Flipping the script on adults teaching youth, the 34th annual Mayor’s Environmental Expo saw Mayor Jyoti Gondek getting lessons from students on the environment, along with some hard questions.
Taking a brief sojourn from the business of City Council on June 7, the mayor took in some of the exhibits presented by students from local area schools on waste management, recycling, composting, and bees.
“The students that are here tell us that the environment matters and that they are good stewards. And I think that kind of messaging is incredibly important to remember as we go about our day and as we make important policy decisions,” said Mayor Gondek.
“They’ve been asking me things like, do you have a good recycling and composting program? And we do. And they’ve been asking me questions like, how are you going to make sure that the buildings you’re building are good for the environment? So a lot of big questions.”
The expo connected schools with a wider Calgary audience in the Municipal Complex Atrium, serving both as a way for students to show what they have learned in their classes and to connect them with lessons and teachings from partners in the environmental space.
“We have a tendency to lean towards talking to the grownups that come to us at council, but this generation matters a lot, and I’m really happy to be here,” Mayor Gondek said.
She said the expo serves as a way for City decision-makers to engage with Calgary’s youth, to represent their priorities.
