Long Branch Tree Fest
September 25, 2022 12 – 4 pm
Marie Curtis Park
After a summer of NO rain, as in an extremely disturbing period of drought, the heavens opened on the day StopPlastics was scheduled to exhibit at the Long Branch Tree Fest!!! No matter though, the StopPlastics volunteers soldiered on. And our Star Attraction a stone turtle sculpture (courtesy of artist extraordinaire Scott), didn’t mind the rain at all, and anyway, the deluge magically stopped at our scheduled starting time. And while we’re on the topic of extraordinarily talented people, we salute Ben for bringing us treats 
and showing us how to REALLY go waste free. (He served treats in prepared milkweed pods and provided skewers made of willow bark).
The highlights of the day were:
- Meeting all the wonderful people of South Etobicoke and beyond who understand the need to severely curtail our use of plastic and who came forward to say as much by sending a postcard message to the mayor or to their councilor.
- Having our elected reps from all 3 levels of government visit our display—Councillor Grimes, MPP
Christine Hogarth and MP James Maloney. We had the opportunity to impress upon them the crisis of plastic pollution in Lake Ontario, in the Great Lakes and beyond. We told them how the 8 species of Ontario turtles are all threatened, 
some on the extinction list, and that they are severely harmed by plastic pollution. We tried our best to make the case for plastics restrictions and bans, though their lackluster responses so far are VERY disappointing. Still it’d be nice if politicians could show up more often for public events like they did for the Tree Fest.
We are very, very, grateful to the volunteers who set up and manned the display. Awesome effort by StopPlastics volunteers!