OCDSB EarthCARE Expo:
It's Up to You... We All Count!

May 12, 2009

Over 300 students and teachers from across the district, primarily EarthCARE teams and team leaders attended Confederation Education Centre for Ottawa-Carleton District School Board's 6th annual EarthCARE Expo to celebrate their success and inspire more. The theme "It's up to you … we all count!" was the reoccurring message of the day. With the Board in its sixth year with the program, Mother Earth is not the only one reaping the rewards the community benefits with reduced emissions, lower energy costs and better health.

Several community partners participated and provided informational booths for the students to peruse before the formal presentations. Ameresco Canada, the Board's partner and co-founder of EarthCARE; Hydro Ottawa; Waste Management; Otesha; Sierra Group; Public Health, OCDSB Outdoor Education, Community Pride, Friesens; Tucker House Renewal Centre and Swish as shown in photographs had an opportunity to interact with the students and hand out their environmental wares. A number of the booths focused on nature, getting exercise outdoors, appreciating and respecting nature and being responsible citizens by reducing our eco footprint with small actions like walking to school, refusing plastic, using a cloth bag, keeping the earth clean and not polluting.

EC is an action-oriented, youth-led environmental program for school districts. Our goal is to make environmental stewardship and leadership a part of the culture in our schools. EC is different from many environmental programs in that we provide delivery support, measure and report results, and recognize our participants. Boasting over 200 EarthCARE activities, captured on posters at the event, provides a glimpse of the many activities taking place in the district's schools as part of their EC initiatives. Many of these activities and stories are captured on the EarthCARE website.

To set the tone for the event a power point presentation was playing while attendees entered the venue, which highlighted some of the school teams and activities. Background music was provided by the string section from Lisgar Collegiate.

One of the key programs provided by EC is LOCO – lights off/ computers off. For the past five years, the EarthCARE school audits indicated that the students and staff in the OCDSB have avoided significant wasted energy costs each year from LOCO alone – approximately $1.9 million last year, and we expect similar results from the 2009 audits just now being analyzed. This is accomplished by many small acts done by many individuals. We each have a part to play in protecting our planet.

The morning opened up with our Master of Ceremonies, A-Channel's Morning News co-host Tony Grace, who has been with the television station for 8 years as a reporter and news anchor. Tony was pleased to participate in such an awesome event. Tony introduced several student success presentations from school teams. W. Erskine Johnston Public School spoke about what their EarthCARE Team is doing and why it is important to them.

As part of this year's Expo competition students had to create a 60 second podcast that could be aired on the radio on Earth Day. Topics included EarthCARE activities such as: litter-less lunches, use of plastic bags and water bottles, recycling, reducing energy and water use, using alternative transportation. The quality of these podcasts was outstanding and keeping them to 60 seconds was a challenge. Superintendents Jennifer Adams and Barrie Hammond had the task of judging. This was not an easy task.  Winning podcasts were aired on CBC radio.

Rosalind Crump, a student from Glebe Collegiate Institute and a member of GCI EarthCARE team, TWIGS, shared a few highlights of her unique environmental experience with the Students On Ice program with keynote speaker Lisa Glithero.  The reoccurring theme was with small actions, together we can protect our planet.  Rosalind recalled seeing evidence of global warming on her expedition to Cumberland Sound.  In the 70s glaciers came all the way down the mountains in our northern hemisphere, now they're barely at the top of the mountains. She also intrigued the EC Expo audience with her tale of the bottle toss. She wrote a message and sealed it and threw it into the ocean. One and a half years later the bottle was found in Scotland and the person responded. With this Rosalind concluded that we are all connected by water. She went on further with another exercise that she did in the "Students on Ice" program. "We had to dip into the ocean to experience the water temperature and to swim where Orcas and polar bears swim. It was unbelievable knowing that beautiful creatures like our icon the polar bear and seals swam where I was swimming and that we must do everything we can to protect their habitat."

This was an nice segue to our keynote speaker Lisa Glithero, from Chelsea, Quebec. Lisa has received the 2006 – International 'Women of the Earth Award winner, was in 2008 named one of Chatelaine's Amazing Canadian Women to Watch, is the Founder of the EYES (Education, Youth, Environment Sustainability) project, and Education Director for ‘Students On Ice' program.

Lisa began her speech by identifying the vast array of changes our planet has undergone the past twenty to thirty years. There were no school programs for environmental stewardship, the blue box pretty much was it. There were five billion people and since that time we have grown to 6 ½ billion people in twenty years. We had packman and extremely large cell phones, the size of a brick. The internet has become the communication tool of choice versus the message in a bottle or Canada Post. Two things that struck her: 1) systemic problems like global health and to a certain degree culture; and 2) working together to heal the planet which gives cause for hope.

Lisa provided the audience with a guided tour to the arctic and her unique educational program that provides inspiring educational opportunities at the ends of the Earth and, in doing so, helps students foster a new understanding and respect for the planet. Photos of Polar Bears and interesting passageways through the Antarctic had revealed that our species is one of a billion species needed to take more responsibility for its actions and understand the world around us better scientifically to make educated decisions on a day-to-day basis to heal the earth, not hinder it. Our health relies on it. She commended the sponsors, partners, students, staff and teachers for taking small actions towards protecting the planet as the students of OCSDB have given us hope . Several students commented on Lisa's keynote saying how interesting it was, while a few teachers enjoyed her Science lesson and approach to learning.

Michael Carson, Superintendent of Facilities recognized the students' efforts and spoke about the importance of each one of the student's small acts contributing to our global health in schools, in our community and in our world! He noted how his grandmother and mother were naturally early adopters always recycling and reusing and refusing. It was second nature. He encouraged all to keep up our efforts as they truly are making a difference.

Director of Education Lyall Thomson took time out from a senior staff planning session to commend students for their valiant efforts and achievements. He awarded the esteemed Jenny award, an annual EC award in memory of the late Jennifer Teague who attended Elizabeth Wyn Wood Alternate Program and was active promoter and participant of EC values.

Executive Director of EarthCARE, Dr. Rose-Marie Batley provided closing comments of thanks and gratitude to the students for creating a sustainable youth action program that has become a part of the culture of the Board and of the community thanks to their efforts. Door prizes were handed out from various partners to students and teachers in attendance.