Event brings out more volunteers than ever

Cleaning the 180,000 square meters of the Marcel-Laurin woods is by no means an easy task. Fortunately, about 50 people rolled up their sleeves, raked and filled garbage bags all day to clean up the trash and debris that had accumulated on the site.

The borough of St. Laurent, the éco-quartier, members of Operation Montreal.net, as well as the Greater Montreal ecology committee also took part in the clean-up. The young members of the Vélogik program, which is organized by the Carrefour jeunesse emploi, left their bicycles behind that day to take on recycling; 12 members of the CARI St. Laurent helped strengthen the cleaning initiative as well.

“We had between two to three times as many participants as in years past!” exclaimed Robert Horvath, the St. Laurent éco-quartier director.

Equipped with all the tools necessary, groups of volunteers picked up everything from pieces of garbage, recyclables, and even some surprises.

“We picked up everything from small pieces of trash to really big pieces,” said Horvath. “We even found an old car!”

At the head of one cleaning-brigade was Guillaume, who said the event really opened people’s eyes up to some trash-facts: “You really realize that it takes an extremely long time for plastic bags to decompose,” he pointed out.

Following a medals and awards ceremony honoring participants with the “golden brooms”, Mayor Alan DeSousa highlighted how important it is for residents to enjoy and use the Marcel-Laurin woods.

Jean Filteau, who has deep roots in St. Laurent, also held a forest landscape photography exhibit.

“The clean-up initiative of the Marcel-Laurin woods was an exceptional event on the Island of Montreal,” said Gaby Beaulac, project leader and head of the environment division for St. Laurent. “We still need to complete the existing trails, restore the condition of the woods, and really make it ours,” she said.

(Translated by Elyse Amend)