While it may not sound like much, 20 cents can make a huge impact for Charlotte Kimmins.
The G.P. Vanier student, who will be entering grade 11 in the fall, knows the difference how much a small change can make - and in this case, a small increase to prices at the cafeteria in the high school.
The price increase is what Kimmins, a 16-year-old environmental activist, was advocating for this past year in an attempt to swap out plastic cutlery with that which has biodegradable and recyclable components at the cafeteria.
While her initiative at the school did get approved by a majority of students, it wasn’t implemented by staff at the time.
RELATED: VIDEO: Female teen camp on Hornby Island teaches environmental stewardship
But the setback hasn’t deterred Kimmins, rather, it has made her more determined to focus on plastic elimination with the entire Comox Valley school district.
“My hope is to show girls that it is possible to make a change - it can be daunting, but we all have the ability to make a small change,” said the graduate of the inaugural Ocean Literacy and Leadership Camp in 2018.
The camp is a five-day course at the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre on Hornby Island designed to teach secondary students about climate issues, ocean conservation, advocacy option and how to develop actionable goals which to lead change.
The course is offered to all school districts in the province, for students aged 15 to 18. The curriculum combines ocean literacy with a leadership model.
“Everything for me started at the camp. I had no idea what ocean conservatory was, but after being at the camp, I found that I had a complete passion for it.”
She explained one component of the camp was to create an action project, which is how she developed the idea to focus on plastic elimination at her school.
Following some brainstorming sessions, Kimmins said she circled back to single-use plastics, particularly those used at the cafeteria.
“I wanted to find a way to make it happen. I spoke to the head of the cafeteria staff about ordering, and I found out (the school) orders about 100 cases of 1,000 pieces of cutlery (a year). That’s far too many.”
She took the summer last year to gather ideas, and in the fall, she teamed up with the school’s Environment Club to put her idea into motion - increasing cafeteria prices by around 20 cents for biodegradable and recyclable cutlery - and took to the school’s cohort for a vote.
While the idea passed the vote but was not put into motion, Kimmins took the setback in stride.
At the last school district board meeting prior to summer break, she made a presentation about her initiative to trustees to implement the concept district-wide.
“It was something the whole district could look into; I received positive feedback from all the trustees.”
This year, after keeping in contact with camp directors, Kimmins returned to the camp as a presenter - an opportunity for her to come full circle.
“I did a presentation and spoke for about 30 to 45 minutes about my journey,” she explained. “Change can be daunting and because I was there (at the camp) last year, I wanted to show we really do have the ability to make change. My hope was to add some inspiration.”
Kimmins has created the Cut it Out initiative - a small team of youth leaders who are fighting for climate justice in society. The goal, she said, is to eliminate single-use plastic cutlery items within Canadian school districts and communities.
“I knew coming out of camp this is my passion project.”
Following high school, Kimmins noted she would like to follow a career in executive management with the non-profit organization Ocean Wise or a career where she can “make political change.”
For more information on the Cut it Out initiative, visit www.plasticelimination.wixsite.com/cutitout.
erin.haluschak@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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