News Release

Young Environmental Stewards Report to Mayor
on their Recommendations for an Earth-friendly Municipality

(Friday, August 26, 2005) - In a newscast-style presentation at City Hall today, eleven youth participants of an HRM Adventure Earth Centre program called "Urban Survival Camp" offered Mayor Peter Kelly a glimpse into the environmental issues which matter most to the next generation of HRM citizens and leaders.

The presentation wrapped up an 8-day/1-night camp designed to inform, educate and engage youth on civic affairs from an environmental perspective. During the week, participants (ages 14-16) embarked on a fun and informative exploration of the processes and services required to sustain a regional municipality of over 370,000 citizens, and learned the importance of becoming involved in the decision-making process in their communities. The teens examined the city's needs (food, water, transportation, waste management and governance) and how they are being met through visits to City Hall, waste management centres, food outlets, Metro Transit and other city centres.

While the teens expressed their belief that HRM is on the right track towards becoming a truly environmentally-friendly municipality, they offered recommendations on areas where they feel government could still make improvements.

"It's really great that they are making the new buses bike-friendly," stated camp participant, Oliver Glenham after experiencing HRM’s new MetroLink service from the Portland Hills Terminal to the downtown core. "But if you live out of the way, there are not very many stops with this service. They should try putting bike racks on the other buses as well."

Additional recommendations included:
- Bike lanes should be made smoother and wider so people feel safer riding in traffic.
- HRM citizens should be encouraged to buy lower emission vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and the Smart Car.
- Residents of Halifax should be more conscientious in sorting their recyclables.
- Government should encourage new Halifax businesses to use recyclables that will open new markets for our sorting facility. By increasing local buyers of recycled goods, the sorting facility could in turn be able to recycle more and additional types of refuse. It could also eliminate the need to ship our recyclables by trucks to other cities.

"We must make every effort to foster a generation of environmentally conscious citizens who will better influence decision-making processes and act responsibly to create a sustainable municipality," said Mayor Kelly. "Urban Survival Camp presents an excellent opportunity for young people to learn about the environmental issues facing HRM. We hope these young leaders will take this knowledge into their educational and work experiences and continue to represent HRM's best interests as they move forward in their lives."

The Adventure Earth Centre provides earth education adventures and environmental leadership opportunities for children, youth and families. The Centre is located in Fleming Park (Dingle) on the Northwest Arm in Halifax and offers programs throughout the Municipality. To learn more about the Adventure Earth Centre and other HRM Recreation Programs and Facilities
please visit www.halifax.ca .

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Michael Coolican, Camp Leader,
Adventure Earth Centre, Halifax Regional Municipality
490-4539

Patricia Pegley, Corporate Communications
Halifax Regional Municipality
490-5979