Building Community
Have you ever heard the phrase, “it take a village to raise a child"? It is an African proverb, and while the origins of the saying are under dispute the message is clear: a child will only grow through the support and guidance of their surrounding environment. In this case, a community.
Community.
One thing that I have noticed since beginning this PlastiCanada podcast journey is that anyone who has ever had an interest in environmental sustainability can seem to agree on one thing - education is key, and one cannot learn in a vacuum. For a child to learn and grow, they must learn from their community and consistently take stock of their surroundings. The same is really true of environmental sustainability!
With that in mind, we would like to introduce you to the One Act at a Time to Help the Earth, or ‘the OATHE Project’, and the sense of community they are trying to build around plastic pollution issues through our collaborative interview with Angela Riley, the founder of an environmental cleanup enterprise called Scotian Shores.
The OATHE Project operates on a few basic principles:
Small acts add up to big change. “At its core, it is about making a commitment- to each other but most importantly ourselves- to do those little things that make a difference”.
We have the personal choice to become an “ecologically conscious being”
OATHE believes, “a pledge to act- however symbolic at its core- might motivate others to get started on lifestyle change and be accountable for what they can do to be part of environmental action.”
OATHE + PlastiCanada - Interview with Angela Riley, Scotia Shores (Nova Scotia)
Angela, the founder of Scotian Shores, created this social enterprise focused on “making the Shorelines of Nova Scotia a little cleaner while creating awareness of the ocean's plastic crisis”
With almost 12,000 lbs of marine waste and debris removed from shorelines in NS within 7 months, their efforts to create a community around environmental and ocean sustainability have grown exponentially
They are not a non-profit organization like most clean up initiatives, but instead utilize money raised from the sales of goods and shoreline cleanup services to fund their operation and disposal services.
The business sells hand-made products - every product sold removes one pound of garbage from a beach or shoreline.
The products include bracelets made of sea glass and keychains. With each bracelet sold, $2 is donated to another ocean preservation group like the Cape Breton Environmental Association or the Halifax chapter of Sea Shepherds. Source
Angela started this business during the summer of 2020 after her second child was born… Her concern for their future drove her to begin cleaning the shorelines, and then drove her to push this further to educate and motivate others to tackle the ocean pollution crisis.
“I worry for their future. I want them to see that I care and hopefully by me caring, they will care, too. My six-year-old and my two-year-old, if they see garbage they can pick it up, so if they can do it, you can, too.” - Saltwire article
In this episode, OATHE and PlastiCanada ask Angela about how she got started on this journey, her future plans for Scotian Shores, as well as how to stay motivated and positive to fight for ocean conservation with her #OceanWarriors.
Special thanks to the OATHE Project for the invitation to collaborate and further build this community! Also, special thanks to Angela not only for her interview but for the hard work and dedication she bring to make Nova Scotian shorelines safe and sound once again.