As the cost of living rises around the world, people everywhere are having to make choices. For some it may just mean cutting back on some of life’s luxuries. For others it is much starker; with rising energy prices many millions in the UK are predicted to be choosing between food and heat this coming winter.
At Gavin Lake, the mandate has always been to run a school program that is free to participating classes. The rising cost of living won’t impact which kids get to come and which don’t, depending on their family circumstances or school’s ability to fund raise.
Having kids back for overnights in camp after two years of only day camps and watching them learn and play in the forest feels like an antidote to world news; living in the here and now as small achievements and goals are reached. As a charity, Gavin Lake can only continue to offer these programs for free with the support of multiple local and provincial funders as well as individual donors; every penny is appreciated and stretched a long way. It is a real community effort to keep such a facility going and as far as we know is unique in this model of free programs for schools.
As many of us look for ways to save money, we are once again lucky in the Cariboo with so many recreational options; endless lakes and trails to explore with no entry fee, many you may be able to bike to. This summer, the Conservation Society partnered with Gavin Lake to install a series of signs on the trail that goes around Gavin Lake.
These signs are based on the theme ‘reduce/reuse/recycle in nature’, with examples and facts about local species and their roles in nature’s cycles. The trails surrounding the camp are all open to the public, (free of course!) and beautiful right now with the fall colours. If you are interested in going around the lake, it will take you about two hours (6 km) and if you start near the canoe shed in camp, you will go past the signs in order and you’ll end up on the beautiful boardwalk. You can park in the forest recreation site or the camp parking lot.
From the Conservation Society, you are used to hearing our messages to be Water and Waste Wise as well as to consider your personal impacts on the planet from a conservation perspective. As prices rise, this also makes increasing financial sense. Being Water and Waste Wise will save you money (and you’ll help the planet).
Waste Wise Tip: Avoid buying too much food to avoid food waste. This is so simple, that it almost seems insulting to write it, but it applies in our household so assume it must in others. New empty nesters this fall may find this particularly difficult as you work out your much reduced grocery consumption pattern!
For more information on Water Wise or Waste Wise and any of our school and community programs, contact the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society at coordinator@conservationsociety.ca or visit the website at conservationsociety.ca
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