Saving the world one island at a time. That’s the goal of our friends at Pelee Island Eco Works.
What is Pelee Island Eco Works?
Pelee Island Eco Works is a group of volunteers interested in supporting Pelee Island’s natural beauty and ecological community. Their projects address topics including bird biodiversity, invasive species, responsible consumerism, sustainable lifestyle, healthy Great Lakes and minimizing plastic waste. The goal is to share ecological knowledge and environmentally responsible practices with specific focus on Pelee Island.
They are part of the Pelee Island Community Arts (PICA) umbrella. The group creates yearly series of eco-stewardship activities and classes for everyone connected to Pelee Island to enjoy. Based from the Art Works shop, the group works with community members and businesses to create positive environmental change.
Founded in 2018, their focus was on organizing Pelee Island Beach-Shoreline Community Clean Ups. Picking up the plastic on the beaches and shorelines was a simple but crucial step in shining the light on just how big of an issue plastic is in our Great Lakes.
The Plastic Problem
“As we see with our world’s oceans, our Great Lakes too are choking up with the plastic buildup. That turns into plastic in our wildlife and eventually into our food chain,” shared Sue Rice, PICA President. “We were grateful for the incredible support we received in year 1 of this program. And thrilled that in year 2, people were making it a practice to clean the beach on their own beach walks too.”
This year, the group collaborated with the Pelee Island Community Co-op to stop the use of plastic bags. Eco Works held community t-shirt drives and volunteers made bags from them for the Co-op to offer customers. The program once again was embraced enthusiastically by everyone on the island. Many residents and visitors offering free will donations for the t-shirt bags.
With year 3 on the horizon, Pelee Ecoworks is reviewing which program it will adopt.
“It’s all about community and sustainability so we will be asking questions, collecting ideas and making plans this winter,” said Rice.
We are honoured to be pairing with Eco Works this year through our Eco Wines. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will be donated to Pelee Eco Works for programs on the Pelee Island.
Learn more about Eco Works here.
To support Eco Works through our Eco Wines partnership, you can stop by our Kingsville Retail Boutique or order via our online shop.
Pssttt… Don’t forget while you’re here to sign up for our Birthday Club and receive a $20 Gift Voucher for your Birthday!