A Scales Nature Park representative talks about Ontario snakes, during a presentation at the E3 Sustainability Summit, which took place at Georgian Downs Saturday. Humans need saving, not the planet.

At least that's what Brandon White was trying to teach residents at Georgian Downs last week. White, one of the organizers of the E3 Sustainability Summit, says people must start focusing on improving their lifestyles, and ensuring healthy and safe living standards.

"It's not the planet we need to save, it's us," he said. "It's about being more sustainable in the way we live, and setting a path for the future. You can't change the world overnight, but you can do little changes here and there. You really need to understand what the three E's are, to invoke any kind of real change. Energy, environment and economy are the three E's we're focusing on ... they're totally interconnected."

Hundreds of people attended the summit, which included about 20 vendors and seven guest speakers. The event helped promote businesses, by highlighting some of the sustainable and environmentally friendly products available locally.

"A big part of this is about promoting local businesses and organizations, to try to give them as much exposure as possible and let people know there's lots of people doing stuff like this now," said White. "The vendors seems happy and have made some genuine contacts."

The guest speakers also covered a variety of topics, including emergency preparedness, energy and sustainability, resource based economics, the social effects of taxation, and honesty, among others. Scales Nature Park also hosted a presentation on snakes, while The Scope columnist Bailey Thompson discussed her budding writing career and environmental based business, Green Like a Frog.

White hopes the summit will become an annual event.

"(This is here) for the same reason (people) turn the lights off. It's a relative mindset for people who care about using less," he said. "Even if it's for selfish reasons, you can save money on an electric bill and go out and have a nice dinner. I would like to see the place filled to the wall, but it's our first year. We've had great local support, and I expect this will be bigger and better next year." Photo by Chris Simon