Building a Healthier Future: EcoSuperior's 2025 Year in Review written for The Walleye
By Erin Moir, Co Executive Director, EcoSuperior
As a new year approaches, EcoSuperior is taking time to reflect on our community's tremendous efforts to support sustainability in Thunder Bay.
As the spring snow melted, EcoSuperior and the City of Thunder Bay kicked off the 29th annual Spring Up to Clean Up campaign on May 1st, alongside NorWest Community Health Centres. This year, more than 6,000 residents took part. Volunteers documented thousands of litter items, including over 4,300 cigarette butts, more than 1,000 pieces of microplastics, and hundreds of plastic bottles, food wrappers, and aluminum cans. The scale of this effort highlights just how deeply Thunder Bay residents care about keeping their city clean and protecting our waterways, including the treasured Lake Superior.
We were also excited to bring back our Painted Rain Barrel Auction, supported by generous local businesses and incredibly talented artists. Not only does this event promote water-wise practices, but it also showcases the remarkable artistic diversity within our community.
Throughout the year, we continued to deliver in-class and virtual programming for students in Thunder Bay and across the North Shore. We were honoured to receive the Transformational Impact: Youth Action Award from Green Communities Canada for our youth engagement efforts. Participation continues to grow, with more than 1,500 students reached annually.
Our low-waste initiatives also expanded, including the ongoing Huskee Mug Exchange Program. We were delighted to welcome Copper Kettle Coffeehouse as our second participating café, helping reduce single-use waste and encourage reusable alternatives.
In September, we hosted our first Guided Urban Tree Walk at Vickers Park in honour of National Tree Day. Some of the park's most notable tree species were highlighted, and how trees contribute to climate resilience was discussed. We look forward to continuing to educate the public about the importance of green infrastructure heading into 2026.
On November 1st, our Pumpkin Parade lit up Hillcrest Park with nearly 1,000 pumpkins. As the sun set, this incredible sight was enjoyed by families across the community. Beyond the magic of the evening, the event had a real environmental impact. The pumpkins were composted instead of heading to the landfill, reducing methane gas emissions and creating nutrient rich soil for the community.
Later in November, EcoSuperior reached an exciting milestone with the launch of Thunder Bay's first-ever Traffic Garden at West End Park, next to Hammarskjold High School. Designed as a miniature roadway environment, the Traffic Garden provides children and families with a safe space to learn road safety and cycling skills, supporting active, confident, and sustainable transportation from an early age.
As we move into 2026, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the entire community, not only for participating in our programs, but for embracing sustainable habits that make Thunder Bay a cleaner, healthier place to live. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to continuing to build a healthy future for people and the planet.
