EarthCARE News & Events

The following are various news and events listings that relate to EarthCARE in general or to broader themes of conservation and environmentalism. Board specific news can be found on the OCDSB and the HPEDSB information pages. If you have a news item or an event that you would like to see listed here, please contact with the details.

May 4, 2009 - Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's OCDSB EarthCARE Expo – the event was a great success! Check out our Flickr page to see pictures of the Expo’s speaker, presenters and award winners.

March 6, 2009 - Earth Hour in Canada - Turn off your lights on Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm. Millions of Canadians will turn off their lights on March 28th for Earth Hour in support of action on climate change. Lots of information is available on their site, but be sure to check out the toolkits and downloadable materials page for tips to help you get started.

December 21, 2008 - The Ottawa Go Green Expo will be held at Lansdowne Park March 21 & 22, 2009. Shop Green. Eat Green. Learn Green. Live Green. Experience more than 180 of the greenest programs, products, and services. Shop at the local and organic marketplace. Local Speakers and celebrities will be present. See eco-fashions, learn about alternative transportation as well as green homes and gardens. Local and organic cooking demonstrations. Visit www.OttawaGoGreenExpo.com.

December 8, 2008 - In 2007-2008, EarthCARE saved the Ottawa-Carleton and Hastings/Prince Edward boards over $2.2 million and reduced CO₂ emissions by over 20 tonnes. Read the details in the OCDSB (pdf) and the HPEDSB (pdf) final reports.

December 8, 2008 - Congratulations to Michelle Richardson's Grade 5 class at Connaught Public School in Ottawa for winning Canadian Tire's first Green School Challenge Award.

November 17, 2008 - The Earth Day Ottawa Solar Sprint Competition is your chance to design, build and race a solar powered car; create a website; produce a digital video or create a PowerPoint presentation. Take a look at this PDF flyer or visit www.earthdayottawa.ca/events/solar_sprint/index.htm to learn more.

November 17, 2008 - A PDF of the EarthCARE quiz (and its answers) that was distributed at the fall OCDSB in-service has been posted to the Lessons, Activities and Handouts page. Also, the conservation and waste reduction websites mentioned at the fall in-service have been added to the Website Resources page. Thank you to all who were involved in compiling this information.

August 25, 2008 - Join Smart Commute Mississauga at the Car Free Day festival Sunday, September 21st Central Library Square - 11 am - 4 pm.

Grab the whole family, come out to the Civic Centre and celebrate Car Free Day at our free family event! A day of family fun activities that aims to educate, inspire and spread awareness about sustainable transportation options in the city. The event has something for everyone including live music, crafts, displays, games, acrobats and more. Pledge to use a sustainable mode of transportation on September 22nd and enter a draw for great prizes!

Ride your bike to our Car Free day event and have it parked for you in a safe and secure Bike Valet parking area. First 50 people who ride their bike to the event will receive FREE Reflective arm bands.

For more details visit www.smartcommutemiss.ca.

July 1, 2008 - EarthCARE invited to present at the Ontario Society for Environmental Education Conference at Bark Lake, Ontario - a wonderful opportunity to introduce EarthCARE to educators from across the Ontario.

June 30, 2008 - Over thirty keen teachers attended the EarthCARE presentation at Ottawa University's Transition to Practice Conference: 'Environmental Education' on April 23, 2008.

April 20, 2008 - The Ontario Society for Environmental Education's annual conference is being held at beautiful Bark Lake, May 2 - 4 2008. Conference topics include climate change and classrooms, greening schools, First Nations perspectives, ideas for DPA, and many more. Visit www.osee.org for details or download a PDF of the conference flyer.

March 21 2008 - The annual Ottawa EarthCARE EXPO is on May 8, 2008, from 11:00am - 1:00pm at Confederation High School, 1645 Woodroffe Ave., Nepean, Ontario. Everyone is welcome to attend, participating students are encouraged to take part in the 2008 Expo challenges. You can also download a printable PDF of the Expo poster.

February 10 2008 - Alison Sinclair, a teacher at Jockvale PS and parent volunteer Lana Lotan bring us a great way to use those weekly pizza boxes headed to the recycling bin. Head to the Lessons and Activities page and have a look at the Pizza Box Dragons activity.

November 3 2007 - The audit results are in! In the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, EarthCARE saved $1,791,542 in the 06/07 school year, while in the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board EarthCARE generated $180,236 of savings. Congratulations to all involved in making the program such a success in both boards! - view a complete summary of the OCDSB and the HPEDSB 06/07 audit results.

October 10 2007 - Canada's first national environmental youth awards recognize kids who are helping the environment.

October 8 2007 - EarthCARE contributes to an expected $1.6 million savings in the HPEDSB.

