At the TDSB, we
are determined to "walk the talk." But that founding partnership
is only one of many.
The Certification Program
On Tuesday, September 28, 2004, the first EcoSchools certificates were presented
to 13 TDSB schools in a ceremony at Toronto City Hall. Toronto Mayor David
Miller broke away from a press conference to bring special greetings.
"As the father of a nine year old girl and a seven year old boy I know personally
how contagious a program like this is, in the best possible sense. The students
get tremendously enthusiastic [and] they come up with great ideas. I think...Eco
Schools [is] a wonderful way to plant the seeds of environmental stewardship.
So I want to give my thanks to the Toronto District School Board and the school
trustees and wish the kids good luck in their programs. I hope to see you all
back here again next year!"
Twenty councillors and four trustees were
also in attendance.
At the ceremony, school EcoTeams, made up of students, teachers, principals,
caretakers, parents, and community representatives, described the initiatives
they had
undertaken to make their schools more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient.
As well as addressing the TDSB energy conservation and waste minimization standards,
the schools described an array of novel projects.
One school had reduced its waste so dramatically that its classrooms now use
only toy-sized garbage cans. In another, the grade 7 class partnered with the
caretaker to design a biodiesel fuel project that used the waste french-fry
oil from neighbouring secondary schools to run the caretaker's diesel-fuelled
car.
The Certification Program was developed by TDSB staff working with the Clean
Air Partnership and the City of Toronto. Having outside partners lends additional
credibility
to the program and offers a special opportunity to honour the dedication of
these exemplary "green" schools on a larger public stage.
Schools can be certified
as Bronze, Silver, or Gold EcoSchools. They must provide supporting documents
and are audited to ensure that the points claimed have
been earned.
EcoSchools was officially launched at principals' meetings
in November 2003. It was a program whose time had come:
by the end of the 2003-2004 school year, one-third of all
TDSB schools had included at least one component of EcoSchools
in their school improvement plans.While most are elementary schools, secondary
schools are beginning to show interest as well.
School Ground Greening
A strong partnership is also at the heart of the fastest-growing
area of environmental initiatives in our schools. Over the
last four years, TDSB School Services staff
(Environmental Education) has worked closely with Facility Services (Grounds)
and the Evergreen Foundation to encourage sustainable school ground greening
projects.
Together, the TDSB and Evergreen have funded a full-time
position held by landscape designer Heidi Campbell to help
school teams plan and execute greening projects. In
recognition of the high quality of the projects and the growing need for
support, the TDSB-Evergreen partnership is being expanded to include a second
full-time position.
TDSB EcoSchools: A Provincial Leader
As one of seven GTA school board members of the York Environmental
Education Consortium, the TDSB took a leadership role in the
Consortium's successful bid to obtain Climate Change Action
Fund money to develop climate change education materials.Working
with 18 partners over the past year and a half, TDSB staff
members have been part of the core team developing a suite
of 16 guides focussing on energy conservation, waste minimization,
school ground greening, and ecological literacy (curriculum).
Six other school boards in the GTA have followed the TDSB lead
and are beginning to adapt their own EcoSchools programs this
fall. Resources developed first at the TDSB,
and those created with federal funding, are freely shared with
any school boards across the province that wish to be part
of this new green wave.
"Sharing materials in this way is not only the right thing to do-after all, a
sustainable future is everyone's birthright - but it also gives us so much back
in return for the time and energy and intellect invested in the program's development," said
Richard Christie, district-wide coordinator of Environmental Education.
For more information:
* on the EcoSchools program, please contact Richard Christie, District-wide
Coordinator of Environmental Education, at School Services, 416-394-7495
* on the Certification Program, please contact Marsha Yamamoto, Instructional
Leader, Environmental Education, at 416-809-2879
* on the 2004-05 School Ground Greening Workshop Series, please contact Samara
Newman, School Ground Greening Associate, at 416-394-7239
2003-2004 EcoSchools Certification Recipients
Congratulations to the following 13 schools for being the first certified
EcoSchools at the TDSB (Listing is alphabetical by category.)
Gold
Cassandra PS
Gledhill Jr PS
Jackman Avenue Jr. PS
Kew Beach Jr. PS
Maryvale PS
Maurice Cody PS
Shoreham PS
Whitney PS
Silver
Finch PS
Military Trail PS
Wellesworth JS
Woburn Jr. PS
Bronze
Banting and Best PS
To order the 2004-05 Certification Guide, please contact: Library and Learning
Resources.
Tel: 416-397-2596
Fax: 416-395-8327
e-mail: curriculumdocs@tdsb.on.ca
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