HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnv - 2013-01-24 - Earth Day Committee Liaisons (2013 & 2014)Date:January 8, 2013
To:Environmental Committee Members
Subject:City Earth Day/Month Organizing Committee Liaison (2013 and 2014)
Volunteers complement and support the work of staff accomplishing important tasks that would
not otherwise be done, and support programs that could cease to exist without their
participation.
Volunteers bring a wide variety of skills, knowledge and experience with them, all of which
combine to strengthen the organization. Therefore, the City strives to provide volunteers with
meaningful work that suits their skills and goes beyond mere job shadowing, as well as a
rewarding and challenging community-oriented volunteer experience for all those interested in
the goal of promoting sustainable communities in an urban environment.
In general an Environmental Committee liaison will:
Serve as a communication link between the Committee and a particular Sub-committee,
Taskforce and/or Working Group;
Provide guidance, support and advice when/where appropriate;
Assist with research, activities, report preparation and correspondence when needed.
If required, they will attend the appropriate Standing Committee meeting to present the
Committee’s recommendation; and,
Maintain a positive working relationship with the other volunteers.
Earth Day
Each year Earth Day is held internationally on April 22. Earth Day Canada (EDC) was created in
1991 as a national, not-for-profit environmental charity that provides Canadians with an
opportunity to make a difference where they live, work and spend their leisure hours. It reaches
out to youth, community and environmental groups, schools, businesses, government
departments and individuals across the county.
On a global basis, Earth Day’s mandate is to create and nurture a popular, highly visible
“window of awareness” in which individual awareness and actions are the primary goal.
EDC coordinates and promotes Canada’s celebration of International Earth Day and in many
communities the event has grown into Earth Week or Earth Month. EDC provides user-friendly
interactive programs, an events calendar, print resources and a website. Earth Day is an
excellent opportunity for the City to raise awareness of local environmental initiatives and
concerns and to encourage residents to take action on a local level.
Every spring, the City of Kitchener organizes a number of events throughout the month of April
in celebration of Earth Day and to remind the community how important it is for all of us to
protect our planet.
In general, Earth Day/Month liaison(s) will be responsible for the following:
1. Acting as the Environmental Committee’s connection / representative to the City’s Earth
Day/Month Organizing Committee attending all meetings;
2. After each organizing committee meeting the liaisons will be required to provide a status
report back to the Environmental Committee.
Liaisons may bring to the committee attention volunteer opportunities for Earth
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Day/Month activities;
3. At the March Environmental Committee meeting, the liaisons will provide a further
update to the Committee confirming the list of Earth Day activities;
liaisons should provide specific details of the various Earth Day activities so
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Committee members can attend;
4. At the May Environmental Committee meeting, the liaisons will be required to provide a
final update to the Committee on the success of the City’s Earth Day events.
This could be supplemented by the rest of the Committee describing what they
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did for Earth Day.
More information on the various Earth Day activities can be found on the City of Kitchener’s
website: http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/EarthDay.asp