Vision

Our vision of a more sustainable Canada is one where the population understands and takes into account the effects of their actions on the environment. Where people understand the choices they can take to reduce waste and see the benefit in making those choices . A more sustainable Canada would be a place where making more environmentally conscious choices is easier and encouraged for citizens, establishments and companies. We believe the best way to create this shift is through taking action in the small ways in which we can, starting with our school community.

Our club hopes to raise awareness about environmental issues and put in place low-cost but effective projects to reduce waste within our school community. We plan on commencing many different micro-initiatives in order to decrease our school’s negative effect on the environment.

Issues that we plan on addressing include paper and cardboard waste, beautification of our courtyard and raising awareness in various ways to give the opportunity to our school community to do their part individually to reduce their environmental footprint.

Action

Our team is hoping to lower our school community’s impact on the environment and raise awareness and appreciation for the environment. To accomplish this goal we hope to initiate a number of different self-lead projects within our school. Initially, we are going to post signage on our paper towel dispensers to encourage the use of solely one paper towel per user. We have acquired a sign for this purpose through collaboration with Whole Foods but we will need funds to print these in colour and laminate them. This project tackles the environmental and the economic issues of wasting resources by reminding students to be efficient instead of wasteful.

We will also begin offering an easy and efficient way to reuse paper within classrooms. Often times when doing small calculations during class, students will take out a brand new page and use only a small amount of the sheet before putting it in the recycle or garbage. Instead, we wish to provide metal in-boxes within classes that students may place slightly used paper. Additionally, our club members will top up these boxes with scrap paper while doing paper recycling. If any small calculations or problems are needed to be done, students might then take scrap paper for this purpose. This will take full advantage of the resources we consume within our school. This initiative also encourages the key idea of reducing waste: reusing.

More on reducing waste, we have conducted research on the need for bins throughout the school and have found that some classrooms do not even contain a paper recycling bin, or the bin may be too small. Also, our school only contains one bin for cardboard recycle in particular. We hope to create a new system of organization with the bins to make it easier for students to recycle and inform them what they may recycle and where. With that goal in mind, we will need to purchase new bins, both small and big. This project will allow more paper and cardboard to be recycled rather than wasting. With this project we will also be creating a video instructing students how they can recycle and putting it on Saints TV (our school announcements).

Furthermore, our club will be leading pre-garden and garden initiative. Firstly, we will create self-watering, wicking, bottle planters for indoor plants around the school. We will need seeds and potting soil to complete these. We are hoping to encourage an appreciation for nature within our school community and beautify our interior. If we are successful we hope to teach students how they can make these planters for their homes as well. The Environmental Action Group will then plant a garden in our courtyard during the springtime. This allows students to eat their lunch outside in a welcoming and enjoyable environment rather than the previously bland courtyard. It may attract more student to be involved and take part in our club as well. Overall, it will address the social issue within our school of enjoying the outside and getting fresh air. Through this project we are trying to shift the culture of our school by incorporating plants into the school and classroom environment. We hope students might come to admire nature and take interest in gardening themselves.

Each of our projects was thought up by students, planned by students and will be acted upon by students. Everyone contributes their input into each project and we all participate. We are extremely lucky to have a group so involved, enthusiastic and independent. That is the wonderful part about the Environmental Action Group; we are all excited and involved in our own way.