EcoSchools Middle School Leadership Conference 2009

On Tues. March 10th - Mr. McLean & I had the pleasure of taking 9 intermediate students to the EcoSchools Leadership Conference 2009 downtown Toronto. We had a great day which included a variety of workshops & presentations. Here is an overview of the workshops we participated in:

The Paper Lab
Paper use represents one of the largest impacts the TDSB schools and offices have on the environment. In this workshop EcoTeams discussed the changes necessary to reduce their school's impact. We entered Steve Bibla's "paper lab" where we calculated our school paper consumption and then strategized ways to make the switch to 100% recycled paper (CascadesEnviro100). Saving trees means saving energy, using less fossil fuels and water, thus limiting our impact on ecosystems and air quality. Together, we can make a difference.

The Waste Audit Challenge
Minimizing waste means using less stuff, reusing what you can, and recycling as much as possible. This workshop helped our EcoTeam to organize a waste audit of our school to reduce waste and improve recycling. Students were challenged to a waste audit where they sorted garbage, we recorded our findings and observations, and finally we made recommendations about how to reduce waste. We were surprised and had fun uncovering treasures found in another school's waste. We hope to educate our school this Earth Week by hosting a Waste Audit Challenge.

Energy In Your Life
The search for ways to reduce energy use in our schools never stops! School-wide energy conservation takes teamwork. Everyone needs to play a role including teachers, caretakers, principal, and students. This workshop taught us ways to identify both the renewable and non-renewable energy sources the Earth provides. We evaluated the energy we use in our daily lives and brainstormed solutions for the future.

The day was very informative and our students said they really enjoyed the opportunity to participate. We look to these students to help lead the charge in educating others to do what they can to reduce the impact of climate change!

Ms. Perry