Westmount welcomes the Green Patrol

The Green Patrol programme is run by the Conseil régional de l'environnement de Montréal (CRE), sponsored by Canada Summer Jobs, and supervised out of Éco-quartier Peter-McGill. Locally, our environmental coordinator at Public Works is in charge. The patrollers are here for eight weeks, and their job is to meet with residents and business owners to promote and inform them about City programmes and by-laws that relate to protecting the environment, using leaflets and publicity supplied by Westmount.

The students have had to learn a lot before going out and meeting the people who live, work, and play in Westmount. Their campaign is officially based on the following three subjects: Waste Management, Climate Change and Ecological Gardening. As such, they have to know about garbage reduction and recycling, for example: what goes into the blue box, and how to sort properly. They will promote the use of permanent depots for recycling, used clothing, batteries, scrap metal and used electronics. They will have information about the safe disposal of Household Hazardous Waste, and promotional material for HHWs — how to dispose of it safely, either at eco-centres or during mobile collections.

The Green Patrol will have publicity and informative literature about our anti-idling bylaw. They will be ready to talk to children at Westmount's day camps, to give demonstrations, for example of vermin-composting, and they'll be ready to organize tours of Complex St. Michel for residents and daycares.

Westmount is participating in the nation-wide "Communities in Bloom" competition, so the Green Patrol will help us with our focus on cleanliness in laneways and commercial sectors, and on helping people to identify and remove ragweed. They will be ready to talk to merchants about installing exterior cigarette receptacles, for example, or about proper garbage storage. They'll be able to give information on other issues that concern merchants such as garbage cans at outside terraces.

The Green Patrol will be promoting the Public Works' garden waste pickup, and will help the city with its on-going campaign to inform gardeners about the seasonal ban on the use of leaf blowers. For residents, they will talk about ecological gardening practices, and natural alternatives to grass.

In the words of Paul-Antoine Troxler, of the Éco-quartier services group (and translated unofficially by me) "the patrols can play a part in raising ecological awareness among citizens and thus help citizens become active in protecting the urban environment. Montrealers (in our case, Westmounters) will be better able to understand the connection between the way they live, and sustainable development."

One of the two students is a Westmount resident. Both are bilingual. They'll be happy to talk to you — let's make them welcome, and listen to what they have to say.

• George Bowser is City Councillor for District 5 and Commissioner of Public Works and Parks.