Programs & Partners
+
WATERSHED HEALTH
Water Wise works within schools, within the community, and with local businesses to encourage water conservation and preserve watershed health.
SCHOOLS
Our instructors teach Water Wise education modules to students in grades K to 7 in School Districts 27 and 28 as well as at Gavin Lake Forest Education Centre. These modules build on each other so that students have usually received three or four by the time they leave elementary school. Starting with the basics in kindergarten, as children get older, they learn about conservation, chemistry, the water cycle, watersheds, world water issues, and water quality. Students go home with Water Wise brochures and Water Wise stickers for home use. There are also hands-on activities for students that include field trips, annual storm drain painting, and student art displays.
COMMUNITY
In addition to K to 7 classes, Water Wise also presents to children's groups, high schools, the Elder College, Thompson Rivers University, and any other groups that would like to learn more. We further spread the Water Wise message with our website and social media channels, radio ads, cinema ads, public service announcements, newspaper ads and articles, educational materials (e.g. brochures, guides, bookmarks featuring children's artwork), community displays, signage and posters, workshops and presentations, campaigns, community partnerships, participation in community events, and placement of tap/mirror reminder stickers at busy public locations. Areas of focus include: salmonids, xeriscape gardening, healthy lawns campaign, water-based ecosystems, water conservation, waterfront living, World Water Day, and World Wetlands Day.
LOCAL BUSINESSES
Our team works with local employers to set up green workspaces, teach employees how to conserve water resources and protect the watershed while at work, and supply Water Wise office stickers and signage in both public and employee areas to maximize awareness and repetitive conservation. The aim is ultimately for increased adoption of watershed health practices by businesses with trickle down effects within the community. Local businesses may also choose to participate in our Tap-to-Bottle program, by welcoming community members to come in and refill their reusable water bottle without any expectation that additional purchases will be made. We provide window signage which identifies these businesses as a Tap-to-Bottle location.
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR KEY PARTNERS:
City of Williams Lake Fee For Service (Water Wise Program - City)
BC Community Gaming Grant (Watershed Health Program - Region)
Department of Fisheries & Oceans (Salmonids Education & Water Wise Support)
Williams Lake Community Forest
Waste Wise works within schools, within the community, and with local businesses to show how simple, easy, everyday actions can make a difference in reducing waste.
SCHOOLS
Our instructors teach Waste Wise education modules to students in School Districts 27 and 28. These modules build on each other so that students have usually received three or four by the time they leave elementary school. Starting with the basics in kindergarten, as children get older, they learn about the three R’s, how to sort recycling, the new three R’s, how to extend the life of things, consumerism, waste issues, how waste is connected to greenhouse gasses and water, product stewardship, sustainability, composting, and public engagement. Students go home with Waste Wise brochures which they are encouraged to review with parents. There are also hands-on activities that include games, worm composting, interactive displays, and art projects, as well as guided field trips to the Frizzi Road landfill, Cariboo Disposal Recycling facilities, and other locations. Waste Wise also provides expertise and resources to initiate school-wide composting and gardening.
COMMUNITY
In addition to schools, Waste Wise also presents to children's groups, high schools, the Elder College, Thompson Rivers University, and any other groups that would like to learn more. We further spread the Water Wise message with our website and social media channels, radio ads, public service announcements, newspaper ads and articles, educational materials (e.g. brochures, guides, bookmarks featuring children's artwork), community displays, signage and posters, workshops and presentations, campaigns, community partnerships, community-enriching projects, and participation in community events. Areas of focus include: waste management and reduction, composting, pollinators, soil health, food sustainability, Earth Day and Earth Challenge, Earth Friendly Holiday Event, Repair Café, Free Your Things, World Clean Up Day, and Waste Reduction Week.
LOCAL BUSINESSES
Our team works with local employers to set up green workspaces, teach employees how to work sustainably and reduce workplace waste, and supply Waste Wise office stickers and signage in both public and employee areas to maximize awareness and repetitive conservation. The aim is ultimately for increased adoption of Waste Wise practices by businesses with trickle down effects within the community. Local businesses may also choose to participate in our Green Events program. Green Event “hosts” receive a waste stream assessment, bins, signage, training, and promotional materials. After the event, the CCCS team will weigh every bin to provide post-event metrics. Past event hosts have had a 90% landfill diversion rate. For restaurants and other food waste-producing businesses, we also run our Food Not Wasted program which supplies local farmers and ranchers with valuable feedstock for their livestock. This program has a targeted annual landfill diversion rate of 22,000 kgs.
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR KEY PARTNERS:
City of Williams Lake Fee For Service (Waste Wise Program - City)
Cariboo Regional District (Waste Wise Program - Region)
.jpg){kind=logo}
SUSTAINABLE LIFE
The Sustainable Life Education Program supports an outdoor education program for children, ecosystems education within the community, as well as community repurposing programs.
SCHOOLS
Our team supports two ecosystems modules per session targeted for students in grades 4 through 7. These modules are outdoor, “in the field” classes, and rotate yearly to provide new experiences for the many split grade classes attending two years in a row. Modules include ecological webs, the perfect stream, ecological footprints, watersheds, invertebrates, wetlands, and snow science.
COMMUNITY
The CCCS team runs several very popular repurposing programs designed to support the community while reducing waste. The Bikes for All and Skates for All projects are aimed at preventing good, repairable bikes and skates from ending up in a landfill, while providing for those who would otherwise not have a bike or skates. These projects are supported by volunteers and our kind local sports stores. The Clothes for All project addresses textile waste, currently one of the chief areas of concern in the global waste industry, primarily through clothing swaps. The Veggies for All project, supported by local farmers, allows the CCCS team and volunteers to glean surplus produce and store it at our root cellar located at the Potato House. This allows us to supply veggies through the winter to local food banks, charities, and soup kitchens. In a related project, the CCCS provides a leaf litter pickup service in the autumn which reduces leaf waste and provides much needed carbon for the Potato House and Williams Lake Community Gardens.
Ecosystems education is also delivered to the broader community via our website and social media channels, educational materials (e.g. Conservation Field Guide), newspaper ads and articles, community displays, signage and posters, workshops and presentations, campaigns, and community partnerships. Areas of focus include: ecosystems, sustainable life, species at risk, and forest education.
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR KEY PARTNER:
BC Community Gaming Grant
It takes a village.
Photo: Laureen Carruthers Photography
Heartfelt thanks to all our friends and partners!
In addition to the key program partners listed above, CCCS would like to acknowledge the countless businesses, not-for-profit organizations, government departments, community groups, volunteers, members, teachers, individual donors, foundations, educational organizations, coalitions, councils, planning groups, and steering committees that have supported us, partnered with us, taken part in our programming or consulted with us for input throughout our history. You are all too numerous to mention, but we are grateful for each and every one of you!