From switching to renewable energy sources to lending a hand with neighbourhood clean-up efforts, the City of Kawartha Lakes is encouraging residents to take actions in support of Earth Day.
Keeping area lakes and rivers clean, being responsible with resources, and taking care of the environment to reduce the overall footprint “are shared values across Kawartha Lakes,” a media release noted.
With that in mind, the city is marking Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22 and celebrating Earth Week from April 20 through 26.
Kawartha Lakes is promoting both grander efforts, such as switching to renewable energy sources, and more local efforts such as cleaning up an area or road in the community.
“The Earth Week and Adopt-a-Road programs are fun and meaningful ways that residents can participate in keeping the City of Kawartha Lakes beautiful,” Heather Dzurko, manager of waste services, shared with kawarthaNOW. “These initiatives help support our strategic plan by enabling us to build connections and maintain a healthy environment in our communities.”
“We would love to see an increase of registrations for both the Adopt-a-Road and Earth Week programs,” she added. “After the recent weather emergency, helping to clean-up areas is extremely appreciated. Both programs create a healthy, lasting environment for everyone to enjoy.”
“A reminder for anyone who is participating in the program to be mindful of fallen debris and hanging tree limbs in areas where they plan to participate,” Dzurko noted.
For Earth Week, Kawartha Lakes encouraged residents to register themselves or a group of friends and family for a 20-minute community clean-up in the municipality, with the municipality providing clear garbage bags and gloves to participants and waiving tipping fees for any registered participant that chooses to dump their group’s collected garbage at one of the city’s landfills.
Although registration has now closed, residents can undertake a clean-up on their own if they wish.
“Twenty-minute community clean-ups are great, and they will go a long way in helping clean up the post-winter litter and waste around the municipality,” the city noted.
For those looking to make a slightly bigger commitment that will have a larger impact in the community, the city invites residents to consider getting involved in Kawartha Lakes’ Adopt-A-Road program, which was established as a public service program for volunteers to enhance local litter collection activities by picking litter up along municipal road rights-of-way.
Volunteers agree to collect litter twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, for a period of three years on a designated area of road. The municipality supplies volunteers with garbage bags and authorization to dispose of the waste collected free of charge, once in the spring and once in the fall.
The municipality will place a sign along the designated road recognizing the volunteer group responsible for cleaning up that part of the road.
More information about the Adopt-A-Road program is available on the City of Kawartha Lakes website.
The theme for Earth Day 2025 is “Our Power, Our Planet.” This theme calls on people around the globe to unite behind renewable energy, and to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030.
Switching to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and water transforms the power situation into cleaner, sustainable, and healthier options. It cuts greenhouse gas emissions and health risks associated with climate change, like heatwaves, flood and the spread of infectious diseases. The switch to renewable energy sources also improves economic development and creates opportunities for communities.
Residents can visit www.earthday.org to learn how they can get involved in these efforts.
