Building birdhouses at Port Union Community Centre on Earth Day is always popular with the kids.


By Kathryn Stocks

There’s a lot happening in Centennial on Earth Day this year. Taking place on Saturday, April 21, there will be a community cleanup, birdhouse-building workshops for the kids, the Scouts’ second recycling fundraiser and Councillor JIm Hart’s Community Environment Day.

The community cleanup at Port Union Community Centre starts at 9:30 a.m. and goes until noon. Grab a garbage bag and gloves and head outside to help make Centennial beautiful by picking up the trash that has accumulated over the winter. Bring the whole family for this one! Bags and gloves will be available at both Port Union and West Rouge community centres. You’ll also be able to pick up compost at West Rouge and at the Councillor’s Environment Day.

Inside Port Union on that day, there will be birdhouse-building workshops for children with sessions at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. You can sign your child up at Port Union (416-396-4031) or at West Rouge (416‐396‐4147). Also at Port Union, representatives form the Blue Dot movement will be teaching kids about the environment, and the Lions will be selling rain barrels.

The recycling fundraiser for the 2nd Highland Creek Scouts will take place in the parking lot at Port Union from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They held this last year and it was a tremendous success so they’re doing it again. Councillor Jim Hart’s Community Environment Day will go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Colonel Danforth Park.

Both will be collecting things like e-waste, batteries, clean used clothing and linens, but remember that the Scouts’ event will be a fundraiser so if you can drop your stuff off there, please do. The Scouts will also take scrap metal, wire, Christmas lights, luggage, shoes and lots of other stuff. The councillor’s Environment Day is the place to go to dispose of unused medications, solvents, oils, pesticides, fluorescent bulbs, propane tanks, and to pick up compost. See their flyers on this page for all the details.