What EarthCARE Can Mean for your School Board

Most schools and boards have energy awareness programs and many good things are happening to conserve energy. However, to achieve the greatest and longest lasting gains, the behaviours must become part of our culture. In the development of the EarthCARE program, we canvassed widely across Canada to get input into what a new program should look like.

Teachers, students, custodians, senior management, and principals all gave us three main messages:

1. The program must be tied to the curriculum.
2. The program should not be an add-on to the already busy day and workload.
3. There should be no additional cost.

We have managed to create just such a program. EarthCARE was launched in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board in September of 2003 and 2005 respectively. Other boards in Ontario, Canada are currently acquiring the program and are planning to launch soon.

EarthCARE addresses occupant behaviours thereby making an impact on environmental actions and stewardship.

How EarthCARE Will Benefit Your School Board

• Conversion of wasted energy dollars to program value
• Reduced energy consumption through better occupant behaviours
• No additional costs for added program value
• Lesson plans and activities tied to mandated curriculum at all grade levels
• Increased pride and ownership of the school environment
• Highly motivated team working toward a shared goal
• More visible Board profile as a leader
• Links between school and home
• Personnel resources to assist in delivery of EarthCARE
• Data collection and analysis procedures to validate achievements
• Improved efficiency of building operations
• More visible profile for custodial staff through involvement in EarthCARE teams