The Documentary Story

Three years ago, Rochelle Byrne had just started her not-for-profit, A Greener Future. She was determined to help preserve our environment and to inspire others to take action. When the idea to start Love Your Lake came to her, she had almost no funding, was working as an unpaid staff of one and was in her third trimester. She knew it was crazy, completing a series of 100 clean-ups along the shores of Lake Ontario is not something most people would take on with a baby on the way and less than a year to plan for the adventure, but she was determined to raise awareness for the neglected Lake.

Looking back Rochelle, herself, will tell you her goals were outrageous and her mission nearly impossible, but when Rochelle gets an idea in her head, her passion and commitment make her an unstoppable force. Several months later, with the support of many and her new born son Linden slung to her back, Rochelle completed her first Love Your Lake campaign. But that was just the beginning.

Now in its third year of life, Rochelle and her volunteers have picked up over 148,000 pieces of plastic during the clean-ups. With each passing year the program reaches new levels of awareness and connection with the public, but the Lake doesn’t seem to be getting any cleaner.

It’s becoming more and more difficult for Rochelle and her team of volunteers to return to these beaches and shorelines, facing what feels like identical mounds of plastic year after year. It forces the question, are enough people listening?

This summer Rochelle is on a mission to pick, pluck and pull her way to making a lasting impact on the lake that so many call home. Fighting unpredictable weather conditions, sacrificing valuable time with her two year old son and husband, and doing it all without assured financial support, Rochelle will push past obstacle after obstacle to be the voice for a cause in need of rescue, and to share with others the power of choice.

The State of Lake Ontario: 

It is estimated that over 3 million pieces of litter are dumped into Lake Ontario annually. The amount of plastic  tossed in each year is equivalent to 28 Olympic sized swimming pools filled with water bottles. These remnants of our single-use, expendable society are suffocating our lake, a lake that provides drinking water for 6.3 million people. And what’s scarier, studies have shown that our waste water treatment plants lack the capabilities to remove all of the microscopic bits of plastic floating in it - meaning that, yes, that glass of water you are drinking may contain tiny plastic particles.

Lately, we have been inundated by media reports on the detriments of plastic in our lives, but what Rochelle is finding in the lake each year is more than just a number or a statistic. She’s finding a bizarre catalogue of real, tangible waste. From toilet seats to a hookah to a still edible eggplant these items have no place in our lake and what’s worse they're destroying habitats, homes, and suffocating the Lake Ontario shoreline.

Your Support

The plastic pollution in Lake Ontario is a cause that's near and dear to Rochelle and the cast and crew of this film. Not only do we want you to join and experience Rochelle's epic adventure first hand, we want to inspire you and audiences across Canada to take steps in their own lives to save their lakes, and truly understand the impact they can make through awareness and effort. Making a documentary is a huge undertaking. It requires a team of experts in the field. From camera operators, to sound technicians, to our director, we want to make this film as visually stunning and moving as possible and that requires your help. If you've ever lounged by the beach, paddled in a kayak, or dove into the chilly waves on an early summer afternoon we need your help to preserve this beauty.

What Will Funding Go Towards?

Production: $6,200 
Food, fuel & modest day-rates for our hard-working production team (producer, director, cinematography, location sound recording) + necessary equipment rental.

We believe in paying our crew of skilled technicians and artists fairly. Each of the highly skilled members of our team bring their own expertise to the film that will take the piece to the next level.

Post Production: $7,500 
Picture editing, sound editing, colour correction, and music composition.

For a documentary that is focused on the beauty of Ontario's natural landscape it is key that each shot inspires and stirs our audience, to achieve this we need the funds to pay our band of sound editing, colour correcting and music composing wizards.

Fundrazr Fees: $1,300
7.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Let's Make Magic!

So many of us love our lake, but have no idea of the effects we as a society are having on it. We promise to make a film that will bring to light these pressing issues while lifting you up with the story of one strong woman making a difference, and inspiring us all to do the same. We love our lake, do you?