Healthy Kids, Healthy Planet Month

Being a healthy kid is easier if you live on a healthy planet. A healthy planet needs clean air, clean water and clean land. Everyone can do a little piece and together it makes a big difference. You can help by walking or taking the bus instead of driving, packing a garbage-free lunch, or planting a tree (or 10!).

The Climate Action Team and the Healthy Kids Team are partnering up this month to talk about climate change and keeping you and the planet healthy. There are lots of programs in this year’s Healthy Kids passport to get you outside and active. Visit brantford.ca/HealthyKids to learn about the Healthy Kids passport and the free activities available for kids over March Break.

The City is also putting together a Climate Change Action Plan that will look at ways to use less energy and create fewer emissions at home, work and school. This helps to keep the planet healthy and consequently all of us who live here too! There are events and contests all year long to get involved and share your ideas.

We’ve put together some information on climate change and some easy things you can do at home and school and on the road to use less energy, create less waste and keep yourself healthy!

#MyClimateAction #Brantford Contest

What action will/did you take on March Break to make a healthy planet and fight climate change?

Let us know for a chance to win a Healthy Kids prize pack and a $50 Sport Chek gift card!

Share your action on the City’s Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram and add the hashtag #MyClimateAction #Brantford. You can also email ClimateAction@brantford.ca with the subject line “March Contest”.

The contest open to elementary and secondary students only. The winner will be chosen by our Climate Action team to be posted online. The contest deadline is Monday, March 30^th at 4:00 p.m. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 31^st. 

Climate Action Profile – Chili Willy Cook-Off Team!

The 13th annual “Chili Willy” Cook-Off in Harmony Square was held on Sunday, February 23, 2020 and was a great success! The Cook-Off featured a selection of unlimited chili tasting, showcasing local restaurants competing for the title of “Brantford’s Best Bowl of Chili”. 

Brian Witteveen from Strodes Bar-B-Que and Deli and the Parks and Recreation Community Events coordinating team Kristen Cormier, Brendan Stewart and Lori-Dawn Cavin did a fantastic job getting the event organized and did it in a sustainable way. In recent years styrofoam bowls have been used to serve every bowl of chili. This amounted to an average of 40 bags of styrofoam waste each year! Styrofoam is lightweight and insulating, but it takes up a lot of space in the landfill and is estimated to take over 500 years to decompose.

Following the City of Brantford’s Climate Emergency declaration, the organizing team was committed to reducing waste and making this popular event more sustainable. This year, with this goal in mind, the team decided to take a risk and increase the ticket price from $5 to $10. With the increased admission came a “Chili Willy” Cook-Off ceramic mug and compostable spoon for their chili tastings. The event also included compostable bowls for children (if needed) and did not provide napkins or plastic water bottles.  Children under 10 years of age, although free of charge, were encouraged to bring re-usable containers – those who did received a special prize. Through these waste-reduction initiatives, the team was able to reduce the total waste to only 7 bags of garbage for the whole event which attracted close to 1,500 people over 3 hours. That’s an 83% reduction in waste! 

The fantastic efforts of the Parks and Recreation team and Strodes BBQ made the 13th Annual “Chili Willy” Cook-Off a resounding success. Thank you, Brian, Kristen, Brendan and Lori-Dawn for your dedication to sustainability!