Canadians Hear Their Call From the Wild
Posted on May 4, 2008
New social movement “The Big Wild” aims to move Canadian society to protect far more of its greatest asset – its wilderness
Across Canada, over the next two weeks major city dwellers from Victoria to St. John’s will see their urban streets literally going wild. With rooftop parking lot campsites, people rappelling from downtown buildings, and morning canoe commutes to work, a spectacle of kayak and paddle toting wilderness lovers will be inviting passersby to add their voice to The Big Wild – a new social movement founded by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Mountain Equipment Co-op to advance large-scale wilderness protection in Canada.
“The Big Wild movement is a new way for everyone who cares about our country’s wilderness to voice their support for protecting it. We are encouraging every citizen to participate in this new vehicle that promotes leadership in wilderness conservation. Through The Big Wild we want Canadians to create a collective voice that is so strong, that we can convince our country’s leaders – at all levels – to make a difference that will ultimately have global impact,” says David Labistour, CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Canada is home to one-fifth of the world’s remaining wilderness, but we have protected less than 10 per cent of our lands and less than one per cent of our waters from industrial activity. “Every Canadian is a landlord to our wilderness and it’s on our watch that Canada will decide whether we set a new global standard for our planet’s health,” says Anne Levesque, CPAWS’ national executive director.
The Big Wild vision is that Canada will protect at least half of its wilderness. The vision is based on a growing body of science that supports protecting large-scale wilderness to prevent ecosystems from collapsing.
Canadians can participate in this movement by giving as little as two minutes or as much as two
months of their time. They can:
- Add their voice to The Big Wild online declaration in support of protecting at least half of Canada’s wilderness forever at www.thebigwild.org
- Wear a Big Wild lace and share a lace. Green shoelaces will be available at Mountain Equipment Co-op for a small donation to The Big Wild fund. Canadians are being asked to wear one and spread the word by passing the other lace onto a friend
- Share experiences and dedicate an adventure into Canada’s great wilderness at www.thebigwild.org, by creating profiles, uploading stories, photos and videos, and raising funds for wilderness conservation
Well-known Canadians including Sam Roberts (Musician), K-OS (Musician), Bruce Kirkby (Author & Adventurer), Sara Potvin-Bernal (Team Canada Whitewater Slalom Kayaker), Becky Mason (Artist and Canoeist), Margie Gillis (Solo Dance Artist), Wade Davis (Author & Writer), and Luc Picard (Actor) are already supporting the initiative by either wearing a green lace or adding their voice online at www.thebigwild.org.
Canada’s “Big Wild” refers to all of those parts of the country that are still in their natural state – vast undeveloped areas that are pristine and roadless, ranging from coastal temperate rainforests through the Boreal forest to the wild arctic – areas of Canada where diverse ecosystems remain largely intact.
Compared to Canada, other countries have done more to protect their wilderness. Australia for example has already protected 33 per cent of its Great Barrier Reef; Indonesia has declared 25 per cent of its forested land as “totally protected areas”; and the US government has protected 40 per cent of Alaska’s federally-owned land.
“Small voices can create big change,” says Labistour. “We hope The Big Wild will help propel a mainstream consciousness shift in Canada, to a culture of protecting our wilderness.”
About The Big Wild™
The Big Wild™ is an initiative launched by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) to mobilize Canadians to demonstrate support for the protection of Canada’s publicly-owned wilderness. The vision of the movement is that Canada will protect at least half of our wilderness from industrial development. Donations to The Big Wild are deposited into a charitable fund established to support wilderness conservation campaigns. For more information please visit www.thebigwild.org.
About The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada’s only non-government organization devoted solely to large-landscape wilderness protection. Established in 1963, CPAWS has been instrumental in protecting over 400,000 km2 of Canada’s most treasured wild places, including Pacific Rim, Killarney, Nahanni, Kluane, Pukaskwa and Gwaii Haanas. Today CPAWS has 13 chapters covering nearly every province and territory and is in regular contact with 40,000 supporters across Canada. For more information, please visit: www.cpaws.org.
About Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)
Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), Canada’s largest retail cooperative for self-propelled outdoor recreational clothing and equipment. MEC provides quality products and services for activities such as hiking, climbing, and skiing. Established in 1971, MEC has more than 2.7 million members throughout Canada and the world. For more information, please visit: www.mec.ca.
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Media requiring further information/interviews, please contact:
Penny Savoie / Sonia Gallo
DDB Public Relations
(416) 963-4532 / (416) 963-4270
penny.savoie@can.ddbpr.com / sonia.gallo@can.ddbpr.com
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