COURTNEY McCLURE, for The Standard
UXBRIDGE: Gather your trash bags and rubber gloves, Uxbridge Earth Kids (UEK) is hosting a neighbourhood clean-up, starting this month.
April is considered Earth Month, and Earth Day is April 22nd.
Sara Zon and her husband, Ethan Zon, started UEK around the middle of March 2021 because Mrs. Zon’s 8-year-old daughter, Nora, was disturbed by the amount of garbage that appeared after the snow had melted.
At school, Nora and her friends formed a club during recess. The club focused on cleaning up garbage littered around the schoolyard. This sparked a discussion at home about the impact garbage has on the Earth and about how humans should care for the planet.
“We decided to form a group for kids [which] could empower them to take conversations like this, turn them into action and get all that litter picked up.” So, Mrs. Zon and her husband decided to form their own public group, via Facebook and other social media platforms like Instagram.
Currently, UEK doesn’t have formal members, according to Mrs. Zon. The group is a “call to action” for kids and families who want to get involved in their cause and has around 300 followers on Facebook, since they launched their Community Cleanup and Earth Day poster contest.
UEK has had about 50 kids participate, which surpassed their goal of 30 kids, participating in a neighbourhood cleanup. Kids from other municipalities outside of Uxbridge are also welcome to enter UEK’s contest.
The Zon family is considering branching out UEK into a broader platform for kids to learn about the environment. But they also want to uphold a sense of community and responsibility when it comes to caring about the environment. “I think it’s important that we show them [the kids] that even the smallest act, like picking up a bit of trash on their street, can affect change,” said Mrs. Zon. Local businesses and private donors have offered them support and donations in the form of supplies for their cleanup kits, including gloves, garbage bags, and hand sanitizer.
The UEK Earth Day Neighbourhood Cleanup involves participants going to The Bridge Social in Uxbridge and picking up their free kid’s cleanup kit. Then, kids can start picking up the garbage they see around their neighbourhoods.
Once they’re finished, parents are asked to take a photo of their child with their bag full of garbage and post it to Instagram or Facebook. The cleanup event ends April 22nd, so all pictures have to be submitted before then.
UEK is also asking kids to gather their art supplies and to get creative. They want kids to make a poster with the theme, “What does Earth Day mean to me?”
On the poster, participants are asked to include their name and their age. The age categories for this contest include: ages five and younger, six to nine, and ten to thirteen year old.
Once you’re finished creating your poster, you can hang it in the window of your home or drop it off at The Bridge Social, so they can display it in their shop window.
Participants are also asked to tag UEK: on Instagram hashtag #UxbridgeEarthKids or tag @uxbridge_earth_kids and on Facebook tag Uxbridge_Earth_Kids. If you’re uncomfortable posting your child’s photo on the web, email the photo to UxbridgeEarthKids@gmail.com.
Each participant will be entered into a draw to win prizes, donated by community partners. The draw will take place on Sunday, April 25th and the winners will be announced via Instagram and Facebook.