This year Sustainable Orillia’s Art Competition will focus on our community’s future artists – our elementary and high school students. This spring they are invited to creatively share with their vision of Biodiversity – and why it’s important to preserve it. There are prizes and submissions may not only earn a prize, but also be featured as part of ongoing Sustainable Orillia communications initiatives, including our upcoming 2024 Calendar.
Find your category on one of the posters below and we look forward to your submission.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what difficulties the arts and culture sector in Orillia faces, because it is such a broad category. In general, there is a certain creative process one goes through to reach an end product, a process which can involve a lot of waste. The materials can sometimes be toxic and disposing of them can be difficult. More eco-friendly options can be cost-prohibitive. Since there is not a lot of access to art materials in Orillia, getting supplies often involves a trip to Barrie or Toronto—often a long solo trip in a vehicle.
There are many events in Orillia related to arts and culture, and, despite the best intentions, there can be a lot of waste—plastic cutlery, straws, and cups—even though there are good rental options for dishes, as well as compostable dishes. The last minute run for fast food and drinks can result in waste; it would be great to see major strides being made there. With awareness regarding waste and the state of the environment increasing, many artists have taken it upon themselves to make their work more environmentally friendly. Personally, in my own practice, switching to eco-friendly materials and ethically-made products has felt right. Switching to greener products can also prove to be healthier.
There may be no end to ideas that artists may come up with in pursuit of sustainability in Orillia. We’re calling on all artists to join us in our quest to make Orillia more sustainable.
Sector Chair – Fred Larsen
In 1970, Joni Mitchell, Canadian singer and songwriter had a hit song called “Big Yellow Taxi.” The song contained the line, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,”
Dr. Ted Reeve is a social ethicist, educator, and minister in The United Church of Canada. For the past eight years he has been the coordinating minister at St. Paul’s
Following upon a popular and well-attended series of urban walks in September, Sustainable Orillia has organized a second round of urban walks for Saturday, October 29th. In September, local urban
