2007 National Vital Signs Report

Comments - Quinn Runkle

A healthy environment is essential for our well being. In Canada, many people’s livelihoods and lifestyles revolve around our environment; work in fishing, forestry, mining and other natural resources provide for many small, rural towns all over our country. As well, much of our recreation is connected to our outdoors, such as, skiing, hiking, and boating. With much of our lives depending on our natural world, you would assume that Canada would be an international leader in sustainable living. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Canadians have all the necessary conditions to make positive choices regarding our environment: information, resources, and opportunity. Yet, we still lack motivation!

As a high school student in British Columbia, I am able to learn new things about my world every day. But, sustainability, climate change, and renewable resources are not part of my education. I think that the lack of environmental education has a huge impact in the issues that Canada is facing. Once younger generations are educated about what is happening in our world they will be able to understand the necessary actions our planet needs. These attitudes and actions will carry with them into their households, and eventually into the work world. It is much easier to work up through a generation than trying to work down through big corporations.

I was lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Antarctica in 2005/06 with Students on Ice (www.studentsonice.com) to learn about climate change first hand. I feel that there is a sense of disconnection between climate change and Canadians. Although we believe climate change is real, we have not yet made the leap to understanding its devastating consequences in our country and the world. My experience with the Antarctic is what sparked my greater interest in climate change and acted as a real wake-up call for me. My local Community Foundation (CF) on the Sunshine Coast is another way that I have become involved in working towards a solution. I was one of the founding members of ‘Youth SCOOP (Youth Sunshine Coast Organization of Philanthropy),’ the youth branch of our CF. In fall 2006 I helped plan and was co-facilitator for the B.C.-wide Conference YIP: Going Green (Youth In Philanthropy). There, students that are involved in community foundations learned how they could use all of the opportunities CFs provide to work towards a healthier environment. We explored how we can pursue different avenues of action in schools, local government and businesses. Several projects have been created as a result of the conference. It is very exciting to see youth becoming involved in environmental projects through their CFs.

Every Canadian has a part to play in solving climate change and creating a sustainable world. We cannot completely blame greenhouse gas emissions on big industries because the demand for their products is created by us! If every Canadian did small things in their lives such as using alternate transportation, limiting energy consumption, and recycling (plus avoiding products with a lot of packaging in the first place), then the difference would be huge! We are all responsible for our earth’s future. We have come to a critical moment; the world that we live in and will leave to our children is being shaped by our actions today! As Canadians, we have the power to create a sustainable future for generations to come. We must act now!

Quinn Runkle, grade eleven student, organizer and speaker for Youth in Philanthropy: Going Green conference, Youth Liaison for Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society and Save Our Sunshine Coast