On Thursday, April 21, 2022, you are invited to join Cascades, the David Suzuki Foundation, and EcoSchools Canada for a special livestreamed event to celebrate Earth Day!
Keynote Speakers
Severn Cullis-Suzuki
Executive Director, David Suzuki Foundation
Mario Plourde
CEO, Cascades, Inc.
More about Severn
Environment and culture activist and author Severn will be sharing her journey towards environmental awareness at a young age, which led her to create the Environmental Children’s Organization with some friends, and participate in the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 when she was only 12 years old (video).
More about Mario
Representing Cascades to discuss the role of businesses and youth engagement in the environmental movement, with emphasis that we are all agents of change.
Naisha Khan
Youth activist and MC
More about Naisha
Naisha Khan is from Surrey, BC. She is an organizer with Sustainabiliteens and Climate Strike Canada, as well as co-founder of Banking for a Better Future. Her most current and engaged project is building a BIPOC led climate justice movement in Surrey, where she has been politically engaged with supporting potential climate champion candidates, lobbying politicians, and organizing protests. With three other youth women of colour, they have started a campaign called “Climate Recentered” which aims to recenter the environmentalist narrative historically rooted in white supremacy, to focus more in BIPOC communities who are both at the forefront of the climate crisis and have been practising sustainability for years.
Event Details
When: Thursday April 21, 2022 – 10:00-11:00am (PT) / 1:00-2:00pm (ET)
Want to join?
Schools across Canada are invited to attend the livestream event by organizing a Community Clean-up of a local green space such as a schoolyard, park, or shoreline. Why? Because conducting a Community Clean-up is a great way to raise awareness and take action for the environment!
How to unlock the livestream
For schools participating in the EcoSchools program:
1. Make sure you’re registered in the EcoSchools Certification Application (ECA) and have created a plan for the 2021-22 school year. Learn more here.
2. Add the Community Clean-up action to your school’s environmental plan and follow the guidelines for planning, running, and logging your clean-up.
3. All schools who run a Community Clean-up and submit the completed action in their plan before April 21 OR demonstrate the intent to run a Community Clean-up that will take place after April 21 by showing planning details will be granted access to the livestream.
Not a participating EcoSchool? You can still attend this event!
Non-EcoSchools can still run a Community Clean-up and gain access to the livestream by completing this form.
Submit a question to Severn and Mario!
Have a question about waste, recycling, the circular economy, or climate action? Send it in and it could be answered by Severn and Mario during the livestream!
Submit your question via this form by 11:59pm ET on Monday, April 11 for it to be considered.
Livestream FAQ
How and when do I get a link to the livestream?
For information on how to become eligible to view the livestream, please see the “How to unlock the livestream” section on this web page.
For all schools who have followed the instructions above, EcoSchools Canada will contact you via email on or before April 21 and provide the livestream link.
How long is the livestream?
The livestreamed event will be one hour long and run from 10:00-11:00am PT / 1:00-2:00pm ET on April 21, 2022.
What if my Community Clean-up doesn’t take place before April 21?
That’s okay! As long as you have demonstrated your intent to run a Community Clean-up by showing planning details in your EcoSchools application (for participating EcoSchools) or in this Google form (for non-EcoSchools), you are still eligible to receive the link to the livestream.
What age is this event geared towards?
This event is open to anyone in the EcoSchools network, though it will be most engaging for intermediate/secondary students.
What if I experience technical issues accessing/during the livestream?
Make sure your Internet browser is up to date: Old versions of software can sometimes cause technical issues.
Refresh or reopen your browser: While exact terms vary from browser to browser, refreshing or reloading your browser can help fix problems (usually this option can be found in the browser’s Edit menu). Additionally, closing your browser down and reopening it might also help.
Try another Internet browser: Sometimes switching to another Internet browser can solve technical issues.
If none of the above options work, the livestream is being recorded and will be made available to you as soon as possible.
What if I have more questions?
Please send us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Are you a school in the Vancouver area that would like to attend this event in person? Send us an email.
Want to prepare students for the event? Check out this video of Severn’s speech at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit when she was just 12 years old, and discuss these question prompts with students:
- What part of the speech was most inspiring to you?
- What has changed since this speech in 1992? What is the same?
- Severn quotes her father, David Suzuki, by saying: “You are what you do, not what you say”. What does this quote mean to you?
- Can you write a short speech, story, or poem about something you really care about?
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