Behind the scenes of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup
They all require one heck of a lot of planning!
Interviewing and getting to know so many site coordinators for the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup was tons of fun and very inspiring. But I thought it would be great for everyone to know a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes here.
I sat down with my lovely colleague Ryley Murray to chat about what it was like being one of the behind-the-scenes coordinators leading up to this wonderful, nation-wide event. It was like talking to a proud mother…
When I asked Ryley what the most exciting part of planning has been, her face lit up as she said, “Getting media coverage! The stories are always fun and inspirational. The site coordinators have great things to say and it’s really nice to be able to get hard-working people the recognition they deserve.” She’s also pretty pumped to actually participate herself. “WWF and Vancouver Aquarium kickoff events are awesome! I work with such great people that getting together outside of work at these events is a blast.”
The site coordinators answered this question for us every week, but what is Ryley’s favorite part of this initiative? “I love that we facilitate groups of people getting together to do something good for the environment, and anyone can do it – from toddlers to seniors! Also, the average news day can be pretty sad, so these sorts of events bring positivity to the news.”
Ryley walking with the Panda and some adorable volunteers (c)Cliff Spicer
Excitement is building now that we’re just one day away from the beginning of a cleanup-filled week. All of the team’s hard work will soon be paying off, but I wanted to know what the biggest challenge was for Ryley in the past few months. “Honestly, I feel like there is a new challenge every day,” she chuckled. “But I loved those challenges and turned them into opportunities. This was my first time working start to finish on a campaign and getting the chance to take the lead on several aspects of communications and PR. Thankfully, it’s a team effort and I never felt alone because of my colleagues and our partners at Vancouver Aquarium. They are very helpful and supportive!”
Ryley also wanted to give a special shout out to the growing online community. She’s watched the social media network grow before her eyes – Twitter followers and Facebook fans make her job brighter every day. “I still get excited every time someone tweets at us, ‘likes us’, or posts on our wall!”
In closing, Ryley sends one final message to our readers and Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup participants: “We’ve made it easy for you to help protect our water and the wildlife that depends on it. All you have to do is go to shorelinecleanup.ca and sign up! If there’s a shoreline nearby that you love, get out there and clean it up! And don’t forget to let us know all about it: when you’re out there be sure to holla @ me!” (@cleanshorelines)