February: We Love Georgian Bay on Valentine’s and Everdayday!

Valentine’s Day is this month, a time to tell friends and family how much they mean to you.

And have you stopped to thank Georgian Bay for its importance and everything it does for us?

Living and playing so close to the Bay, we can sometimes forget how significant it is. Georgian Bay is part of the Great Lakes, which contains 21% of the world’s surface fresh water. While the world is made of about 71% water, most of this is salt water, and only about 3% is fresh water that we can use for things like drinking, cleaning, and cooking. That means that fresh water is very limited around the world, so conserving this incredible resource is extremely important!

Like many holidays, Valentine's Day can have an impact on the environment due to extra plastics in the form of gifts, unsustainable farming for chocolate, and billions of valentines cards which are not always recyclable.
Here are some ideas for a greener Valentine's Day:

1. Send an e-valentine instead of paper. Or, if you do send a paper valentine, use one that is printed on recycled paper.
2. Don’t throw paper valentines in the trash; recycle them.
3. Encourage friends and family to give organic flowers, a potted plant, a tree seedling or a perennial plant instead of the traditional bouquet of flowers.
4. Give organic or fair-trade chocolates. Fair-trade chocolate ensure that farmers work in healthy, sustainable and safe environments while receiving a fair wage.
5. Arrange dinner at a local restaurant that specializes in organic or local food, or make your own meal with local ingredients. This will reduce the number of miles your food travels to you.

Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
We love Georgian Bay, and you should too!