Earth Day is right around the corner, and there’s plenty of local events to take part in within the Elk Valley.
Wildsight Elk Valley and the District of Sparwood are both hosting events on April 22, to help the public learn more about sustainability and make the area a little cleaner.
Fernie
Wildsight Elk Valley is hosting a screening of an environmental documentary with an accompanying panel discussion at Fernie Seniors Centre.
Unbroken Ground, a documentary by filmmaker Chris Malloy and Patagonia director Birgit Cameron, examines the impact that the food chain has on the environment, as well as innovations in the agricultural industry that show promise in leading the global population towards a more sustainable future. It showcases the stories of four groups that are breaking new ground in the farming industry through practices like regenerative agriculture and grazing, diversified crop development and restorative fishing.
The movie will be screened at 7:30 p.m., and a panel discussion with local farmers, green-thumbs and business owners will follow.
Among those offering insights, are Jaffray farmer Kye Kocher, Fernie gardener Mary Cosman, Fernie composter and farmer Ashley Lortscher, and Fernie Mountain Market founder Dawn Deydey.
Prior to starting his farm Corner Veggies, Kocher sold salad greens and herbs to restaurants in Calgary.
Cosman has been a member of Seeds of Diversity of Canada for over two decades, and has had involvement with both the EcoGarden Advisory Committee and Garden2Market program in Fernie.
Lortscher currently works on a berry farm, but found success developing a composting program that diverted over 30,000 lbs of food waste from landfills annually.
In addition to the mountain market, Deydey has founded the Community EcoGarden, Little Sprouts, Beyond Recycling, Keeping Food Real, ToolShare, Local store, Fernie Food Action Strategy and Wildsight’s Evergreens Farm.
Wildsight will be electing its new board of directors at the event, and attendees will have the opportunity to enter a prize raffle and learn more about Wildsight’s upcoming projects and volunteer opportunities.
Sparwood
The District of Sparwood is hosting an Earth Day community cleanup on April 22 to help collect trash and debris that has emerged from underneath the melting snow.
Kits with bags and gloves, and maps of clean-up zones, are available for pick-up at the Sparwood Leisure Centre up until April 21.
The district will also be doing a special curbside pick-up for litter on April 23.
For more information, e-mail recoffice@sparwood.ca or call 250-425-0552.