The woman behind Green Deer is now looking for something a little more proactive than picking up garbage.
Suzanne Jubb, community and program facilitator for Recreation, Parks and Culture, says the city cleanup campaign’s participation numbers are up, and litter levels down.
“It’s been getting better every year, and I’ve been hearing the comments that ‘yeah there’s nowhere near as much garbage as last year,’ ” Jubb said.
Green Deer ended on Sunday.
The city is hosting a public open house on Tuesday at the Golden Circle Seniors Resource Centre to review Green Deer 2010 and discuss a possible anti-littering awareness campaign that Jubb is floating.
“The waterway, for example. It’s not just a river, it’s a resource and it’s our drinking resource, we shouldn’t be littering there in the first place,” Jubb said. “The litter has a huge impact on the environment. A pop can for example, or a piece of steel, the things that rust in the river, they’re not good for the environment or the fish in the river, for that matter.”
She said she doesn’t know whether people consider cigarette butts litter, given how often people drop them onto the ground.
But her biggest pet peeve is trash thrown from moving vehicles. On a recent trip to Edmonton, a truck in front of her threw garbage out the window while driving by a highway cleaning crew.
“I just shook my head. I don’t know how you educate that group not to litter,” she said.
Jubb said she’d like it if a campaign got residents to do things like carry plastic bags with them when they go for walks in the park, so as to pick up any garbage they encounter.
“If we can create that kind of mindset, it might have an even bigger impact.”
The open house runs 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Attendees are asked to RSVP to 403-309-8409 by today.
mgauk@www.reddeeradvocate.com