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Climate Action in The Classroom

Vision

Our class was first introduced to the action project through watching youth forums in October of 2023. The purpose of these forums was to get young people involved in important discussions and climate action-related activities. Through this project, we hoped to take successful measures in our community, inform others regarding climate change, and inspire other students to take action as well.

During the youth forums, we noticed there were many news reports in Ontario emphasizing different climate-related topics. The media was filled with a wide range of issues that had to do with climate change. Whether it was from wildfires and floods to air pollution and deforestation, there was a vast amount of environmental issues that we, as eighth graders, became interested in. We became inspired to think of different ways that we could help to make a difference.

We decided to divide up our class into smaller subgroups after seeing how diverse our interests were and how we all had different aspects of climate change that we wanted to take action on. With this approach, each group was able to concentrate on one particular issue that matched their areas of interest. We felt that working on multiple initiatives, as opposed to focusing on one large project would allow us to cover a greater extent of problems and tackle a wider variety of climate change challenges.

Each subgroup selected a distinct topic of interest in relation to climate action. The following is a brief summary of the initiatives that each subgroup worked on:

Group 1: Shrihan, Umer, Bramilian, Sahman & Zayan – Pollution of Fireworks

This group of five started this initiative because in our community, fireworks are used in huge amounts at every celebration, smogging up our city and making the skies grey. Around October 2023, following Diwali, the Festival of Lights, the city of Brampton officially banned the sale and usage of personal fireworks. After finding out that this ban was put into place, this group realized that although fireworks provide short term enjoyment with dazzling displays, they also pose many long term threats to both us and the environment. Their research showed that fireworks release harmful gases causing respiratory issues, contaminating water sources with poisonous chemicals, and harm animals who mistake firework debris for food. As a result, they decided to use this topic for their action project.

Group 2: Yashita, Nethra, Samar, Rahul & Aarwin – Harmful Effects of Synthetic Fertilizer

The goal of this group of five was to eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizers derived from chemicals. Studies revealed that despite the harmful effects synthetic fertilizers have on human health and the environment, there has been no proper action against them for an entirety of 12 years. After discovering that so little action had been taken over such a long period of time, this group decided to put it into their own hands and think of sustainable solutions to this issue.

Group 3: Keishanna, Erin, Ava, Areesha & Mannat – Snowless Winters

This group of 5 noticed how there were many news reports about Canada’s winters being lighter and less snowy due to changing weather patterns. The group wanted to bring attention to the matter since the possibility of snowless winters in Ontario was a major worry. The group chose to focus on their initiative on promoting climate action to lessen the consequences of global warming and increasing public awareness of the impacts of snowless winters in order to address these issues. Their goals were to raise awareness among their peers and the local community about the origins and effects of shifting weather patterns as well as to promote activities that may contribute to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.

Group 4: Ayush, Zuhair, Aarav & Farhan – Plastic Pollution

After learning about the recent lifting of the ban on single-use plastics in November 2023, this group of four ultimately decided to make their action project on plastic pollution. The group was surprised by the Canadian court’s choice to remove the ban on single-use plastics because it presented another risk to the environment. They were aware that plastic pollution has been a serious problem going on for a long time, killing species and causing ecosystems to deteriorate. With the ban lifted, plastic would still find its way into landfills, streams, lakes, and the ocean, worsening the already severe environmental crisis.

Group 5: Amreen, Yaathusha, Aashika & Jack – Urban Heat Island Effect

This group of four became interested in the idea of urban heat islands (UHIs) after learning that the United Nations announced that July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded. They had issued a warning stating, “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.” This group decided to look into the unique topic of UHIs after seeing this in order to learn more about this concerning trend and how these isolated areas of extreme heat affect the larger problem of climate change. The group found that there could be a 5-7 degree Celsius temperature difference between rural and urban cities. As a result, they decided that their action project would help with the UHIE’s important concerns, and would center on increasing public knowledge of UHIs. By working together, they identified various workable solutions to lessen their effects.

Action

Group 1: Shrihan, Umer, Bramilian, Sahman & Zayan – Pollution of Fireworks

What they did:

– Created a scale model showing how much pollution is caused due to fireworks.
– Displayed a trifold board at our winter wonderland festival where parents and kids alike came and listened in on how fireworks are affecting our world.
– Gained 75 signatures for a petition to ban fireworks.
– Plan to interview the local police force after getting 100 signatures on the petition to ask why they are not enforcing the ban on fireworks to gain a broader understanding on why fireworks are still not getting the enforcement they need on the ban.

Group 2: Yashita, Nethra, Samar, Rahul & Aarwin – Harmful Effects of Synthetic Fertilizer

What they did:

– Ran an interactive station, visited by many people at our school’s Winter Wonderland Festival
– Awareness campaigns
– Instagram account reaching almost 100+ people
– Activities with younger through our school grades
– Meetings/talks with Navjit Kaur Brar, the city counsellor, discussing the volunteer opportunities currently available for citizens to help and Brampton’s incentives for sustainable agriculture

Group 3: Keishanna, Erin, Ava, Areesha & Mannat – Snowless Winters

What they did:

– Created a website and put posters around the school
– Provided a climate action tracker to students to help them track how often they are using environmentally friendly solutions to help stop climate change.
– Set up a booth at our school’s winter wonderland explaining the impacts of snowless winters and the role of climate change.

Group 4: Ayush, Zuhair, Aarav & Farhan – Plastic Pollution

What they did:

– Displayed a trifold board at the Winter Wonderland Festival to inform families of the effects plastic has on the world.
– Created a website and a petition, gathering over 150 signatures.
– Presented their findings to the grade 2 students at our school.

Group 5: Amreen, Yaathusha, Aashika & Jack – Urban Heat Island Effect

What they did:

– Set up a booth at the school’s Winter Wonderland Festival to spread awareness.
– Created a 3D model, posters, and a website.
– Conducted a survey on solar panels and dark stones in backyards.
– Reached out to Navjit Brar for insights on Brampton’s efforts to limit UHIE effects and promoted tree planting events.
– Participated in the Heart Lake Turtle Troopers program and promoted it in school.
– Presented a bill on urban heat islands to MPP Amarjot Sandhu.

Reflection & Celebration

We aimed to include our community through our initiatives, various events, and social media campaigns as we worked on our action projects. Our goal was to show that even young people can have a profound influence on climate action.

We received many great comments from members of council/parliament, teachers, students, parents and people of the community, throughout our projects. This acknowledgment of our efforts strengthened our hope that newer generations may bring about change and lead the way toward a more environmentally friendly future.

Our class had an unforgettable experience with the action project that we began in October 2023. Our knowledge of climate action was expanded, and we were also given the confidence to act independently and create a noticeable impact on our neighbourhood. By engaging in a variety of initiatives, we succeeded in addressing multiple aspects of climate change and showed that being younger does not prevent one from making a difference. This experience motivated us to keep pushing for and putting into practice sustainable habits in our everyday lives.

Links

Check out the list of links for each group below!

GROUP 1 – FIREWORK PREVENTION:

GROUP 2 – SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE:

GROUP 3 – SNOWLESS WINTERS IN ONTARIO

GROUP 4 – PLASTIC BAG BAN!

GROUP 5 – LIMITING THE EFFECT OF THE URBAN HEAT ISLANDS

3. Good Health and Well-Being
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
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