Student “Green Teams” at Delta schools are organizing innovative and fun ways to make a positive impact on the environment.
Here are just a few examples from across the Delta School District:
South Delta Secondary School strives for eco-school status
The SDSS Environmental Club has organized a variety of school-wide initiatives, like Zero-Waste Lunch Day and Cozy Sweater Day, in an effort to get certified through EcoSchools Canada.
To celebrate Earth Day, students held an eco-friendly Spirit Week where they could participate in different challenges like bringing a reusable water bottle, eating a plant-based meal and walking, biking or bussing to school.
The Environmental Club has also improved the school courtyards to make them a friendly space for birds, pollinators and students alike. In the fall of 2020, the club participated in an outdoor clean-up of the school grounds and nearby park, picking up garbage and firework leftovers.
Hawthorne Elementary: Saving the Earth, one small step at a time
To celebrate Earth Day, Grade 5 and 6 students from Division 5 set out to raise awareness of how everyone can take small steps towards saving the planet.
The school’s Green Team invited students to write a poem about Mother Earth and were overwhelmed with entries. Additionally, the Green Team encouraged the entire school to walk or ride their wheels all week, and on Earth Day, students showed their support by wearing green.
“We want to remind everyone that Earth Day is every day, so please continue to do your part to make a difference!” the Hawthorne Green Team said in Delta School District press release.
Devon Gardens Elementary: Learning to love the Earth
At Devon Gardens Elementary, the goal is to encourage children to first learn how to love the earth before they are asked to save it. This starts in kindergarten, with students enjoying many lessons and adventures outside so that they have an opportunity to connect with nature.
Chalmers Elementary doing their best in spite of COVID
Although Green Team initiatives at Chalmers Elementary have been scaled back due to COVID-19, membership still exceeds more than 50 students from Grades 3 through 7.
They have focused on maintaining the courtyard at Chalmers to make it enjoyable for staff and students to use for reading, doing art projects and studying nature. In addition, students are growing blueberries, strawberries and potatoes.
During Earth Week, the Green Team promoted Lights Out Lunch, Litterless Pack in/Pack Out Lunch, Walk to School Wednesday, wearing Earth colours and Power Down Friday. The Green Team has also been involved in initiatives such as cutting all the plastic off the binders so the cardboard can be recycled at school and taking the metal to a recycling depot.
The most recent initiative by the Green Team is caring for the school’s newly-planted cedar tree, part of the District’s Giving Tree Project.
READ MORE: Cedars planted at Delta schools as part of reconciliation
Garden boxes coming soon to Sands Secondary
In 2019/20, the Sands Green Team raised $800 to build garden boxes. This year, the Green Team has built, sanded and stained the boxes, and installed them in the Sands courtyard over the May long weekend.
Seaquam Secondary partners with local Green Team leaders
The Seaquam Green Team has continued to meet virtually throughout the pandemic, taking part in a variety of virtual campaigns and initiatives, and often working with Green Team leaders from throughout the Lower Mainland (e.g. Be the Change Earth Alliance, Youth 4 Action and Metro Vancouver Sustainability networks).
The students expanded the school’s rain garden, installed wheelchair-accessible planter bins for the Seaquam Lifeskills program, participated in socially distant community cleanups, ivy pulls and fish releases with Cougar Creek Streamkeepers, and made virtual presentations at local elementary schools.
Many Green Team students also competed in the United Nations’ annual Young Reporters for the Environment Program. This month, two Grade 9 students, Anika Dass and Diya Dhaliwal, won the 2021 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) Canada National Competition for their submission. Anika and Diya will go on to represent Canada in the YRE International competition this fall.
Sunshine Hills tackles the plastic problem
At Sunshine Hills Elementary, staff and students are trying to tackle “the plastic problem” by spreading awareness and encouraging zero-waste school lunches to discourage the use of products with excessive packaging.
For periods of two weeks at a time, classes are competing with each other to see how little plastic garbage they can bring. The class that wins get to vote on a prize, and the prize for everybody is a healthier planet.
editor@northdeltareporter.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter