Miles Mac students “Depave Paradise”

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This article was published 29/06/2022 (1247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EAST KILDONAN

Joni Mitchell would be proud. The morning of June 23, a group of students from Miles Macdonell Collegiate tore through more pitch than Mitchell herself as they “depaved” a portion of the school’s parking lot to put up paradise — or some greenery, at least.

About 40 students and some supervising adults brandished shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows as the sun beat down and the temperature neared 30 C. Some worked with freeze pops hanging from their mouths or pressed to their chests to cut the heat while they spread topsoil and wood chips.

The parking lot transformation had inspired the students to expand their work to upgrade the greenery adjacent the torn-up parking spaces, and it was already looking like a place people might want to catch some shade on a blistering day such as this.

The project was part of an initiative called Depave Paradise, which is headed by Green Communities Canada. However, to get things off the ground it took considerable work from other partners, most of all the students of the school’s Education for Sustainable Development club.

“This project that we’ve been working on, it’s by far the biggest thing that this club has done,” said Kultaj Kaur, who took charge of the club communications. “It brings the community together, because we all have this shared goal of wanting change and wanting to see improvements in making things more sustainable.”

The 16-year-old Kaur said it took a lot of work to get to this point. The club divided itself into several teams — communications, fundraising, volunteer co-ordination, and logistics. Each group had to lead the charge in its own specialty, while also working hand in hand with the rest of the club to ensure everyone was inching toward the same end.

When the first step of demolishing the pavement began, Kaur said the excitement was palpable.

“Everyone was like: ‘oh my goodness, this is actually happening.’ Because it was all theory until right now, and it’s actually going to happen, which is really exciting because we’ve all had it in our heads, and it’s coming to life.”

Susan Lindsay, the project manager representing Depave Paradise through local organization Climate Change Connection, said the students were gung-ho on the project from day one.

“I went to them with the idea that this was a possibility, and the cool thing was they said yes right away and had an idea for a spot … it really was youth led,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay said she helped mentor the students, but that amounted to giving them a bit of direction and letting them take the reins. Students arranged almost all the rest, she said.

“I believe projects like this give students the tools and experience to create change in their community, and then give them the hope that change is possible and we can do this,” Lindsay said.

Funding grants and support for the project came from Green Communities Canada, the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, the River East Transcona School Division, and Learning for a Sustainable Future. Greensite Recycling on Springfield Road donated the wood chips.