Eco-Journal, v.17.5 Nov/Dec 2007Eco-Journal, v.17.5 Nov/Dec 2007
REACT members promoting composting
By Karl Daher
Rockwood Environmental Action Community Taskforce (REACT) Inc. was formed in 1990 as a local volunteer-based non-profit, non-governmental organization in Stonewall, Manitoba that is committed to environmental responsibility. Our mission statement is to assist our members and the community (R.M. of Rockwood, and the towns of Stonewall and Teulon) as a whole to become more environmentally responsible. Our goals are to promote education and awareness of environmental concerns leading to positive actions; to co-ordinate, promote and participate in recycling activities within the community; and to co-operate with other agencies and organizations within the community and province that have environmental concerns. Currently, REACT Inc. has approximately 35 volunteer members committed to these ideals.
Over the years, REACT has been involved in a range of projects such as:
After steady progress for the past 16 years, REACT moved into high gear this year this April. We decided that we needed to become more visible in the community, so we began by launching our website, http://www.reactinc.org in May. Our website features a record of the projects we have completed, a list of the activities we are currently involved in, and a mailing list to keep informed on our activities. In addition, the site provides people in the community with environmental tips, as well as a comprehensive list of local venues to take their reusables and recyclables.
In early June, we hosted a well-attended community forum on climate change presented by Dr. Danny Blair from the University of Winnipeg. Dr. Blair shared his passion and knowledge about climate change through his dynamic slide show and informative talk.
Later in June, REACT organized a household hazardous waste collection day. Approximately three pickup trucks of paint, batteries and other such nasty household waste was diverted from our landfills and sent off to be environmentally disposed of.
This August, REACT partnered with Resource Conservation Manitoba and hosted an information booth during Quarry Days, Stonewall´s summer fair. To entice people to our booth, we offered a free draw... for finished compost!
September featured a seed collection day by our members for an expanded Tall Grass Prairie habitat beside the hospital in Stonewall. The weather couldn´t have been better for us that day, and we managed to get a great deal of seed collected within a couple of hours. We completed the expansion in early November, thanks in large part to the equipment and expertise provided to us by John Morgan from Prairie Habitats of Argyle.
October featured another community event. This time, REACT partnered with the town of Stonewall to host an e-waste collection day. This time around, we managed to divert a mostly full 45' semi trailer of broken or obsolete electronics equipment from our landfills, and sent it off to be recycled instead.
October also saw us partner up again with Resource Conservation Manitoba to host a Master Composter Course in Stonewall. The course was well attended, and has inspired a number of members in the community to help others begin a household composting program.
This November saw us kick off our most ambitious project yet. The goal of the “Trim Our Trash Environmentally’ (TOTE) project is to provide every household in our area with a reusable tote bag. We have begun to receive funding for this project, and plan to begin distributing the totes to households next year.
REACT hopes to keep this pace up in 2008, by continuing the events we hosted this year, and expanding into even more areas. To do this, we´re looking for energetic members of our community with a passion for the environment to join our group. For more information on becoming a member, volunteering and providing us with new ideas, you can visit our website at http://www.reactinc.org, e-mail us at info@reactinc.org, or attend our monthly REACT meeting at the Stonewall Town Council Chambers at 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd Monday of every month.