Celebrate Earth Day in Erin on Saturday

ERIN – Earth Day offers a perfect opportunity to pick up some of the trash residents have noticed accumulating in ditches in the Town of Erin since the spring thaw. 

The town’s Environment and Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) is organizing a community garbage pickup on April 26 to celebrate Earth Day.

The cleanup initiative is led by ESAC cochair Jen Edwards, who said the litter is particularly bad this year. 

“Oh my gosh, there’s so much garbage,” she told the Advertiser. 

So they’re hoping to have a good turnout to get the town cleaned up on Saturday.   Volunteers will meet outside the Agri-dome at the Erin Fairgrounds at 9am.  

Sanderson Disposal is providing a bin for the clean up, and the Erin Agricultural Society has donated garbage bags. There will also be safety vests, grabbers and gloves available for volunteers, though Edwards recommends people bring their own gloves if possible. 

The clean-up is set to continue until noon. 

Volunteers will  also receive $10 coupons for lunch from food trucks at the Erin Home and Garden Show taking place the same day at the Erin Agricultural Society (184 Main St.) and organized by the Erin Chamber of Commerce.

Edwards said people are also welcome to collect garbage ahead of time, and if they drop it off at the bin on Saturday they’ll receive lunch coupons too. 

And the garbage pickup doesn’t have to happen in the Village of Erin, Edwards noted – people can pick up in Hillsburgh, Cedar Valley or elsewhere and drop it off in the bin.

ESAC will also have a full tent at the home and garden show with a range of environmental vendors including garden clubs, the Ann Seymour with the Coalition for the West Credit River, Lynn Allan with the Forks of the Credit Preservation Group, Credit Valley Conservation, Erin Common Ground, Treet Trust, Jen Smelter representing Erin’s Farmers Market and Little Deer Drive farm, Chawin’s Workshop garden signs, and Rough Around the Edges Woodworking with birdhouses made of recycled scrap wood. 

Admission to the show is free.  

The committee is set to give away 200 trees during the show – young white spruce and red pines.

At 11am there will be a presentation from Ken Bokor, of the Caledon chapter lead of the Electric Vehicle Society, a not-for-profit organization of electric vehicle owners, enthusiasts and advocates. 

And clean-up volunteers will be entered into a draw to  win prizes donated by the vendors in the ESAC tent. The draw will take place at 1pm. 

Edwards said the group will bring electric cars to the show with them and do a presentation “about how great they are.” 

At 1:30, there will be a performance from the Erin Young at Heart Singers. 

The show will also be an opportunity for people to learn more about ESAC, the work it does and how to get involved or join the committee. 

“We need new members to help advocate for the environment,” Edwards said. 

Recognizing Earth Day is important, she added.

“There’s a lot less concern for the environment (recently) in a time that we need to pay attention, and not rely on someone else,” she said. 

“We need to do things ourselves because the environment is losing its life, losing its protection. We need to save our wetlands. We can see the flooding ... we need to have space for that water to go.” 

Edwards said some people think it’s too late to make a difference, but “everything helps,” including switching to electric cars, LED lighting and heat pumps.