Annual Report

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Our Vibrant Network

english public school board

english catholic school board

french-language school board

of all % schools 36 in the province are certified

882,000 1,765 students EcoSchools engaged certified

52 886 School Boards educators supported trained

2 letter from the executive director

getting inspired: every day

What a year it has been! My personal highlight Over the next few years, we will evaluate and from 2014-15 was the opportunity to celebrate communicate how certified EcoSchools reduce GHG a decade of environmental achievement in emissions, lower energy consumption, and minimize EcoSchools across the province. waste. We will also evaluate how the program fosters successful student leadership. I joined the Ontario EcoSchools team in its early days, and have seen the program grow from All of these initiatives make it exciting to come to 108 certified schools in 2005 to 1,765 in 2015. work every day. I am constantly inspired by the In order to support our growing community, we unique ways school communities breathe life into have transferred the certification process online, the program. expanded our training opportunities for EcoTeams, So thank you to every student who enthusiastically and encouraged environmental learning and action joins their EcoTeam, the teachers who advocate for across all levels of the school system. ecoliteracy, the principals who lead by example, the We are dreaming big these days and we are excited board representatives who champion their schools, to launch a new three year strategic plan. This and the funders who believe in our potential. plan will enhance student engagement through I am excited to see what our community will achieve our second annual EcoAction Challenge and an in 2016 and beyond. inaugural spring EcoSummit in 2016. We will also build staff capacity to better support participating schools, and strengthen collaborations with other environmental organizations.

One aspect of our mission is to showcase schools and EcoTeams. In 2014-15 this involved highlighting a decade of school best practices in the “Get Elanor Waslander Executive Director Inspired” book, and holding school celebrations.

Table of Contents

Getting Started video features students from Toronto Ouest in CSViamonde and was created to introduce schools to the Ontario EcoSchools program.

EXPERT WEBINARS were hosted on active transportation, inquiry- based learning, and school food gardens. The webinars were led by community experts and engaged 157 participants from 119 schools.

Get Inspired book was published as a collection of best practices from certified EcoSchools over the last decade. Each page provides a photo and tips on how to successfully implement all six sections of the program.

2 ECOACTION CHALLENGE was held for the first time in June 2015. 86 schools from 32 school boards shared their EcoActions for the chance to win great prizes and participants generated nearly 400 #EcoAction2015 Tweets.

French-language community grew to 69 schools, increasing engagement by 33%. We warmly welcome participation from schools in the Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières.

Ministry of Energy partnership highlighted energy conservation practices in schools. Certified Ontario EcoSchools use an average of 12% less electricity than comparable non-certified schools.*

*TDSB Energy Management Program Review, 2006

3 “We are helping the world improve one action at a time.”

grade 3 student

4 ecoschools in action

In 2014-15, over 44,000 students participated on EcoTeams at certified EcoSchools and carried out some impressive initiatives. Here’s a taste of the environmental learning and actions that took place across the province.

Unionville Public School in York Region DSB won the 2015 EcoAction Challenge after students actively engaged in a full week of outdoor inquiry- based learning.

Dunbarton Secondary School in Durham DSB was named Greenest School on Earth by the Global Coalition for Green Schools. This was the first time this honour was bestowed in the Western Hemisphere.

École Catholique Franco-SuPÉRIEUR in CSDC des Aurores boréales celebrated their beautiful new mural. Created with the help of community artists, the flowers in the mural were made from students’ handprints.

ACADÉMIE catholique Ange-Gabriel in Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est created innovative waste sorting bins. This year, the EcoTeam also planted new trees in their outdoor classroom, actively using the green space.

St. Marguerite d’Youville in Hamilton Wentworth Catholic DSB was named the 2015 Greenest School by the Canadian Green Building Council. The school has reduced waste by 90% through daily litterless lunches, recycling and composting, and banning plastic water bottles. 44,000 student leaders participated in EcoTeams. 5 annual certification

Schools are assessed based on a provincial standard with an emphasis on student leadership. Each year, schools apply for and receive Ontario EcoSchools certification by demonstrating achievement in all six sections of the program. Participating schools are certified at Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels.

