Cleaning and greening across faiths
Concordia’s Multi-faith Chaplaincy organized a team of student volunteers to participate in the third Interfaith Eco-Action Day, in collaboration with Apathy is Boring, a community group that encourages active citizenry.
Half a dozen Concordia students joined Laura Gallo, interfaith facilitator, for a day spent “cleaning and greening” the Montreal neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG).
“This is such a great event, since it's meant to bring together people of different faiths to work on a common project,” says Gallo. “This is what our Faith in Action events are about: bringing people together to work on something for the greater good.”
Gallo and her group of students met up with approximately 100 other volunteers at the Marymount Academy in NDG, where they split into groups tasked with either picking up trash or planting.
By the end of the day, several hundred pounds of garbage and recyclables had been removed from the school grounds, a nearby park, adjoining streets, a Centre jeunesse de Montréal site, and a nearby church belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The landscaping was restricted to the school grounds and a neighbouring seniors’ residence.
After the work was completed, the volunteers enjoyed some music, a small picnic and speeches by community leaders, including City Councillor Susan Clarke. Gallo, who was designated a group leader, says that some of her volunteers saw the day as an important occasion to help improve the urban environment. Other saw it as a valuable opportunity to make new friends, and reach out to their community.
For Gallo herself, it was a bit of both.
“I value the Earth. I use its resources all the time, so this is a small way to give back. But it’s also a community-building thing, and a chance to connect Concordia students to the different faith communities in Montreal.”
This third edition of the Interfaith Eco-Action Day was organized by the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Montreal, with Éco-quartier NDG, TEVA Quebec, and the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism. Opération Montréal.net and Éco-quartier NDG provided supplies for the event, and the local NDG Loblaws provided food.
Related links:
• Multi-faith Chaplaincy
• View the event on Facebook
• “Meshing art with social change” — NOW, April 2, 2013 (Founder of Apathy is Boring is a Concordia alumna)