Coffee cups and cigarette butts are among the most common items Jimmy Vigneux finds when picking up trash in Montreal. “I collect like 500 coffee cups in the last days,” said Vigneux, who is the co-founder of Mission 1,000 Tonnes. The NGO is dedicated to mobilizing people to collect garbage before it reaches the waterways. This week, he is walking the perimeter of the Island of Montreal, filling up garbage bag after garbage bag. He started Saturday in the Old Port and plans to complete the roughly 140-kilometre trek by Friday. He stays at hotels overnight. On Wednesday, which coincides with Earth Day, he was combing through streets in Montreal North. The walk is part of a broader effort to raise awareness about plastic pollution and climate change. “We need to take more action and to take care of our planet,” said Vigneux. “In the next 10, 20, 30 years, we will live with the impact of climate change.” Vigneux hopes his week-long demonstration will motivate others to do their part. According to Mission 1,000 Tonnes, the organization has collected 750 tons of waste in the past eight years. “I think we need to keep the environment as a priority,” Vigneux said.