TEAMWORK ENVIRONMENTAL AND LEADERSHIP STEWARDSHIP

The certification ENERGY cycle involves support and CONSERVATION CURRICULUM training throughout the school year, an online application, related resources, and spring school visits. Regular research and evaluation ensures that the program is constantly being updated and is in line with current best practices.

WASTE SCHOOL GROUND MINIMIZATION GREENING

In 2014-15, Ontario EcoSchools certified 1,765 schools from 52 school boards. 6 “The program provides us a way to measure success step-by-step and keeps us on our toes.”

secondary school teacher

7 “The program helped me grow and learn as an educator and citizen and be more aware of the impact a school has on the environment.”

elementary school teacher

8 supporting strong ecoteams

Through workshops, webinars, and conferences, Ontario EcoSchools equips EcoTeams with the tools needed to certify. The program aims to engage EcoTeams in meaningful action, integrate environmental education into every subject and grade level, and reduce the ecological footprint of schools.

Ontario EcoSchools offers full-day workshops and webinars for educators across the province. These training sessions have received extensive positive feedback and in 2015, we trained more than 500 teachers from over 300 schools. We also hosted our annual school board-level conference, which provided opportunities for dialogue and the exchange of innovative ideas.

886 educators attended 22 training sessions in 2014-15. 9 environmental toolkits and resources

Ontario EcoSchools offers free resources and tools to support environmental learning and action inside and outside of the classroom.

In 2014-15 we created Environmental Stewardship Campaign Kits for three popular campaigns: Earth Hour, Active Transportation, and School Ground Clean-Ups. These kits include campaign communication materials, whole school activities, and learning activities for grades K-12. Each year we offer new resources to enhance learning and action throughout the program.

95% of our annual workshop participants rated our environmental toolkits and resources as useful or very useful. 10 “We are having a positive change on the earth, and I am excited to be a part of that change.”

grade 10 student

11 thank you

The work of Ontario EcoSchools is made possible by a dedicated community of supporters and volunteers. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed financial and/or in-kind resources to support environmental education and action in Ontario schools.

Funders and Sponsors Collaborators Heidi Campbell, evergreen Marie-Josée Carrier, cascades inc. Andrea Cousineau, natural curiosity Erica Duque, region of peel Tim Grant, green teacher Ontario Ministry of Education Sunday Harrison, green thumbs Ontario Ministry of Energy Bill Kilburn, back to nature network TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Debby Martin, evergreen Cascades Inc. Jennifer McGowan, metrolinx Justin Nadeau, toronto district school board Jess Pelow, student, york university Partners Sonia Sanita, york catholic district school board York University and york region district school board Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Steering Committee In-Kind Contributors Lewis Molot, Chair, york university Green Teacher Vicky An, toronto and region conservation authority Scholastic Education Ron Ballentine, halton district school board Warren’s Waterless Printing Inc. Lindsay Bunce, toronto and region conservation authority Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Suzanne Burwell, halton district school board (University of Toronto) Judy Gould, durham district school board Toronto District School Board Timothy Leduc, york university Erin Mutch, thames valley district school board Nathalie Rudner, york region district school board Rachel Stewart, toronto and region conservation authority Shari Typer, halton catholic district school board Jenn Vetter, toronto district school board Erin Wood, toronto district school board

