Executive | History/accomplishments | Special statement on decolonization
Mission, vision, values, goals | How can you help us?
Established in 1989, Clean North is a registered charitable environmental awareness group (Charity Registration #130567456RR0001; canada.ca/charities-giving) dedicated to helping Sault Ste. Marie to become as clean and green as possible for our sake as well as our children and grandchildren’s.
We meet at 7 pm on the first Tuesday of every month (click Events tab in main menu for details) and use a consensus-based approach to decide what projects to pursue and how.
Our office is at 736‐A Queen Street East in the Sault, but we participate in events throughout the area. Our office is staffed by volunteers, keeping costs low. We have an Environmental Resource Room that is open to all. Since we’re run by volunteers, calling first is always a good idea (705-945-1573). Other ways we educate people about local environmental issues and provide tips on how to lead greener lives:
- This blog (scroll down our home page to find the tag cloud for topics)
- Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@cleannorthsault)
- Our monthly News You Can Use newsletter (email info@cleannorth.org to subscribe)
Questions? Contact us at info@cleannorth.org, (705)945-1573.
History/accomplishments
Since, 1989, Clean North has been the premiere citizens’ environmental group in Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District. Clean North was started by Andrea Welz with the original goal being to lobby the city to start a Blue Box Program, which finally happened in 1991. We attained our charitable status in 1990.
We are a grassroots organization run entirely by volunteers and funded through memberships and donations (learn more about volunteering with Clean North). Our goal is to promote environmental protection through reduction, reuse, and recycling of residential and industrial waste in Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District.
We are a proven leader in helping local businesses and people divert a wide range of waste from our local landfill and lead greener, healthier lives. Our first project was to get blue box recycling started in Sault Ste. Marie. And we did just that!
Another of our early waste diversion projects was collecting Christmas trees and chipping them into mulch for local gardens. Over the past 25 years, we’ve kept more than 100,000 Christmas trees out of the landfill — and provided hundreds of local gardeners with fantastic mulch! This annual event is still going strong.
What else have we accomplished over the past 30 years?
- We’ve played an important role in diverting tons of toxins from our landfills and sewer systems. In spring 2000, we began collecting e-waste such as computers and other electronics to keep toxic chemicals such as mercury, lead, and arsenic from ending up in the landfill. Over the next seven years, we collected more than 400 tons of e-waste! The City of Sault Ste. Marie is now running this program.
- We’ve been a leader in diverting other toxic waste—styrofoam, batteries, paint, and more. Less chemical pollution = less environmental and health costs for all of us. Chemicals from waste can get into our air and water, affecting our children’s brain development and overall health. Children who grow up in a less polluted environment are better able to learn.
- We wrote an operating plan for the city’s hazardous waste program, which the city promptly adopted. This plan earned the city the highest grant ever given by the province’s Waste Diversion Organization. In addition, we have a downtown storefront that gives you easy access to information about everything green, from composting to nuclear waste disposal.
- We offer people of all ages—ranging from kids to seniors—many opportunities to learn about diverting waste and protecting ecosystems. Over the years, hundreds of people in our community have volunteered for Clean North projects ranging from planting trees to collecting recyclables to building bathouses to working with MNRF on a peregrine falcon release project—and so much more.
- We’ve helped the bottom line of local residents by making and selling many rain barrels, reducing water bills.
- Finally, we’ve been a strong and visible leader for a more vibrant and healthy natural community, including organizing the planting of thousands of trees in the Sault Ste. Marie area and lending our support to local community gardens, the annual Horticultural Society Seedy Saturday event, the city beautification contest, and many other worthy local projects that contribute to the Sault being Naturally Gifted.
Special statement on decolonization
In everything we do, we strive to decolonize our thinking and practices, including:
- Maintaining a deep respect for the land, water, flora, and fauna as well as the Indigenous people who’ve cared for them for millennia
- Educating ourselves about Indigenous environmental knowledge, wisdom, practices, and concerns and incorporating those into what we do
- Amplifying Indigenous voices and perspectives on environment and sustainability
- Inviting Indigenous peoples to work with us on our environmental initiatives
- Supporting Indigenous peoples as they seek environmental justice and redress for acts of environmental racism
Mission, vision, values, goals
Our mission: To promote environmental conservation and sustainability through partnerships, public education, and projects that demonstrate “green” practices.
Our vision: Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District will be committed to protecting and ensuring sustainable use of our air, water, and soil resources to benefit our communities, ecosystems, the climate, and our children and grandchildren.
Our values: Clean North will use the following principles to plan and execute regular business and projects, focusing on realistic, measurable positive changes in the Sault and Algoma District through small, additive actions:
- Fostering a diverse, grassroots local organization, made up of individuals and families who share similar values in protecting our environment and reducing harm to people, fish and wildlife, ecosystems, and our climate
- Maintaining a 100% volunteer-based operation, with active participants from Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District
- Focusing our tactical projects in the local community but providing select advocacy support for environmental protection and greenhouse gas reduction policies and
- initiatives at the provincial and national levels
- Fostering open, respectful, and inclusive meetings, projects, collaborations and events
- As much as possible, using consensus building to make decisions
- Using email, social media, and other web-based tools to help inform our members, volunteers, donors, subscribers, and the general public about our projects, activities, events and key environmental and climate change issues affecting them and our local ecosystems
- Operating at all times within the scope of the Clean North constitution and maintaining registered charity status in good standing with Canada Revenue Agency
- Ensuring transparent and ethical business practices and adhering to accurate and timely accounting of all revenues, expenditures, assets, and liabilities
Our goals: Clean North will work towards our vision and mission by sharing conservation news and tips through our website, email and social media providing how-to guides and demonstrations; partnering with the city and other organizations, and leading projects in the following areas:
- Organizing recycling and reuse projects, such as the annual Christmas tree collection and mulch give away events
- Encouraging residents, policy makers and business leaders to make choices that reduce waste and reduce our carbon footprint, such as buying less, buying quality, reducing plastic use, reducing energy use, using public transit, walking/cycling more, shopping ethically, shopping thrift, reusing, repurposing, repairing, sharing, composting, recycling properly
- Educating the public about rainwater collection to help reduce runoff, municipal water consumption, and emissions associated with water treatment.
- Advocating for public policy and homeowner choices that help protect urban and forest trees and mitigate climate change
- Collaborating with other organizations to support food security in Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District through supporting community gardening and local food banks and addressing food waste
- Leading and partnering in programs to recognize local businesses/organizations, citizens and students who improve our environment
- Promoting a clean healthy environment by preserving our wetlands, reducing industrial pollution, and reducing local greenhouse gas emissions