Movement
A year of MOTHER, what does it change?
Birth
It's spring 2019 than 5 people, of different ages and backgrounds, get together over a meal (a pad thai, excellent by the way and maybe a bit historic) in order to start outlining what will become MARE. This first meeting was going to tint the rest : lots of ideas, but also a lot of fun and laughter.
The idea has been germinating for much longer than that and our very different paths lead us all to the same place.. There are large organizations fighting for the environment in urban centers, but supply is becoming rarer in areas where we find organizations with a specific niche and, mostly, a lot of people who want to do something, but who feel isolated and helpless in the face of the magnitude of the task.
What we want to start building, it is a network that will create links between these organizations and these individuals in order to unite regional forces in action.
A full meeting will be busy finding a name for this group that we want to form. It may seem like a waste of time, but it allowed us to better define the essence of what we were trying to create.
MOVEMENT : we quickly fell(e)s agree on this word which describes not only a grouping, but also something that moves, advancing.
ACTION : it might have seemed a bit repetitive since we had already included the idea of movement, but we liked this way of insisting that we would not be just a discussion group that brewed up good ideas without ever falling into the concrete. With movement and action in our name, we would have no choice and that is what we wanted!!!
REGIONAL : the idea of building environmental links in the region was essential in this project. We have long tried to name this region (Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Valleyfield, Suroît, …), to realize that it might be interesting to keep a blur so as not to be limited. And, if one day, other people wanted to replicate this idea in another region, the name would work as well.
ENVIRONMENT : there is surely no need to explain the why of this word!
And There you go, MARE had a name. We could have been the MRAE, but it sounded less good. Finally, for people who were fed up that the planet continues to degrade at this speed without governments taking the necessary action to deal with this emergency, it sounded pretty good!
The next step was to brainstorm to see if others could find the MARE interesting and useful. So we made the invitation in our personal networks and through some posters. The objective was rather humble : we were hoping to perhaps gather around 10 people rather than the 5 departure. We had quite a surprise : it's about 30 people, very enthusiastic, who attended this first public meeting held at the Wilson Pavilion in Coteau-du-Lac on 14 avril 2019!!!
It was during this meeting that we presented the basics of MARE :
- The infinite growth that capitalism requires implies the continual increase in the use of planetary resources and therefore represents a threat to our survival.
- Faced with the environmental emergency which is a collective problem, our response must be collective.
- We will use a computer tool (CIVICRM, free software) in order to build this network and communicate with members.
- Our priority : network people and organizations in action and with respect for people and the different paths to take.
This does not represent the birth of MARE, but rather a moment of conception.
The real birth will take place on 25 May 2019, in the little Wilson cafe, again crowded! We can't get over this participation, which will continue throughout this first year. We are trying a “Café du monde” formula (World Café) which allows rotation of discussion tables and easier speaking for all participants(e)s. The objective : find the first MARE action campaigns! We came out(e)s of this stuffed public meeting(e)s of ideas. It remained to try to materialize at least some of them in the following year.
the MARE, what does it change?
Here is an overview of the achievements of MARE which is approaching its first anniversary.
Concrete actions
- As part of Earth Day 2019, participation in a chore of cleaning the banks of the Soulanges canal in Les Coteaux as well as in Coteau-du-Lac. (28 avril 2019)
- Asphalt removal and planting activity in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in support of CRE Montérégie as part of the “Sous les pavés” project. (25 May 2019)
- Cleaning chore in support of “Save the wetlands of Saint-Zotique”. More than a tonne of waste has been removed. (9 June 2019)
- Red River cleanup. We have it, among others, drafted an entire sofa! (24 July 2019)
- Species census activity in support of “Save the wetlands of Saint-Zotique”. With the help of ornithologists, it was possible to identify 47 different species of birds present in these wetlands! (31 July 2019)
- Participation in the planting of 350 trees in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in support of “Crivert” as part of the “Plantation” program : carbon neutral mileage ”. (19 October 2019)
- Chore of cleaning the woodland at the Four Seasons Nature Center in Coteau-du-Lac. We removed the equivalent of 4 Waste trailers of this site! (26 October 2019)
Actions with municipalities
- In support of “Pincourt Vert – Save the Rousseau forest ”, simultaneous filing, the 10 September 2019, to the municipal council of Pincourt and the Minister of the Environment, Benoît charette, of a press release asking for the protection of certain ecosystems in our region.
During the meeting of the municipal council of Pincourt du 8 October 2019 : victory! Board members committed to enter into negotiations with property developers to protect Rousseau forest.
- In support of “Save the wetlands of Saint-Zotique”, the MARE is present in large numbers at the meeting of the municipal council of 15 October 2019 to file the press release requesting the protection of certain ecosystems in our region. The mayor assured us that "there were no longer any promoter projects targeting the wetlands located on either side of 65th avenue" (wetlands at the heart of “Save the Wetlands”)!
