2 to 3 out of three cigarettes end up in gutters, equivalent of close to 137,000 per second globally
-since the 1980s, cigarette butts have been 30-40 per cent of all garbage in annual international coastal and urban clean-ups
-one cigarette butt can contaminate up to 1000 litres of water
-each butt in a liter of water kills half the fish
Keep The Bruce Trail Clean and Green have a few initiatives in place to deal with cigarette butts. Many butts are collected and sent to a company called TerraCycle, thanks to Marg Glendon for all her hard work on this program! If you would like more information on this topic, feel free to email us at keepthebruceclean@gmail.com.
Please help keep butts out of our water and allow our fish to thrive! The Earth needs more volunteers.
