Creating Creatures of Habitat
Published: April 21, 2009

Nearly 700 creatures of habit will converge on the Mary Winspear Centre today to celebrate Earth Day.

The Grade 6 students will be joined by 60 Grade 11 and 12 student volunteers and 50 community volunteers during the Creatures of Habitat Days of Action-2009, a project spearheaded by the Sidney Integrated Wellness Community Society. The event at the Mary Winspear Centre is the culmination of a months-long project supported by Peninsula Streams, Riverbank Designs, The Roy Group and School District 63.

“We want to educate future environmental leaders that the environment is part of being healthy. It includes not just our own bodies, but it’s a big piece of the entire project,” said SIWC president, Britta Frombach.

The project was launched at the third annual Sidney Health Fair in January when students were invited to design a Saanich Peninsula Environmental Superhero. Finalists in the competition were published in last Wednesday’s Peninsula News Review. The winner is to be unveiled during today’s Earth Day activities at the centre.

The second phase of the project included community school interviews to help students develop inquiry skills through interviewing Saanich Peninsula “wellness heroes”.

Some of the role models interviewed included biologist, Ian Bruce; environmental advocate, Anne-Marie Daniel; sustainability consultant, Jordan Fisher; Kevin McCaugherty from the Eco Car Project; teacher, Maria St. Amand and others.

Comments from the students have been included on the project’s website, www.creaturesofhabitat.ca. “I think it’s cool that they are building a car that runs mostly on electricity. When I’m older, it would be nice to be able to use cars knowing that it’s not making that much of a impact on the environment,” one student said of McCaugherty’s eco car project.

“I thought it was cool that he used his love of going on adventures in the nature to help the environment. I never thought of that as a way to help the environment but it’s a good way,” another remarked about Fisher.

“Her presentation was pretty cool because she made hats to use in the nature. But also she talked about dreams, and making them happen, but of course not all your dreams will come true, but having them is also important,” said one student, commenting on Daniel’s presentation to the class.

The project brought together Ian Bruce of Peninsula Streams, Anne-Marie Daniels of the Roy Group, Britta Frombach of SIWC, Susi McMillan of Riverbank Designs, and Tina Pierik of SD 63, who established the SIWC environmental committee last spring.

The event has since evolved to partnering with students from Royal Roads University to create opportunities for university students while educating the younger generation. The Creatures of Habitat Days of Action events “target youth of today who will be the heroes of tomorrow.”

The events are hoped to inspire Grade 6 students to care for their local environment, learn solutions and build skills to uncover how the wider world works.

Earth Day activities will include field trips to locations around the Saanich Peninsula; live entertainment; environmental theatre skits; a “green” Jeopardy game; community mapping and wellness; First Nations games, and the unveiling of Saanich Peninsula Environmental Superhero. The superhero will also be at various Thrifty Foods locations throughout the Peninsula later today.

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