- The town of Coteau-du-Lac accepts, in October 2019, to stop mowing the lawn in front of the BMX park at the Four Seasons Nature Center. We installed poles between which the city spread mulch. This will allow MARE, In the coming years, to plant hundreds of trees !
- In November 2019, the town of Coteau-du-Lac makes a building available to the MARE. We wish, over the next few months, make it more than a meeting place so that this house becomes a real “House of the Environment”.
- the MARE, in collaboration with “Incroyables comestibles”, supports the Edible Pathways and Islets Project (horticultrice) by organizing numerous meetings with the municipalities of the region as well as with the DEV (Vaudreuil-Soulanges Development) responsible for the development of the cycle path along the Soulanges canal. The 19 January 2020, we are entitled to good news : the city of Coteau-du-Lac will finance the establishment of an edible island behind the town hall!
- The MARE works with decision-making bodies (City of Coteau-du-Lac, MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges, …) so that the Four Seasons Nature Center is protected in perpetuity from any real estate development. The city of Coteau-du-Lac agrees to fund a study to characterize the biodiversity of this forest! (January 2020)
- The city of Saint-Lazare presented, the 27 January 2020, at a public meeting, a draft zoning by-law to ensure the protection of the forest cover and promote the sustainable management of private forest. Several people from MARE were there to welcome this initiative, but also to submit a document proposing certain improvements to this project.
- MARE obtains a grant of 3500$ by Tree Canada to start establishing a nourishing forest in Coteau-du-Lac. (mars 2020)
- Since March 2020, the MARE, in collaboration with “Gmob”, “The Planet invites itself to Longueuil” and “TROVEP Montérégie”, begins the organization of a tour of the municipalities of the region so that they adhere to the Declaration of climate emergency (DUC) and that they draw up global action plans inspired by the DUC projects.
- Thanks to MARE's involvement with several bodies and organizations (COBAVER-VS, City of Coteau-du-Lac, Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC, Quebec Ministry of Transport), the tube that connects the Soulanges Canal to the southern part of the Red River is operational again. The river now receives good quality water, which should help to dilute fertilizers polluting the river, at least in its southern portion. (mars 2020)
MARE festivals
- the MARE, it's also the pleasure of being together! The 16 October 2019, memorable evening : meals to share, campfire, songs, discussions and a little madness!
- The 14 December, it's the MARE Christmas party. Guitars and trumpet, songs, visual arts, lectures, dance… Several members of MARE share their artistic talents, after another nice meal to share.
Manifestations
- The event for the climate that took place in Montreal on 27 September 2019, following the call of Greta Thunberg gathered 500 000 participant(e)s. The MARE was there with a group of people 50aine.
- In support of Wet’suwet’en, British Columbia First Nations Fighting Coastal GasLink Passage Through Their Territory, a movement of solidarity (manifestations, railway blockages, …) is being built across Canada. The MARE organizes support events in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield the 22 and 29 February, gathering 40 and 50 people in record time.
- We also started, in support of the Student Coalition for an Environmental and Social Turn (CEVES), to invite community organizations, environmental groups and people from the region to take part in a demonstration for environmental and social justice which was to take place in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on 3 avril 2020.
Following the pandemic (COVID-19), we finally organized a virtual event.
Communications
To build a real environmental action network, communication is essential. This is why the MARE has developed several communication platforms.
- Organizational meetings (MAREcredis On organise) and discussions (MAREcredis On jase) take place almost every week. These public meetings usually take place at the Maison de l'Environnement in Coteau-du-Lac. We also want to do it in other municipalities. It’s already started since we met(e)s in Vaudreuil-Dorion for TUESDAY “On jase” du 11 mars 2020.
- A newsletter is sent to 170 members of the MARE every week to inform them and invite them to meetings (MAREcredis) and actions of MARE. We already have a total of 54 newsletters in less than a year!
- Website summarizes what MARE is (Goals, met, actions, Photo gallery, blog).
- We are also present(e)s on Facebook with more than 1400 subscriber(e)s.
- Finally, since a few weeks, we are also visible on Twitter.
Therefore, the MARE, what does it change?
It's hard to believe that all of this could have been accomplished in the first year of MARE. No one could have predicted such a development a year ago.
This was possible thanks to the involvement of a very impressive number of people. Indeed, from 170 registered members(e)s to the newsletter, half were directly involved(e)s in this construction by their presence during meetings or actions!
The challenges remain numerous. Will we manage to maintain such a level of creativity, dynamism and commitment in the coming years? Will we succeed despite the new conditions imposed by the current pandemic? Can MARE continue to develop, here but also in other regions?
Surely it is permissible to be optimistic. It is with optimism that we are working together to build the MARE.
Our objective, is to change the world. Since 1 an, in our region, maybe it started a little…
Martin Legault
