Newmarket resident Art Lighthouse has a neighbourly perspective on fighting climate change.
The Newmarket-Aurora Drawdown member looks for any way he can to reduce his consumption, whether by recycling plastic bags, reusing materials or finding ways to fix broken appliances.
Lighthouse, a retired teacher, said he believes in a “closed-loop” model that generates no waste — and has taken to YouTube and social media to share tips on reducing your environmental footprint.
“I’d rather use these things when and where I can than throw them out,” he said. “By myself, I’m not going to save anything … All of us together got us in this mess and all of us together can potentially get us out.”
York Region is trying to encourage that with a new circular economy roadmap. The roadmap aims to help the region improve waste diversion efforts further through collaboration, reuse of materials and community programming.
“Implementing the circular economy roadmap will help further advance our vision of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2051, as well as other key priorities,” York Region chair and CEO Wayne Emmerson said in a news release.
The model emphasizes repairing or repurposing and reusing materials over dumping things in the waste. It relies on both residents repurposing materials and businesses using recycled materials with a durable design.
The region aims to spur the movement within its community over the next one to three years through asphalt and sand recycling, establishing a community working group, and another $100,000 intake into a grant program for community-led circular economy projects, among other initiatives.
“Municipal governments are playing a strong role in supporting the transition to the circular economy through their policies and programs,” Vaughan Regional Councillor and York chair of environmental services Mario Ferri said. “This represents an enormous opportunity for local governments to influence markets and support innovation while meeting waste reduction, climate change and asset management goals.”
It is something that Lighthouse welcomes, though he said deliverables are important.
“We really do need a closed-loop system, and we can’t have those loops busting out into landfills and incineration plants,” he said. “Our survival depends on it.”
Lighthouse said he is trying to do what he can to encourage others to partake in this, building up a website for his activism. He encourages others to become green neighbours and address waste in their lifestyles, though said he also advocates for government policy.
“We just have (to have) that realization if we buy that plastic thing, we’re contributing to plastic pollution, we’re contributing to climate change.”
Lighthouse is not alone. The region’s circular economy initiatives fund has helped push for them in York Region, with several circular-economy focused organizations benefiting and hosting events. Newmarket has also hosted electronics recycling events to keep more items out of landfills.
Lighthouse said he is hyper-aware of how long it takes plastic to break down and wants to do whatever he can to avoid it getting to the ground.
“We are at the precipice, and I will simply do anything that I am capable of doing to help combat climate change and environmental destruction."
Organizations interested in applying for a grant for a circular economy initiative can find details at york.ca/circulareconomyfund.
