Municipal Environment Committee recognizes another environmental steward
Reeti Meenakshi Rohilla - Staff Writer
The Sioux Lookout Municipal Environment Committee recently recognized Sherry McNear for her contributions towards Encouraging Environmental Awareness and Stewardship.
McNear said that it’s an honor to be recognized for her efforts. She added that it is about encouraging people to take care of the little things around them, which fosters a sense of satisfaction.
“I think when people can see what you’re doing; it gives people a vision of what they can do as well. So, we do our small parts to keep things good for the next generation to come,” said McNear. “If we take care of our planet, it takes care of us,” she added.
Municipal Environment Committee Vice-Chair Anne Saltel shared, “Sherry was brought to our attention by a member. With Earth Day and …No Mow zone months to protect the pollinators, the Environment Committee thought Sherry was a perfect candidate to be recognized.”
A Facebook post by the Municipality of Sioux Lookout shared that, “By practicing rethinking, refusing, reducing, reusing, repurposing and composting to rot, Sherry could be a motivational force to all of us.”
With major influence from her parents, McNear said that she was raised to integrate environmentally friendly practices to her daily life. She said, “For instance, even putting things in the recycling bin. If you have a milk carton…just to be able to poke the sides in and fold it flat, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space. Just small things like that, and I don’t like to have a lot of garbage, so I buy things in bulk and I put them in glass jars. This way I don’t have a lot of boxes to deal with, or plastic, if I can help it. My mom was using cloth bags even before it became a thing. She was just very practical, you take care of what you have, turn lights off when you leave a room and all the little things add up.”
McNear said that she has already started planting vegetables for the summer. She added that she recycles everything she can, and composts as much possible to ensure minimal garbage is produced. McNear said, “Especially as a vegan, mostly the only stuff is the peelings, so it goes to my compost and the garden is very happy for that.”
McNear shared that she also makes use of water that she may use to boil vegetables, to later water her plants. This not only saves some water, but also provides beneficial nutrients to the plants. She also tries to limit unnecessary driving. McNear experiments with a variety of flowers, to attract bees and hummingbirds and also has a bee house. McNear makes her own soda and sourdough, turns the internet and water heater off before bedtime and uses reusable shopping bags.
“It makes you feel good that you are taking care of what you have,” McNear concluded.