2014 Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
When Hailey and Ruby discovered that traces of pharmaceuticals were being found in Canada’s lakes, they decided to take action. The pair surveyed family and friends and found that most people don’t know how or where to dispose of pharmaceuticals.
“According to the article Pharmaceuticals in Our Water: A New Threat to Public Health, tests on water in North America have found trace amounts of antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatories, hormones, tranquilizers, chemotherapy drugs and drugs used to treat epilepsy and blood cholesterol.”
Hailey and Ruby created a brochure with details on how their community could properly dispose of medications, and delivered these brochures to doctors’ and dentists’ offices around Gimli. They also shared the information with the Home Care Co-ordinator and Senior Resource Manager as well as a private home care companies to expand their audience. “By informing people of the possible consequences of flushing meds on our watershed, we are confident that people will want to do the right thing. After all, we all want a healthy lake and watershed”