“Climate change is not a future issue. It’s happening now in our lifetime.”
Those words were echoed by Centennial CVI student Karisha Negi, one of the many speakers at this year’s Earth Day celebration at Guelph City Hall Saturday afternoon.
About 100 people took in the noon hour gathering, amid windy and chilly conditions.
The annual celebration featured singing from choirs of all ages, guest speakers and spoken word artists.
While there was a positive undertone throughout the event, the gathering also served up reminders of what residents can do to protect the planet.
Of note, Evan Ferrari of eMERGE called out a recent decision at city hall to pause a number of local projects.
“The city, in my mind, has gone from an environmental leader to a lagger,” he said, singling out Mayor Cam Guthrie and his use of his strong mayor powers for that decision, done in an effort to lower the tax levy increase.
Ferrari told the crowd all the successful environmental initiatives in the city have not started at city hall. They started in the community, and then brought to city hall.
He said the city has been going “downhill” since 2018
He cited the net zero carbon target for 2050 and the 100 per cent renewable energy target for 2050 for city operations. While there have been wins since then, he admitted, those wins have been small.
But Ferrari didn’t want to just bring doom and gloom to the event.
He said there is a sense of hope for the future because of the amount of people who gathered in front of him.
“I’m feeling the warmth, in spite of the fact that I’m shivering,” he said, generating some laughs.
eMERGE, the Guelph Climate Action Network and the Social Justice Coalition organized the event.
Patrons were encouraged to fill out a card, stating what they can do for the next year.
Warming up the car a little less, eating less meat and using voices to lobby politicians were just some of the things written on these cards, and tied to a weaved net.
Karen Houle, a retired University of Guelph professor who emceed the event, said she has never forgotten Earth Day.
“I know things can be very bleak and difficult, but Earth Day is a celebration,” she said.
“(But) Earth Day is a day for us to remember how we felt when we were young, and just falling in love with the Earth.”
She also underscored how urgent the situation is now, and how people of all ages need to act.
Negi, a Grade 10 student who came to Canada from India, says Earth Day is a reminder of our responsibility to protect the Earth for the sake of its future.
“The power to make a change lies within each and every one of us.”
