Barry Orr

Charlotte White
Mr. Baerg
ENG 4U SS
July 13 2021

The Road To A New Life
When I was 12 years old, I saw a presentation in school on microplastics affecting our
water system. I was horrified, I was scared, and I knew something needed to be done. I told my
parents over dinner about this new horrific revelation that turned my entire 12-year existence
upside down. My mum said she knew exactly who I needed to speak with… Barry Orr, a water
conservationist for the City of London and Municipal Enforcement Officer for wastewater
management. I needed to create a presentation for school, but I needed Barry’s help. Little did I
know how one phone call and a visit to the City of London would change my life, my beliefs,
and the lives of those around me over the next 4 years and years to come.
I quickly realized the decisions I made every day from flushing the toilet to drinking tap
water to consuming food impacted the water systems. Barry Orr’s mantra “toilets are not garbage
cans” and his campaign to educate the public changed my life. I was thirsty for knowledge, and I
needed to know more. I needed to save the world! But how does a 12-year-old kid get people to
listen? And not just any people… stubborn old people? People set in their ways leaving the tap
running while they brush their teeth, dumping their kid’s goldfish down the toilet and draining
their fats and oils into the sink with “a little hot water” to wash it down? Well, that is something I
am still working on. My message to them now is since we all need water, water conservation is
the responsibility of all of us. But in 2016 I had not figured it out, I was still learning.
In 2016 I went to visit the Water Waste Management division in the City of London
Ontario. My naïve curiosity fueled by passion and a need to change the world began at this very
moment. I met Barry. A man with incredible knowledge and more passion about water and water
conservation than anyone I had ever known. Barry took me on a tour of the plant. He showed me
experiments he was working on and some of the most horrific sights I had ever seen including a
“fatberg” that was removed from the sewer and bigger than this six-foot-tall man. The fatberg
was made of everything people are not supposed to put down the drain, like wipes, feminine
hygiene products, fats, and grease and so much more. He took me into the depths of the sewer
treatment facility and there were sights of items carelessly flushed into the sewers that were truly
inconceivable. I need to educate everyone, like Barry, on the harmful effects of plastics and all
the things contaminating our water and impacting wildlife and our environment.
Barry must have seen hope, a light, a young person who could make a difference. He
invited me to speak about my newfound passion at the World Environment Day in 2017 and
meet my new idols, The Water Brothers. I shared a quote I came up with that Barry proudly
tweeted to the world. It read, “This quote from a grade 7 student has made my day!” “Water is a
part of us. If we don’t take care of it, it can’t take care of us””. My presentation on June 6, 2017,
on World Environmental Day and meeting my newfound hero’s the Water Brothers solidified my
quest to save our water systems and ecosystem. Little did I know that this would lead me to a
new life of vegetarianism a year later. When I learned about the environmental impact and water
use that goes into producing meat, it was clear the decision I needed to make. The more
knowledge I gained the stronger my passion grew.
Now, my greatest challenge was educating those around me. The one thing so many
people take for granted is our water systems. If we all need water, then it is completely necessary
for everyone to assume responsibility. Everyone needs to learn about what can and cannot go
down the drain, and about what can and cannot be washed into our sewers. Every action counts,
there are over 7 billion people on earth, and each person relies on water, if everyone has the
mentality “someone else will do it” then there will be no change.
Fast forwarding to 2021 and reflecting on the past 5 years of my life. I became the eco
minister in my public school. I ran various educational campaigns within the school to promote
the use of re-usable water bottles, decrease the use of disposable plastics, educate those on the
effects of straws and stop the universal car wash graduation campaign. I endlessly hounded my
family to eliminate plastics in our home. I shortened my showers, turned off the tap when my
family brushed their teeth and adopted the good old cottage ways of “if it’s yellow let it mellow”.
I stopped my parents from putting dairy down the sink and guilted my mom every time she took
a plastic bag at the store. I inspired my younger siblings to follow in my footsteps and they
assumed my role as eco minister when I left my public school, carrying on the legacy.
The bottom line, my passion to save our water ecosystem has positively impacted those
around me. I have made a difference. I have changed the way my family shops, cooks, uses
water, and disposes of food waste. My friends may be annoyed at times when I criticize them for
taking a plastic straw or buying a bottle of water. But deep down I know I have made an impact
on them too. My mission is ongoing. It has now become a lifestyle and a part of who I am. My
passion is even stronger now because it is my belief system. I hope to continue my journey
formally by pursuing studies in environmental sciences at university. I am now three and a half
years into my new life as a vegetarian and hope to impact my family to make the same changes
as well. If one single kid can change the way her school, family and friends live, imagine what
would happen if everyone took responsibility.