For the first time in history, the city of Penticton took part in Earth Day celebrations around the world on Saturday.
From 10am to 2pm, residents were encouraged to stop by Gyro Park to participate in a variety of interactive games, learn about the city’s natural environment, and discover how they can be more sustainable as a community.
David Kassian, Sustainability Officer for the City of Penticton, said:
“There are several sources of funding for businesses and apartments to buy bike racks, and there is also EV-ready research to see what it takes to do electric vehicle charging (stations) in existing apartments. .”
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‘The climate impact is here’: Earth Day 2023 with demonstrations around the world
Residents also had the opportunity to provide feedback on an interactive map and indicate where they would like to improve the city’s active transportation infrastructure.
Kassian said the city is seeking input on where washrooms can be placed, as well as where water bottles and bike racks can be placed. “We are getting a lot of feedback that will also help us plan for the future of that initiative.”
Earth Day also marks the launch of Penticton’s ‘Official Community Tree Plan’. This asked residents to share their thoughts on where Penticton needs more trees to support urban forestry.
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“The overall purpose of OCTP is really to provide a strategic framework for the city and the next 20 years, and also to educate the community about where it is now and where it will be in the future,” says Ysabel. Contreras said. Coordinator of Parks Planning and Capital Projects for the City of Penticton.
“In the next month or so, we will also move forward with community engagement, including all the next steps for this project.”
Penticton resident Heather Allen and her husband said they spent the morning biking to various Earth Day celebrations around the South Okanagan. She says that thanks to the city of Penticton’s continued support for green transportation, she can no longer rely on motorized vehicles to get around the city.
“I was emailing an accountant earlier and he asked me, ‘How much do you use your car for your own business?’ And I said, ‘Nothing,'” Allen said. .
“Now you can bike everywhere, especially if you have an e-bike, every time you go to the office or to the conference room, it’s the bike.”
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A secure bike rack hub is located in downtown Kingston, Ontario.
But on how Penticton can inspire more people to bike and reduce their carbon footprint, Allen suggests: He is his 82 and has an electric bike. So it would be great to have more infrastructure for safer bike storage. “
Earth Day was created in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson after a million-gallon oil spill off the coast of California killed thousands of birds and other marine life.
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