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2005/2006 Summary of HPEDSB Elementary School EarthCARE Activities

The following is a summary of the information included in the participation reports submitted for the spring audit.

Energy:

  1. LOCO Initiatives:
    1. Motion sensors for lights
    2. LOCO draws and class awareness; winners chosen to turn lights and computers off
    3. Monitors: regular checks after class, during recess and lunch to make sure lights are off
    4. "Computer watchers" and monitors check after class, during recess and lunch to make sure computers are off
    5. Class stewards are selected and are responsible for LOCO during appropriate times
    6. Posters (including contests)
    7. Clubs: e.g., PLAN (People learning about energy) meet regularly, do morning announcements and inspections of classrooms
    8. Turning off lights in bathrooms, classrooms
    9. Announcements: of classes with lights off
    10. Reminders to turn off lights and computers
    11. Assemblies
    12. LOCO signs: e.g., stickers on light switches and computers
    13. Handouts
    14. Contests (e.g., Spirit Week) with acknowledgment for classes with best results
    15. Newsletter
    16. Prizes and draws (EarthCARE prizes)
    17. LOCO day: school day without lights or computers on
    18. Computers set to turn off if inactive for 20 minutes
  2. Lights and heat converted to motion-sensored controls
  3. Natural lighting instead of lights in classrooms and halls
  4. Bulletin boards
  5. Minimal energy days surrounding Earth Day
  6. Thermostat settings (lower during the winter)
  7. Turning off computer printers when not in use
  8. Lights off in the staffroom (esp. when bright enough natural light)
  9. Talk about alternative energies
  10. Talk about what can be done to save at home (turn off lights and appliances when not needed)
  11. Closing all doors at recess
  12. Walk/carpool to school
  13. Remove unnecessary light fixtures, esp. in unused corners, along bank of windows, above shelving
  14. Random checks of school for LOCO
  15. Retrofit of windows and heating system
  16. EarthCARE lessons
  17. Solar Oven Project: students built a solar oven and made smores

Water:

  1. Leaky toilets and faucets to be replaced
  2. Regular monitoring of taps
  3. Random checks
  4. Minimal energy days surrounding Earth Day
  5. Announcements and reminders
  6. Newsletter (e.g., information on how much water is wasted as a result of dripping taps)
  7. Skits
  8. Assemblies (e.g., talk, then collected money to send to New Orleans for water for the victims)
  9. Posters
  10. EarthCARE team visits to classrooms
  11. Recording water usage and reporting to others
  12. Turn off water coolers and vending machines during vacation periods
  13. Discusses wise usage of water during water main break at school
  14. Awareness of water availability and quality for students in rural schools
  15. Reminders to turn off taps after washing hands
  16. Bulletin board displays
  17. Water reduction lesson

Waste:

  1. Recycling
  2. Litterless lunch checks, prize draws (weekly, monthly, yearly)
  3. Removal of large garbage cans from doorway in each classroom (recycling went way up)
  4. EarthCARE presentations to classrooms (e.g., on becoming Global Stewards)
  5. Regular inspections of recycle and garbage bins to ensure proper contents
  6. Recycle bins ordered for each classroom
  7. Composting
  8. SWAT teams to educate classes and check on recycling
  9. Competitions for least amount of garbage
  10. Weigh garbage: prizes for class with the least
  11. Contests and prizes
  12. Announcements
  13. Random weekly checks of garbage and recycling
  14. Recycling lunchtime milk cartons
  15. Students encouraged to take home any garbage/recyclable materials
  16. Garbage pick-up day, recycling, daily and weekly
  17. Newsletter articles
  18. Recycling paper bags
  19. School yard clean up
  20. Picking up litter in town streets
  21. Bought every student a reusable container for litterless lunches
  22. Collect pop can tabs

Other:

  1. Gardens
    1. Toyota greening project
    2. Earth Day: students and staff receive flower seeds donated by Stokes Seeds
    3. Parent council built a shade shelter and areas to plant a garden for the students
    4. Tree planting: calculated the CO2 and estimate that we need to plant 10.5 trees to compensate for the CO2 output of staff vehicles an and school buses
    5. Naturalization of front foyer (adding plants)
    6. Sold LiveGreen EarthStrong bracelets. The money is going towards gardens, flowers, plants, etc. at the school
    7. Green Day
    8. Red Wrigglers (composting)
    9. Planters/ bird feeders
  2. Salad Sale: salad sold to students
  3. Team coordinator and students attended a presentation by David Suzuki and then made presentation to students at the school
  4. Teachers challenged to teach for the day without any paper
  5. Community awareness through newsletters, school council, and student leadership
  6. EarthCARE craft: students made wind chimes from recyclable items
  7. Spring walk in the neighbourhood by all classes to promote clean transportation to school
  8. Dan the Music Man is coming to the school to discuss environmental issues with primary students
  9. Recycling of ink cartridges and cell phone to support local food bank
  10. Hot Tips in newsletters
  11. World Meteorological Day
  12. "Pitch-in" Day
  13. Bookmarks with tips on how to celebrate Earth Day
  14. Organizing a school walk for the environment