Young Montrealer helps children achieve eco-friendly living on new kids’ TV show

The new TV show ‘Green Squad’ is teaching children and families all around Canada how to live a more eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. One of the five hosts, Montrealer Éric Arsenault, sharing the gardening skills he acquired at the community garden in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

“It starts in the education of our children,” said Arsenault. “If we can really create good, safe, fun, engaging content for children to watch at home – and that’s Canadian-made – I think it really goes a step forward to helping the environment, the planet, and our communities.”

The 20-year-old learned how to garden at the age of 10 from his grandfather Paul Arsenault, an Acadian from New Brunswick. His grandfather passed on his knowledge of gardening and passion for environmental activism to Eric before he died in 2018.

A childhood picture of Eric Arsenault (left), his grandfather Paul Arsenault (middle), and sister (right) showing their harvest at a picnic bench in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue’s community garden. (Photo Credit: Eric Arsenault)

In one small plot, Eric and his grandfather would plant tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, kale, string beans, green beans, and yellow beans. During their harvest, they would take their meals at the picnic table nearby.

As the gardening host of ‘Green Squad,’ Arsenault’s favourite tip when farming is what his grandfather used to call the “thumb trick.”

“When you’re planting your seeds, you can stick your thumb in the ground and it makes the perfect hole to put two or three seeds,” Arsenault explained.

He, along four other young hosts, aim to help and guide children reach their eco-friendly goals in the TV show.

“A kid who wants to build a garden but doesn’t know how to. Or wants to stop driving to school but doesn’t know how to maybe use a bike or get there. Throughout the episode, we help them and guide them towards that goal of accomplishing a more eco-friendly habit,” Arsenault said.

“It’s really fun because most episodes, the family also gets involved – the brother, the sister, the parents. Or even the school or community.”