The Ursuline Sisters have been a big part of the history of Chatham for many years and continue their role as community leaders by setting an example on how to care for the world around us.
Starting with Ursuline College (The Pines) and the original Mother House on the property on Grand Avenue, the sisters were a large part of Catholic education in Chatham, and anyone who visited the round chapel can attest to its unique beauty.
Once the order no longer required such a large residence, the property attached to the Pines was sold and a new building was designed on McNaughton Avenue West, with nature and having the least impact on the environment as possible in mind.
Villa Merici was born, named after the founder of their order, Angela Merici. With a state-of-the-art solar power generation and geothermal heat generation, the building is known for not only its beauty, but its commitment to protecting the environment.
This week, the Ursuline community took its commitment a step further with the installation of the Rocket, a large-scale composter that boosts their waste-reduction stats from 30 per cent to a staggering 70 per cent.
Unlike most backyard composters, the Rocket is able to take all food waste, including meat, and break it down into rich, black compost in just 14 days.
The “black gold” can then be used in community gardens to boost the growing potential of vegetables.
Its that kind of thinking that, while it comes automatically to the Ursulines, is a great motivator and role model to the rest of the community. Making recycling and composting such an engrained part of their daily routine puts the people at Villa Merici head and shoulders above most community organizations in their commitment to the world around them.
If schools, institutions, corporations and homeowners joined in the same effort, Chatham-Kent could truly set an incredible example for other communities on how it is done.
