Watch above: Saskatoon school children marked Earth Day in a rather unique way Wednesday. Aaron Streck takes us to a performance of a play all about the environment.
SASKATOON – Earth Day is marked differently around the world, there are rallies, conferences and outdoor activities to clean up the pollution. In Saskatoon, the Grade 7 and 8 class from St. Anne School put a different spin on the day staging on a play about ecology versus consumption.
“The inspiration first came from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, everyone loves that story, it has a great message, we wanted to have a story similar to that with a great message,” said St. Anne School teacher Jennifer Gallays.
‘The Big P’looter Inc. and The Council of Beings’ takes aim at K-cups and technology, requests the slow down of Boreal Forest development and takes shots at the Alberta oilsands.
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“We have creatures come from the forest, the council of beings are spirit animals and they are basically begging us to stop the development, fortunately we have students who travel back in time to teach us that message and help us do that development in a more sustainable way,” said Gallays.
“It kind of gives knowledge about what advertising can do to the environment and how it affects the likes of all the ecosystems and how we can make a difference if we just thought about it for a second,” said ‘Ecologist’ Maya Scott.
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The students have been working on the ArtsSmarts project since January, even producing original songs with strong messages.
“This is like taking it to a new level, where it’s like so much more meaningful to everyone then just picking up a few pieces of garbage,” said ‘Old Developer’ Maya Gauthier.
“It made me think about where everything comes from and where it will end up,” said Scott.
In 2013, over 19 million litres of liquid waste and 44,000 tonnes of solid waste were diverted from landfills in Saskatchewan. Progress is being made, the play focuses on how everyone can make a difference.
“We don’t want people to leave our play feeling guilty, we want them to feel like they have the power to make little changes in their lives that can make a big difference,” said Gallays.
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