Welcome to Altona Community Action Network’s new column - AltonaCAN!
ACAN is a small group of concerned citizens who reach out to the community to educate and
inspire environmentally sustainable practices.
What has that looked like? We have hosted annual Earth Day events on various themes and
partnered with town council to bring year-round composting to Altona. It has meant coordinating
the community garden and supporting Boomerang Bags Altona to reduce our reliance on
single-use plastic bags. We have a newly formed Tree Team that hopes to have some more t
rees in the ground around Altona this fall. We were also gearing up to lead some waste
reduction efforts at this year’s Sunflower Festival, but sadly that will have to wait for next year.
What started as a fireside chat between two friends 5 years ago, has grown to a team of 9
members: Gavin Faurschou, Joanne Wiebe, Marilyn Houser Hamm, Joel Martin, Jack
Heppner, Jonah Langelotz, Amy Pankewich, Kelly Skelton and Connie Heppner Mueller.
Through a community supper and evening of conversation this January we have also identified
“Friends of ACAN” which is a larger group of supporters that we draw upon and keep in touch
with.
 |
| From left: Joanne Wiebe, Marilyn House Hamm, Gavin Faurschou, Kelly Skelton, Joel Martin, Connie Heppner Mueller, Jonah Langelotz Missing: Jack Heppner, Amy Pankewich |
During the current pandemic we have seen like never before how deeply we are all connected,
across the globe but also within our community. We have truly come together to support and
encourage each other during this time, but COVID-19 is not the first time we’ve seen Altona’s
community spirit. This community can do so many things. Altona can…
Make and keep our community beautiful
Come together in a crisis
Welcome newcomers
Offer services, programs and facilities that usually only larger centers can provide
Boast one of the best summer festivals around
Be proud of the quality of athletes and artists that call Altona home
We hope to be able to add many more things to that list like ‘Altona CAN work together to plant
more trees.’ or Altona CAN lead the way in encouraging biking and walking as our main
modes of transportation.’ or ‘Altona CAN drastically reduce its waste by composting and
recycling.’ We at ACAN are hopeful that we can continue to make this great community even
better. And in that spirit we introduce you to Altona CAN!
Comments
Post a Comment