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EARTHACTION NETWORK

Citizen groups send message to world leaders

SPRING CLEANING of home and office has unearthed a
sheaf of timely press releases from eco-groups near and
far. The following is a look at some of the happenings

around the region.

We'd all love to change the
world ... if only we had the time.

That problem has been suc-
cessfully tackled by the provincial
non-profit group, 20/20 Vision,
which is headquartered right here
in North Vancouver.

For $20 a year, members are
sent concise, well-researched in-
formation on a pressing issue that
needs their attention.

They are then asked to spend 20
minutes on a task in support of
that issue, usually writing a letter
to a politician.

There are currently 250
members in the group, and orga-
nizer Steve McDonald wants to
see that nuraber grow to 1,200.

An added inducement to signing

--up is the fact that 20/20 Vision
has just joined forces with the
EarthAction Network, a partner-
ship of 600 other citizens’
organizations from around the
world,

The EarthAction Network was
launched at the Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 by a
group of citizen activists from all
continents.

It provides a concrete way for
citizens’ groups around the world
to act together to protect our nat-
ural environment and.. promote

. human health and the end of war-
‘fare; - -

Each month, hundreds of thou-
sands of citizens will receive an
EarthAction Alert, asking them to
comment collectively on that
month’s current issue.

That number of people, sending
the same. message to their deci-
sion-makers, can’t be ignored.

For information on joining
20/20 Vision, call 984-2643.

And speaking of community ac-
tion, Pitch-In Week is fast ap-
proaching. °

Groups and individuals are en-
couraged to take part in the an-
nual event, which takes place May
3to9. . : .

Look around you and see what
needs.a good spring cleaning in
your neighborhood. ;

Could you pick up litter in a

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ECO INFO

nearby park? Haul junk out of a
ravine?

Even better, you can tackle pro-
jects that help stop waste before it
happens.

If you don’t belong to a group
of like-minded souls who will join

Picture

you in a Pitch-In effort, phone
the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre
at 987-5922 and ask about helping
out at their annual park cleanup.

Last year, participants in Pit-
ch-In’ Week donated more than
$50 million in labor to help clean
up their local communities and
Canada’s environment.

Anyone interested in par-
ticipating in, or registering a pro-
ject for, Pitch-In Week can con-
tact Pitch-In British Columbia
(which, by the way, is chaired by
North Van City Councillor Stella
Jo Dean) at 200-1676 Martin Dr.,
White Rock, V4A 6E7,

Free garbage bags will be avail-
able while supplies last.

Already doing their part in the
eco-cleanup realm of activities are
the staff at The Westin Bayshore
in Vancouver, who have been
working hard over the past two
years to reduce their hotel’s waste
output.

In 1990, before any en-
vironmental initiatives were in
place, 500,000 kilos of garbage
were produced at the hotel,
necessitating 108 trips to the land-

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fill site.

In 1991, only 63 trips had to be
made.

Last year, that
fallen again, to 54.

The company is even more am-
bitious.

It is now working with a wet
waste removal company to pick
up all wet waste garbage normally
slated for the city dump or the
hotel’s composters, and recycle it
into potting soil.

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If you'd like to emulate The
Westin Bayshore, just on a
smaller scale, West Vancouver’s
Andrea Miller can show you how.

Miller is one of the founders of
WHEN — the Worldwide Home
Environmentalists’ Network
which grew from a West Van

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mom, spreading the recycling
word amongst her friends, to a
group that has more than 5,000
members ail over the world.

A speaker at several en-
vironmental gatherings around the
city, province, and country, Miller
will be offering a workshop on
Saturday, April 24 at West Van-
couver’s Klee Wyck art and cul-‘
tural centre.

She’ll cover -shopping for ;
organics, coming home. without
packaging, how to compost, reuse
and recycle, and more.

Cost for the workshop, . which
runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is
$20.

Coffee and tea are provided,
but you are asked to bring your
own lunch.

Call 980-6180 for information
or registration. :

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