Never Stop Learning

Last fall, I went to a volunteer recruitment event at Bow Valley College. After speaking with dozens of bright, and motivated people about the possibilities of volunteering with Green Calgary, I packed up the booth and, with my coworker Reka, headed to the elevators to take the materials back to the car.


Once we had piled all our materials into the elevator car, and the doors began to close, someone called out: "Wait!"


We held the doors for someone, and once she'd got onto the elevator, we discovered we were all going to the same parkade level.


"What are you doing at the college?" She asked. We were clearly carrying lots of gear.


"We were at the volunteer fair," Reka answered for us. The woman then noticed our name tags.


"Green Calgary," she asked. We nodded.


"You've heard of us?"


"Yeah, you came to my daughter's elementary school a long time ago."


The elevator came to a stop and we all got off. I divided up the supplies that would go back to the office with me from those that would go with Reka to her next meeting. The woman started to walk away, but then stopped and turned to us.


"You know, my daughter loved that worm program you delivered. She actually won an award in high school for environmental leadership. She's studying environmental sciences at the University of Calgary now. I thought you might like to know."


Reka and I were stunned by this sudden revelation. We thanked the woman and parted ways. It was a strange feeling at that moment, being part of Green Calgary. I have worked with Green Calgary for a little over 2 years, Reka at that time only for a few months, and neither of us had been part of the organization when this woman's daughter attended Green Calgary's Worms Love Leftovers program.


That bit of education was certainly a part of a greater whole - learning that we receive from formal institutions like schools and universities, as well as those from more informal sources, like governments and non-profits like Green Calgary - but it was meaningful to know that Green Calgary's programs had made a difference to someone anyhow, even as part of the whole.


Green Calgary is first and foremost an education charity, and we're devoted to lifelong learning. The UN's Global Education Monitoring Report from 2016 mentions lifelong learning alongside formal education, indigenous knowledge, and community learning as one part of a collaborative approach to increase knowledge and skills, giving people the ability, "to reduce or stop unsustainable practices and to adapt to consequences such as climate change" (35).


"Lifelong learning can help people live more sustainably all their lives," the report says. We hope that this is true and we use these principles to guide us. Come along on this journey with us.


If you want to see more of what we're doing, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.




This article originally appeared January 26th, 2019 in the Green Calgary newsletter, which you can join! Get all our blogs and event info delivered right to your email! Sign up at www.greencalgary.org!