Earth Month is prime time to plan a campaign to energize the whole school and look forward to the sunnier days of spring!
Tips for HOW to claim campaigns
From an Earth Week energy-saving blitz to a School Ground Clean-up, you can claim Earth Month campaigns in questions 6.1-6.4 of your online application – as long as the whole school is invited to participate. If you are unclear about requirements, please review the 2017-18 Certification Guide.
Here’s what you can upload for your portfolio:
- Copy of an announcement/newsletter/poster regarding the whole school’s participation in a campaign; be sure to clearly connect the action to learning about a particular environmental issue.
- Picture of a special assembly or presentation engaging the whole school in action relating to a particular environmental issue.
- A reminder: If you’re planning a campaign that will happen after the April 27 deadline, you can still claim it! Fill out the online templates now and add evidence of planning notes as your portfolio document, e.g. a ravine clean-up, Stream of Dreams, or a walk/roll to school day.
Ideas for WHAT kind of campaign to plan
Are you ready to plan a compelling campaign? Here are three examples of Earth Month campaigns that went above and beyond:
- At Associated Hebrew Schools Kamin in Toronto, ON, students learned how their actions impact the earth’s resources by depicting ways they could make a difference and creating projects in which they could help maintain a healthy environment. One group created their own toothpaste with earth-friendly ingredients.
- Mary Ward Catholic School in Scarborough, ON, created a campaign around their hydration station to encourage students and staff to bring reusable water bottles. Students made announcements and posters to educate others about why reusing is an important factor in everyday life.
- At Hillsdale Elementary School in Hillsdale, ON, EcoTeam members set up a waste depot where classes could bring down their bins and sort waste properly on the spot, simultaneously educating students on proper waste management and reducing waste contamination throughout the school.
If it’s your first year planning a big campaign, don’t be intimidated! Start small by adapting these Earth Week Activity ideas to your students’ interests. Think about your EcoTeam’s capacity to plan events inviting the whole school to participate and focus your efforts on one or two activities that will get the school engaged. You can always build on successful activities for next year’s edition!
Please share with the EcoSchools community how you’re celebrating! Sharing photos, videos, or messages is a great way to demonstrate your environmental commitment – and always puts smiles on our faces. Please tag us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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