Student-led environmental initiatives are a vital component of the EcoSchools program. Pamela Backus, a former student at Robert Thirsk High School in Calgary, Alberta, learned about the impacts of carbon pollution and came up with a plan that would help her school community make a positive and lasting impact.
“It started out as a Science/Social Studies project back in 2018, where we researched how climate disasters were impacting a country’s lifestyle,” recounts Pamela. “The information we discovered was quite astonishing and that is what ignited my passion for environmental advocacy.”
From passion to action, Pamela developed the Tree Legacy Project with her school club Growing Up Green. “The Tree Legacy Project is a tree planting initiative that brings awareness to the climate crisis while reducing the carbon emissions of students in the school,” she explains. ”[The] earth’s greatest gift to us, trees, are a simple way to reduce one’s carbon footprint.”
Every year, graduating students are given a tree sapling along with their diploma, with the hope that students plant the trees in the surrounding area to benefit the community. Pamela’s idea grew to become a whole community effort that saw connections made with various tree nurseries and organizations that recognized youth-driven initiatives to help get the project started.
Students at Robert Thirsk High School continue to benefit from the Tree Legacy Project. Chloe MacGregor, a current student, explains why the initiative is important to her and the community: “This project is a great step in the right direction. Not only is it about physically making a difference but by teaching and showing students . . . what benefits and impacts can be made by doing something as simple as planting a tree . . . it [gives] more incentive to people wanting to make a change.”
Image credit: Warren Lake
Pamela is proud that the Tree Legacy Project is continuing to make positive change in her community. “This project is very important to the school as I feel it represents how any small idea can turn into something amazing if you put your mind to it. I feel as though students nowadays are facing a lot of pressure to make change in the world. However, I hope this project demonstrates that if you have enough passion for an issue, you really can make a difference, big or small.”
Thanks to Pamela and Chloe for sharing their story, and to their teacher, Warren Lake, for providing resources and photos to support this project.
Project 2050 is a collaboration between EcoSchools Canada and Earth Rangers, a multi-year project that supports students and their communities to accomplish environmental actions that contribute to Canada’s 2050 climate targets.