Plan ahead: 3 October campaigns

Fall is an opportune time to harness back-to-school enthusiasm into planning an exciting campaign to kick-off your year.  Following last year, in each newsletter we’ll do a round-up of eco events and special environmental days that you can celebrate with your school the following month. Here are some top picks for October!

Walk/Roll/Ride to School: Month of October

October is International Walk to School Month. Whether students choose to walk, roll, ride, or carpool to school, active and sustainable transportation is a way to walk the talk and model excellent environmental behaviours.

Here are three handy resources to plan an active transportation event in October:

  • Active and Safe Routes to school has plenty of activities for different grade levels – all of which are linked to the Ontario curriculum. 
  • Promote your events using this poster.
  • Register your school’s event to receive a Certificate of Participation!
  • Worried about safety? Work with others in your neighbourhood to plan a Walking School Bus to make the journey to school safe and fun.
  • Start claiming points in your online application! Walk/roll/ride to school events can be claimed in Environmental Stewardship as long as the whole school is invited to participate.
  • Let us know what your school is doing to celebrate the month (and beyond) by sharing a photo on Twitter and tagging us @ON_EcoSchools.

Waste Reduction Week: October 16-22

How can you put the brakes on unnecessary waste? Held in the third week of October every year, Waste Reduction Week is a good chance to get your EcoSchools program up and running with a school-wide campaign around Waste Minimization. This is one area of the program in which students can set targets, make measurable change, and communicate results throughout the year.

Here are a few ideas to reduce waste:

  • Use the Theme Days from Waste Reduction Week Canada to plan a full week of events, from learning about the circular economy to focussing on food waste in the cafeteria.
  • Organize a Waste-Free Wednesday to challenge students to go #wastefree throughout the school day. Get inspired by one of our Climate Leadership Contest winners, St Paul CES (PVNCCDSB), who organized weekly litterless lunches and significantly reduced their landfill-bound waste.
  • Get your EcoTeam together to carry out a waste audit to assess how your school is doing and where you can improve. Watch our step-by-step video on how to do a waste audit.
  • Be sure to claim your whole-school Waste Minimization campaigns in either Waste Minimization (Q3.3) or Environmental Stewardship (Q6.1-6.4), if they go above and beyond the requirements under Waste Minimization.

We want to become Waste Wizards too! This year our team is challenging ourselves to go #wastefree during Waste Reduction Week. Follow our progress on Twitter (using #WasteReductionWeek) and be sure to share your own photos and tips so that we can learn from each other.

#OFFTober

Ever heard of Phantom Power? What about Energy Vampires? Did you know that even energy-efficient appliances can still suck energy when they’re left plugged in? Stay tuned for a brand-new social media campaign in October illuminating spooky hidden energy use at home and at school.