Cochrane's first-ever locally-held Rotary conference is just a couple of weeks away.
This year, the theme is "Supporting Your Environment" — Rotary International's seventh and newest area of focus. Local Grade 11 student Jade Janzen, who founded the non-profit Lives with Less Plastic four years ago, will give a talk at the event on how people can do just that.
"There are so many actions you can take around the community," said Janzen. "[My talk] is about Lives with Less Plastic and spreading the word, and these are some sustainable steps you can [take].
"But it's also about empowering other people to pursue their passions with actions and to be participant citizens in community issues, global issues, and things that affect us every day."
Janzen attends Bow Valley High School and started Lives with Less Plastic when she was in Grade 7. Last year, the non-profit won the prestigious Emerald Award in the foundation's youth category for its contributions to environmental stewardship.
As a high-school student who has made strides to change the world around her for the better over just a few short years, Janzen firmly believes everyone, at any age, can make a difference with small, everyday actions.
"I, as a high-school student and as a middle-school student, have been able to do this," she said. "Those little steps you take can create a big change."
It all began with a presentation from Janzen to Cochrane town council in 2018 to request banning single-use plastic straws and bags. Since then, the non-profit has given hundreds of virtual and in-person presentations to schools and universities to provide education about plastics and sustainability.
Town council made the decision not to ban them. However, Janzen's initiative only picked up steam from there. Now, in addition to providing education, the group also makes and sells reusable bags from locally donated T-shirts, among other things.
Janzen will be in like-minded company at the conference, as the Rotary District 5360 Conference will welcome a number of other environment-conscious speakers for a day full of 20-minute TEDx-style talks.
Rotary district governor Martin Parnell said it's an exciting opportunity to be able to host the event in Cochrane. It will be held at the Cochrane Alliance Church May 14.
"One of the goals is to spread the word of Rotary to show what we do," said Parnell. "Our motto is service above self."
Rotary members will speak to a number of projects happening within the district and around the world, he added.
"It's also an opportunity, even if you're not interested in Rotary, to have a look at what's happening in our world right now by bringing together these top 10 speakers that are doing amazing things to support the environment," Parnell said.
In addition to Janzen’s talk, students and staff from Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy in Canmore will give a presentation about an app they've developed that tracks the carbon footprint of one's vehicle.
"When you register for the conference, you have to put in your car type and the distance you're traveling," said Parnell. "Then they're going to calculate the carbon footprint of the conference and will tell us how many trees would need to be planted to make the event carbon-neutral."
The charity of choice for the event is ShelterBox Canada. The organization's executive director, Stephanie Christensen, will be in attendance to talk about what the group is doing to provide shelter to people around the world after an environmental or human-made disaster destroys their homes.
They will also have tents set up outside at Cochrane Alliance Church.
The major sponsor for the event is Spray Lake Sawmills, and they too, will give a presentation about their environmental and sustainability practices.
Registration for the event includes coffee, snacks, lunch and a MacKay's ice cream social at the end.
"The only thing I can't tell you about the event is the flavours of the MacKay's ice cream," said Parnell. "That's a secret that we will not release until later."
The event takes place at Cochrane Alliance Church May 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with registration beginning at 8 a.m.
The deadline to register is May 6.
