by Nicole Findlay
Rather than attend class, two groups of Carleton students elected to clean some of Ottawa’s shorelines last week. The students were participating in the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (GCSC) and Ottawa’s Cleaning the Capital campaign.
“Engagement in this activity is part of my broader commitment to community-based, service learning,” said Patricia Ballamingie, assistant professor of geography and environmental studies and FYSM instructor. “This is a chance for students to make a positive, concrete and tangible difference for the environment.”
The 30 students registered in Ballamingie’s seminar course, It’s Your Environment, took up the challenge. They cleaned an area on campus along the Rideau River between Colonel By Drive and Bronson Avenue, and recorded the type and amount of garbage collected. Similar data is then compiled at both provincial and national levels for a clearer picture of shoreline litter per region.
“It improves the health of the Rideau and Ottawa River ecosystems, which is especially relevant for shorebirds,” said Ballamingie. “It is not particularly glamorous work, but it is important nonetheless.”
Another group, comprising 65 students in Carol Hunsberger’s 2nd-year seminar, Nature and Environment, participated in a cleanup of Westboro Beach.
“This event will allow them to get off campus and explore one of Ottawa’s many green spaces, while collecting data that will contribute to a broad assessment of the nature and extent of shoreline pollution across Canada,” said Hunsberger.
The national cleanup is sponsored by WWF Canada, Loblaws, and the Vancouver Aquarium. The GCSC began as a single cleanup in Vancouver back in 1994, and has grown to be the 2nd largest cleanup in the world.