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Students talk environmental action

Join the city at the upcoming Earth Week Film Festival on Friday, Apr. 19 and help support local students taking environmental action

Join the city at the upcoming Earth Week Film Festival on Friday, Apr. 19 and help support local students taking environmental action in the community.

The action-packed event is hosted by the City of Campbell River and School District 72 and will include community booths, student films and the 2012 Compost Video Challenge, which follows six Campbell River families as they compete to reduce their waste and capture video footage that will inspire others to start composting.

The evening’s award-winning feature film Bag it delves into the effects of plastic on human health and the environment – and ways to address the issue.

The annual festival brings people together to celebrate Earth Week, creates awareness about environmental issues that are affecting our planet and encourages people to think about how they can make a difference.

“I think it’s important for us to become aware of how everyday decisions, like throwing plastic into the garbage, can affect the environment,” says Nya Harley, Chair of the Youth Action Committee, and a Grade 11 student from Carihi.

“Once we are aware, we can become inspired to make change.”

“It’s the small actions that add up to make a big difference,” says Manesha Bains, Youth Action Committee member and a Grade 10 student from Carihi, who also competed in the 2012 Compost Video Challenge with her family. “Some things that I do are recycle, compost and use reusable bags instead of plastic ones.”

Bains and Harley are both members of the City’s Youth Action Committee (YAC), which provides a youth perspective for staff and city council on many community issues, including the environment.

Every year, the committee helps organize the annual Earth Week Film Festival, and at this year’s festival, they will also be selling reusable bags to help raise funds for student environmental projects.

Come early to visit community booths and learn about composting, recycling and green initiatives in Campbell River.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the film begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 19 at the Tidemark Theatre. Admission is by donation, with proceeds going to support student environmental projects.

Each year, the Youth Action Committee determines which projects are supported by the monies raised at the festival. Last year, the donations went to Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, a student environmental bursary for a graduating SD 72 student’s post-secondary education, and the community garden at Robron School.

Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Tidemark Theatre.