VICTORIA – Church of the Advent, Colwood hosted an environmental expo in January, but the idea for the event started in the brain of youth member Taylor Gossman. Ms. Gossman, a senior in high school, is a passionate environmentalist. She plans to go into environmental science for her post-secondary education and hopes to make a career out of it.
“It’s something I’m very passionate about, and I think (the expo) really stemmed from me wanting to do something,” she says. “I’m a teenager and there’s not a lot I can do. But I knew that using the church would be a really good way to do something impactful in my community.”
The expo featured 15 local organizations and farms that focused on environmental sustainability. Each group hosted a table, and attendees could talk with leaders and volunteers to learn more about achievable actions they could take to help the environment. There were also presentations from speakers.
Ms. Gossman single-handedly organized the event, including marketing it. She put up posters around the community and posted about it on the church’s website and Facebook groups. The Rev. Ingrid Anderson, incumbent, also lent a hand by mentioning the event at services and encouraging parishioners to spread the word.
Their efforts paid off as the event attracted more than 150 people. Attendees were a mix of church members and citizens of the local community, including several teens and children.
Ms. Gossman says the event achieved its goal. “I think the biggest thing with the environment, and environment anxiety, is the fact that people really don’t know how they can get involved and how they can help the environment in their own community. So, giving people this opportunity to donate or to volunteer their time or to just learn about what’s happening and things they can do, I think was really impactful.”
Faith Tides
How newcomers can give money