September is an excellent time to renew your commitment to building a culture of environmentalism at school. Here are three top resources to help you plan for the year to come.
New Certification Guides
Based on the feedback we heard last year from our community, we have made updated the program questions to improve clarity and highlight curriculum connections in order to better support schools in their green journeys.
On the Cover! Certification Guide
This year, the Certification Guide cover features MacLeod Public School in Rainbow District School Board. MacLeod has an active and eager Earth Guardian EcoTeam. The school certified for the first time with Ontario EcoSchools in 2016-17, and some highlights include whole-school recycling presentations, Earth Day contests, and tree planting. The Earth Guardians are also active in school board wide campaigns including “Turn down the heat/Turn up the fun” and “World Paper Free” day.
Download the brand new Certification Guide!
On the Cover! Platinum Guide
Francis Libermann (TCDSB) first certified with Ontario EcoSchools in 2009, and achieved Platinum status over the last three years. As one Libermann Green Team member notes: “From becoming a member in grade 10, to a leader in grade 11, to Eco-rep in grade 12, being part of LGT has given me a family who has similar passions as me, and has been my stepping stone to increasing my passion in the environment. This experience has built me into the stubborn, yet firm activist that I am today.”
Click here for the Platinum Guide.
On the Cover! EECC Guide
The “ÉcoGriffons / MHS Environnement” EcoTeam at Ronald Marion Secondary School in Pickering (CS Viamonde) pooled their efforts in their third year of certification. The team undertook several initiatives, including transforming their school’s green terrace into a food garden and outdoor learning space as well as fundraising to support local food organizations and programs. In addition to making a community impact through their greening project, the ÉcoGriffons contributed to the planning and filming of the Ontario EcoSchools Curriculum 101 video.
Click here for the EECC Guide.
Resources to plan fun and impactful campaigns
- View the updated Yearly Planner to identify the best times to implement a campaign.
- Visit our Eco-Events calendar for upcoming environmental events that you can use to inspire your own school-wide campaigns.
- Download 6 Steps to Designing an Effective School-wide Campaign to find a campaign that suits your school community’s interests and capacities.
Campaigns are a tried-and-true way to build student leadership and integrate environmental goals into learning and action. We encourage schools to connect classroom learning to environmental campaigns, like Walk/Roll/Ride to School Month, Sweater Day, and Earth Day. Newer to the EcoSchools program? Choose one or two campaigns – perhaps a kick-off in the fall/winter and one in the spring – to get the whole school excited about working together to go green.
Familiarize yourself with the application process
If you’re newer to the program or simply need a refresher for the application process, check out our new infographic, Journey of an application, which explains how your application will received, evaluated, and communicated after the April submission deadline.
We also invite you to visit our Program Sections photo gallery as a road map to identify areas where students can take action.
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