Now that’s forward-thinking
By Kelsey Verboom
Pioneer Staff
Too often, people only take action when there’s threat of an immediate consequence. It takes a special kind of foresight to recognize a potential future problem and put a plan in motion to help reduce the issue.
The board of directors at the Groundswell Network Society and the District of Invermere deserve kudos for anticipating issues with waste removal — issues that may not become an imminent problem with real consequences for years to come — and starting to explore ideas like the pilot compost project discussed on page 8 of this edition.
The concept of curbside composting is a great one. Taking an entire community’s worth of potential garbage and turning it into reusable material that benefits local soil is smart and sustainable.
In fact, the initiative is so forward-thinking that Groundswell and the district may find they are a bit further ahead of the game than most residents. Some people still don’t even recycle, let alone compost.
Too often, projects like the composting initiative stall or stutter because people don’t yet have to think about it. Our garbage dumps aren’t yet overflowing to the point of encroaching on a neighbourhood, so residents might take a noncommittal approach to the whole thing.
It would be an absolute shame for the composting initiative to fail because of lackadaisical thinking. This is a great opportunity for residents to be able to reduce their own waste while having someone else worry about animal-proofing the compost area.
It may take a little community help to get the project off the ground, but in the end, it should benefit everyone. However, residents can only get as much out of it as they put in. To take a first step, fill out an information-gathering survey for Groundswell and the District of Invermere by going to www.invermere.net or www.groundswellnetwork.ca.
