Halton Eco Festival Held at Glen Abbey Community Centre

By Manasi Joseph

The 15th annual Halton Eco Festival was recently held at Glen Abbey Community Centre. It is one of Ontario’s longest- running environmental fairs. The one-day environmental fair was organized by the Oakville Community Centre for Peace, Ecology and Human Rights (OCCPEHR).

“We organise the Halton Eco Festival to raise more awareness about the importance of protecting the environment and encouraging people to get involved in making a difference for themselves, for their community and for the environment by protecting it,” said Stephen Dankowich, Executive Director at Oakville Community Centre for Peace, Ecology and Human Rights (OCCPEHR).

The Eco Festival featured live presentations by Sciensational Sssnakes, which provided hands- on education to residents about reptiles and amphibians. Sciensational Sssnakeshas a complete collection of reptiles and amphibian species in Ontario. They provide ample opportunities to learn about these animals as well as address the challenges faced by them in terms of ensuring the survival of these species in the province.“Reptiles are the most at risk group of animals in Ontario right now. We want to educate people about our native reptiles,” Said Jenny Pearce, Owner of Sciensational Sssnakes

Reptiles are often misunderstood and maligned. As a result some species of snakes and turtlesare on the verge of extinction in south- western Ontario. Pearce pointed out that there are currently eight species of turtles in Ontario and among them seven are listed as species at risk.

“If people are given awareness and education about reptiles it will take away the misconceptions and fears they have about those species and will make them realize how they can help them out,” said Pearce

Jenny Pearce of Sciensational Sssnakes, holding a corn snake at the event.

Cathy’s Crawly Composters
Cathy Nesbitt, an eminent Canadian environmentalist, Vermicomposting expert and founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters did a presentation on vermicomposting and organic diversion at the environmental fair. The presentation highlighted the importance of worms and their capacity for waste management.

Worm Away your Garbage
For those of you who do not have access to an organic collection program in your area or does not have space for backyard composting, vermicomposting is an ideal solution to keep the organic matter out of landfill.
If you want delicious and nutritious foodwithout exposure to chemicals, then worm composting is the ideal choice. Worm composting is an excellent way to convert food scraps and paper into nutrient rich fertilizer.

Worms convert food scraps and paper into nature’s finest soil amendment ‘black gold’, said Nesbitt, the founder of Cathy’s Crawly Composters.
Battery Recycling-Raw Materials Company which specializes in battery recycling participated in the one- day environmental fair. The company recycles and reuses all components of an alkaline battery in a sustainable manner.
Raw Materials Company a leading international leader in the field of resource recycling, has managed to increase Ontario’s Battery Collections and Recycling to the highest rate in North America.