ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Red Fish Route, was founded as a Caring for Our Watershed initiative; which is a local contest sponsored by Lower Trent Conservation and Nutrien (formerly Agrium).
Red Fish Route is an environmental, educational program, aimed at students in Grades 1-6; to teach the connection between drains in houses, schools and city buildings, to the streams, rivers and lakes in the surrounding area.
Display board used for presentations.
Using my love of science, I designed a hands-on experiment called “The Toilet Paper Challenge” to illustrate firsthand the comparison of disintegration rates of commonly flushed items, as well as, a static display, which shows a visual of more non-flushable items; like, make-up pads, ear swabs, unused medicines, kitty litter, toilet scrub pads, and dog feces bags, all of which do not disintegrate.
In addition, I created a logo; a fish, shaped and coloured red, like a stop sign, to remind people to ‘stop’ and think twice before they flush. Using the logo, stickers were made for school bathroom stalls, to be a visual reminder that human waste and toilet paper are the only two sewer approved flushable items.
Lastly, I designed a doorknob hanger that students who participate in my program can take home and colour to personalize and hang on their bathroom door, to help spread the knowledge they have gained to their family and friends.
In 2015, I pitched my ideas and won the contest.
It set me on an amazing path where I could give back to my community. Using the initial start-up money, I actually saw my proposal become a real program; which I continue to run to-date. The program works by “pay-it-forward” donations, where the participating schools, voluntarily cover the costs for their doorknob hangers and bathroom stall stickers, which enables another school in the future, to participate. On my exam breaks, PA Days, and at the annual Tri-county Children’s Water Festival, I have presented to over 6800 students in four different school boards, all in the Lower Trent Conservation Region.