September 25 2007 - WIAM (World Inter-Action Mondiale) presents, The One World Film Festival, October 10 to 20. Ten days of internationally produced documentaries about contemporary world issues. Plus food, music, entertainment and more. At the Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St, The Odawa Native Friendship Centre, 12 Stirling Ave, and the SAW Gallery, 67 Nicholas St. To learn more, visit http://wiam.ca/programs/one-world-film-festival/.

July 23 2007 - Based on the 2007 audits, the EarthCARE scoreboards for the OCDSB and the HPEDSB are now available. From a participatory and an economic perspective, the scoreboards illustrate the tremendous success that both boards have had with EarthCARE.

June 27 2007 - Thank you to everyone who attended "Chillin' with the Planet, Caring for Our Community". Hosted by Canadian author and photographer, Bruce Kirkby, the event was held in recognition of the HPEDSB's contribution to environmental awareness and conservation through the EarthCARE program. Learn more about this event and read comments from those in attendance.

June 21 2007 - Join the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a national conservation initiative that allows all Canadians to have a positive impact on their local environment. For more information visit www.vanaqua.org/cleanup/home.php.

June 13 2007 - An important message from the Monarch Teacher Network-Canada including details on the Summer 2007 'Teaching and Learning with Monarch Butterflies' workshops.

April 10 2007 - Hydro Ottawa recognizes students efforts to save energy through recycling program.

March 17 2007 - "Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau" is a theatrical play about the last two days Henry David Thoreau spent in his cabin at Walden Pond. This two-act, one-set, four-character play is designed for use by high schools and colleges. The script and play materials plus a customized lesson plan are available FREE to schools in the USA and Canada. Learn more in this PDF summary.

February 18 2007 - Check out the latest addition to our Focus on Books section, a lesson plan based on Michael Martchenko's Ma, I'm a Farmer.

November 21 2006 - Do you know a young environmentalist aged 8-16 who deserves to be recognized with a cash prize? A young person you know could be next year's Eco-Hero! Action For Nature is currently accepting applications for the 2007 Award! APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 28, 2007 - read award guidelines and application details

October 18 2006 - Peter Croal from the Canadian International Development Agency acknowledges the great work that EarthCARE is doing, "in primary and secondary school, environmental awareness and training is far more prevalent. Here are two links to who is doing what: EarthCARE: An Environmental Education Partnership and The Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication."

September 25 2006 - Recognizing outstanding conservation efforts at the OCDSB. Ameresco Canada and the OCDSB received a Certificate of Recognition for outstanding achievements in energy conservation at the Board's offices on September 12, thanks to its participation in the Better Schools Partnership®(BSP) program. The Board is saving over $5 million annually on energy costs through the BSP.

Peter Love, Chief Energy Conservation Officer with the Ontario Conservation Bureau, praised the efforts of students, whose conservation endeavours have also made a difference. "Engaging students through EarthCARE is key...They will be the leaders of tomorrow...ambassadors of change," stated Love.

May 20 2006 - Visit the Student Arts section and read the latest addition, The Rivers Flow, a poem by Linnath a student at Frederick Banting Alternate Site.

May 16 2006 - Check out the latest updates to the Resources section, the “Get in the Loop” teaching kit, provides a fun, hands-on way to help students learn about the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle; and the “Happy Earth Day” activities book, lists a number of things everyone can do to help take care of the earth.

April 15 2006 - Visit our new Letters to the Web Master page and tell us what's on your mind.

January 21 2006 - View a selection of video clips from Dr. David Suzuki's Nov. 8 keynote speech at "You Matter! Respect & Responsibility in Our Community", an event held in Belleville, Ontario, which launched EarthCARE in the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB).

January 15 - April 15 2006 - Tetra Pak National Classroom Art Challenge gives your school, your class and students the opportunity to develop creative class projects using Tetra Pak cartons plus a variety of other recyclable materials. Visit www.tetrapakcreativechallenge.com to learn more about this exciting challenge.

Oct 10 2005 - Have a look at our new Focus on Numbers section. Here you will find a variety of environmentally themed lesson plans designed to develop skills in numeracy.

May 6 2005 - The second annual EarthCARE Expo was a great success. Thank you to all those who attended and participated, we look forward to seeing you next year. View an assortment of pictures from the event

May 3, 2005 - EarthCARE Expo, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Confederation High School - Ottawa-Carleton DSB hosts its second Expo with guest speaker Bruce Kirkby and competitions in poetry, visual shorts, still photography, sculptures and environmental innovations. Free admission; no entry fees for competitions.
OCDSB EarthCARE EXPO Contest Judging Criteria - PDF 23kb
OCDSB EarthCARE Expo 2005 Competition Rules - PDF 14kb

April 22, 2005 - Earth Day events in the Ottawa-Carleton region. Visit the Earth Day Ottawa website at to find information about their exciting line-up. Earth Day Ottawa is the local affiliate of Earth Day Canada.

March 19, 2005 - Community Energy Conservation Day, 10:00am - 3:00pm at Ottawa City Hall