Environmental Activities
CFUW Perth and District has advocated for clean air and clean water, both locally and globally. The club regularly invites speakers who inform us about issues ranging from food security to Lyme disease.
Club members have advocated successfully for the anti-idling bylaw in the Town of Perth, improvements to the quality of local waterways, and support for local food production.
We have donated funds to the Guatemala Stove Project to support their work to provide healthier, cleaner air and better health.
Native Plants & Their Pollinators
Why garden with native plants?
Native plants are well-adapted to our local area’s climate, growing seasons, and soil. So it’s way easier to garden with native plants since they need less care that exotic plants and are more likely to survive.They also support our native pollinators and play important roles in our native ecosystems. According to the Xerces Society, native plants are four times more likely than non-native plants to attract native bees.
What are native pollinators?
These are the creatures that live around us and that pollinate native plants. A native species naturally occurs in a given region without having been introduced, accidentally or intentionally, by humans.Our native pollinators have co-evolved with our native plants over hundreds of thousands or even millions of years together. So they are by far the best ones for the job. There are over 4,000 species of native bees in North America.
But can’t honey bees pollinate flowers?
Honey bees (which are not native to North America) pollinate many of the crops and foods that we eat. But honey bees aren’t necessarily effective at pollinating native plants and it’s the native plants we need to support nature and the ecosystems that support all life on earth.
How to Support Native Plants & Pollinators
-- Plant a garden of plants native to your local area. Even a small garden of a few square feet is beneficial.
-- Encourage your neighbour to plant native plants as well. Pollinators will move from one backyard to the next.
-- Offer variety. Plant several different types of native plants. Higher diversity of species is beneficial in supporting a great diversity of native pollinators
-- Plant clusters consisting of several plants of the same species. This provides patches for our pollinators and allows them to forage efficiently.
-- Support native plant nurseries and seed suppliers by purchasing plants or seeds. Don’t buy ‘natives’ (domestic varieties of native plants).
-- Avoid use of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or any chemicals around your property
We are challenging CFUW members and the community of Perth and surrounding townships to take up our challenge to plant your very own native plant garden. It doesn’t have to be big. Even a 2’ x 2’ garden will have benefits.
Plant your garden with native plants and send us a photo of your garden. Upload your photos so we can all can watch our local communities go green with native plants.
THEN
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Environmental Action Award
We are thrilled to receive the very first Carolyn Day** Award for Environmental Action at the CFUW Ontario Council AGM.
This award recognizes the work of CFUW Perth and District and its Environment Committee who organized two screenings of the climate change documentary, Anote’s Ark. In celebration of Earth Day, the committee screened the film to students at Perth District Collegiate Institute, along with a panel discussion on local impacts of climate change and a teacher resources package to engage students in discussion and activities about climate change.
We then screened the film to CFUW members and the public, to raise awareness about climate change and stimulate conversation and action at the local level.
** For those of you who did not know Carolyn Day, her concern about the environment had started with water problems in Walkerton, just a few miles from her home in Southampton. That passion led her to helping CFUW Ontario Council writemultiple briefs and letters.
