I’ve always been convinced that kids are more honest and sincere than us cynical old timers who’ve accepted the world for what it is and are willing to let things be the way they are. Kids are bright eyed and innocent and haven’t yet got around to assuming that change is impossible. So, they try. And sometimes that’s all you need to do. Try.

Read this wonderful story by Francis Baker from The Fergus-Elora News.

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
Students petition for ban on plastic bags By Francis Baker
May 20th, 2008

Protecting the environment is on the minds of local high school students.

Sarah Hennekens, a Grade 10 student in the environment group at Centre Wellington District High School, presented two petitions to township council on environmental issues last week.

The first, signed by 298 students, asks council to support expanding the Greenbelt into Erin, Puslinch and Guelph-Eramosa. The second, signed by 254 students, asks the township to ban plastic bags.

With only a short time to circulate the petitions, Hennekens got 20 per cent of the student body to sign — and she said with more time, she’s sure she would have got about 90 per cent participation.

“These voices are the future of the community,” she said. “I’d like to ask you to consider taking action.”

Only one municipality in Canada — a township in Manitoba with 700 people — has banned plastic bags, she said. Centre Wellington could lead the field by not waiting for the federal or provincial government to move.

“Plastic bags are a huge problem in this world, and Canada hasn’t done much about it,” she said. “Let’s not wait — let’s take action ourselves.”

There are 500 billion plastic bags in use around the world — about one million are used every minute, Hennekens said. Besides cluttering the planet for the next thousand years, they’re also filling up landfills and causing thousands of animal deaths each year, she said.

The Greenbelt petition calls on council to support expanding the Greenbelt as the only effective way to protect environmentally sensitive land in the area.

Ward 3 councillor Robert Foster thanked Hennekens for her presentation, saying it’s very refreshing to see young people interested in advocating for issues like this.

Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj said she would take the two petitions to Wellington County council, which is dealing with both issues. Because municipalities have to work together to look at expanding the Greenbelt, the county would be an ideal place for that petition, she said.

Ross-Zuj said the county’s solid waste services committee was meeting the next day — and she would present the plastic bag petition there. “These are two wonderful initiatives,” she said. “It’s great to see at the high school that you’re concerned about this.”

Stumble it!