The task of reducing global warming may sound very intimidating, but it's really the smaller things that usually end up making the biggest difference. For example, when you go for your coffee at your local coffee shop, where do you toss your empty cup? Do you recycle or do you throw it in with the regular trash? When you dispose of your household garbage, do you take the time to consider either recycling or composting through the City's Green Cart program? As citizens of one of the most vibrant and beautiful cities in North America, we have an opportunity to play a major role in preventing our planet from going to waste.

My family and I now only have one bag of garbage each week. We do our best to dispose of everything in its proper place while trying to help divert unnecessary garbage from our landfill sites. As parents, we can teach our kids the importance of recycling and proper disposal of garbage. This way, they will become responsible citizens. We can use energy saving light bulbs in our homes to keep our electricity costs down, and whenever possible, we can leave our cars behind and ride public transit or even walk to work. Not only do we save energy and reduce pollution in the process, we also keep ourselves in good physical condition.

I would like to commend our young people. Just recently, one young boy wrote to the City asking whether Hamilton would be participating in Earth Hour on March 29th. Also, students from McMaster University have been very active in spreading the message and some have written articles for their school magazine. In addition, kudos to Hamilton media outlets who have played a significant role in ensuring this message goes out to all Hamiltonians. I congratulate you for your efforts. Many school children and college students have been active while others have activities planned to commemorate Earth Day. You may ask, what difference will can one day make? We know that this one day will remind us of our obligations and will turn into many more days ahead. Together, let us try to educate everyone in our community about the importance of conservation, recycling, and protecting our environment.