Fund Development Committee Lindsay Bunce, earth day canada Tovah Barocas, earth rangers Ontario EcoSchools Staff Assessors Carly Bardikoff Amanda Ammon Scott Dobbin Kelly Laforet Melissa Benner Kimberly Baxter Nancy Drynan Michelle Rondeau Tania Cheng Suzanne Brochu-Ranta Ayelet Freedman Stephanie van den Berg Kelly De Fogain Beryl Cohen Melaina Gasbarrino Kristan Verhaeghe Sierra Frank Marie-Pierre Daigle Sue Hamel Jana Vodicka Elanor Waslander Meagan Dargavel Cassie Jackson Manubir Walia Annie Dearden Emily Jackson 12 School Board Partners Ontario EcoSchools Board Representatives algonquin lakeshore catholic district school board Michael Bibby financials* avon maitland district school board Crystal Gascho bluewater district school board Deborah Diebel brant haldimand norfolk catholic district school board Craig Colbert bruce grey catholic district school board Revenues catholic district school board of ontario Tanya Sesbreno conseil des écoles catholiques du centre-est Roxanne Coupal, Natalie Lavigne % conseil des écoles publiques de l’est de l’ontario André Fillion 95.4 conseil scolaire catholique de district des grandes rivières Natalie Joncas-Raymond government conseil scolaire de district catholique centre-sud Christine Lachapelle conseil scolaire de district catholique des aurores boréales Thérèse Dechêne conseil scolaire catholique providence Monique Castonguay conseil scolaire public du nord-est de l’ontario Stéphane Morneau conseil scolaire viamonde Angèle Ruder district school board of niagara Florence Ho, Nancy Bridgeman dufferin peel catholic district school board Lindsay Bunce, Vicky An, Rachel Stewart % % durham catholic district school board Carol Stott, James MacKinnon 0.5 4.1 durham district school board Judy Gould Other foundation grand erie district school board Katie Hashimoto greater essex county district school board Al Cook, Vince Perta Government $832,625 halton catholic district school board Paul Deoni Foundation $36,000 halton district school board Ron Ballentine, Suzanne Burwell, Other $4,000 Nick Bertrand Total $872,625 hamilton-wentworth district school board Aaron Puley, Brian Goodram hamilton-wentworth catholic district school board Paul Beaudette huron-perth catholic district school board Lori Lynn Stapleton keewatin patricia district school board Expenses kawartha pine ridge district school board lakehead public school board Jason Pilot lambton kent district school board Heather Curl 76% limestone district school board Joe Hendry program london district catholic district school board Joe Bezzina niagara catholic district school board Elizabeth Davies ottawa carleton district school board Tom Thistle ottawa catholic school board Christine Adam-Carr peel district school board Tracy Appleton peterborough victoria northumberland clarington catholic district school board Sarah Taylor provincial schools Kathy Lewis rainbow district school board David Wiwchar % % renfrew county district school board 3 21 simcoe county district school board Jessica Kukac, Kayla Kalalian Fundraising Administration simcoe muskoka cath district school board Kathy Van Dewark thames valley district school board Erin Mutch Program $634,375 thunder bay catholic district school board Alma Provenzano Certification & Research $352,411 toronto district school board Jenn Vetter, Pam Miller, Erin Wood Training & Events $203,128 Curriculum & Resources $78,836 toronto catholic district school board Rose MacDonald, Stefan Martens, Vincent Citriniti Administration $174,084 trillium lakeland district school board Heather Truscott Fundraising $27,044 upper canada district school board Kim Machan Total $835,503 upper grand district school board Connie Bender, Karen Acton, Ian Macpherson *Financials are based on internal analyses. For waterloo district school board Sandy Herman audited financial statements, please contact us. waterloo catholic district school board John Shewchuk wellington catholic district school board Nancy Culham windsor-essex catholic district school board Mike St. Pierre, Julie Di Domenico york catholic district school board Larry Tadman york district school board Nathalie Rudner 13 Mission Ontario EcoSchools is an environmental education and certification program for grades K-12 that helps school communities develop both ecological literacy and environmental practices to become environmentally responsible citizens and reduce the environmental footprint of schools.

Vision Every School an EcoSchool: We work towards the vision that all students and staff in Ontario schools will be engaged in environmental education and practices, developing the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and actions needed to be environmentally responsible citizens.

720 Bathurst St. #206, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4 416-642-5774 | www.ontarioecoschools.org 14