LiveSmart BC Community Hero
Inspiring Others to Help Clean Island’s Beaches
When out for a walk, hike or paddle, many of us – most, it’s hoped – will pack out our garbage for proper disposal, take care where we step, and do our best to leave an area as we found it.
But how many of us stop to pick up someone else’s garbage, or take time to impart our eco-wisdom to others?
One such person is Peter Harris, this week’s LiveSmart Hero, and owner of Pacifica Paddlesports.
“For years Peter has inspired hundreds of novice and wannabe paddlers of all ages to become kayakers and canoeists and has, through his tireless efforts, raised the awareness of everyone who has been involved in his classes and instructional tours to the impact pollution has had on the waters and beaches around Victoria and Vancouver Island,” says paddler Linda Adams in nominating Harris.
“Along with teaching skills to be used in non-polluting activities, he has encouraged kayakers on his tours to pick up litter and garbage washed up on the islands and pack it back in their boats to be properly recycled and/or disposed.”
In addition, “he has instilled a heightened sense of appreciation in his students for the marine and waterfowl life that inhabits the local areas. Many have been inspired to learn more about this sensitive habitat and to reduce the negative impact made in prior years.”
For Harris, these efforts are just an extension of an upbringing that emphasized the importance of doing what he could to preserve our natural surroundings. “We’re always on these beaches, and we have the capacity and the manpower, so we just pick things up,” he says simply.
During one trip to a secluded north Island beach, a pre-arranged clean-up netted 22 bags full of debris, much of it washed ashore from who-knows-where, and which can prove hazardous to birds and marine life. “It was a real eye-opener for all involved.”
