Schools and Campuses
National and Regional Programs for Schools and Colleges
The Public Education and Outreach Component of the Climate Change Action Fund supports many education-related climate change initiatives. In addition, many organizations, in Canada and throughout the world, offer resources for schools and campuses.
Evergreen Foundation
The Evergreen Foundation is dedicated to reconnecting people with nature through the enhancement of healthy natural areas on school ground and in communities across Canada, making them healthier places to live, learn, work and play.
Go for Green
Go for Green is the Active Living & Environment Program whose mission is to encourage outdoors physical activity that protects, enhances or restores the environment. Go for Green has community-driven solutions, that makes a positive contribution to Canadian society. They have initiated a Walking School Bus – designed for one purpose: to provide children with safe, active, sustainable transportation to and from school. It's a simple way to reduce automobile use and encourage and allow more kids to get to school under their own steam.
Wild Education, Project Wild and Blue Schools Program
The Canadian Wildlife Federation produces an educational kit and distributes it to thousands of schools and groups across this country every year. Habitat 2000 (the educational component of NWW) enables young people to do wildlife habitat improvement projects in their schoolyards and communities. To date, over 300,000 youngsters have participated in the program from coast to coast.
Seeds "Learners in Action or Environment Green Schools Program"
Coordinated by the SEEDS foundation, the prime goal of the Green Schools program is to become an "environmental green school" by completing and recording 100 environmental projects. Students are required to take action to enhance the environment, to communicate to others about the environment or to demonstrate the wise and sustainable use of resources that make up the environment. There are over 4,800 schools across Canada that have registered in the Learners in Action program. Many that have reached their initial goal have chosen the extensions to go on to JADE, EMERALD or EARTH Status goals.
Destination Conservation
Destination Conservation (DC) is an innovative school based conservation program where students, staff, school district staff and utility companies interact to initiate environmental education and conservation activities. The program involves students in auditing the school's consumption of energy and water while monitoring the amount of waste generated. Working with school staff and parents, students develop a detailed conservation campaign for their school.
International School Peace Gardens
International School Peace Gardens has been recognized around the world as holistic education and global education enhancing international relationships as well as for nurturing global peace and protecting the environment. ISPG involves a tremendous amount of partners across Canada and is widely promoted as an ideal activity for Community Parks Week annually (October 1-7) in schools and communities across Canada.
Greening School Grounds
Tree Canada Foundation's vision is to have every school community in Canada practicing stewardship on their school grounds by creating educational and shaded areas on their grounds. They use school ground projects to teach kids about Climate Change.
School Ground Naturalization Program
To get the students of Winnipeg, Manitoba involved in naturalizing their school grounds and in creating outdoor classrooms in which they may explore environmental curricula. A handbook was developed for Winnipeg schools interested in naturalizing and/or beautifying their school grounds. The comprehensive handbook included local contacts, related workshops, programs and resources, budget development guides, grant information and application forms, plant material information and maintenance schedules, curriculum ideas and classroom activities.
Cornwall Electric Community District Heating Project
Five schools are participants in Cornwall Electric's four-year-old district heating project. Opened in 1995, the natural gas fired energy generating facility generates 5.5 MW of electricity and 11 MW of heat, which is captured to heat water which, in turn, is piped into the community to heat two hospitals, the schools and four other buildings.
Voluntary Challenge and Registry
VCR Inc. is a stand-alone, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to encouraging private and public sector organizations to voluntarily limit their net greenhouse gas emissions, as a step towards meeting Canada's climate change goals. A number of colleges, universities and school boards in Canada have signed the Voluntary Challenge and Registry (VCR).
Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC)
The ACCC is committed to promoting energy efficiency in community colleges across Canada, and in April 1998, a national steering committee was established. Its primary objective is to showcase the leadership of the community college sector in using energy efficiency to reduce their operating costs and mitigate their environmental impacts by the year 2001.