Having trouble using the online form?
Contact Mary Lovett
416.394.7470.
For an overview of the certification process (including instructions for completing the on-line form), please see our Certification Guide and Planner.
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Geocaching | | Today's technological version of community questing is geocaching, described as "a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online." Tell us about geocaching at your school!
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Diving deeper for Toronto walks
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Four Thirsty City Walks
Garrison creek plus activities
City of Toronto Discovery Walks
City archives for getting old photos of Toronto
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Green Paper Calculator | 
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The EcoSchools Green Paper Calculator has been updated. This tool will help you figure out what it would cost to make a partial or complete switch to 100% post-consumer recycled paper and, by reducing overall paper use, still stay within budget! Also provides figures on trees saved, water conserved, solid waste reduced, and air emissions reduced.
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Click here to read the Zerofootprint team's latest newsletter.
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From the grassroots -- 345 certified EcoSchools!
TDSB EcoSchools is now in its eighth year -- and shows no sign of slowing down. This year we have 345 certified schools, up from the 13 pioneers who achieved certification in year one, 2003-04. Front-line workers Mary Lovett and Erin Wood have the privilege of being in our schools a lot, bringing back enthusiastic reports of how much high quality environmental education teachers are providing. They are bursting with the desire to have everyone know about all your fine work. To help that become a reality, we are planning an improved website this year to more fully share your work and the many inspiring outcomes of EcoSchools in action. |
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Why register now for EcoSchools certification/re-certification?
This could be an opportunity to respond to part of certification question 1.1 about setting aside planning time!
Applying for certification/re-certification is Step 1.
If you haven't already started your on-line application, Mary Lovett strongly encourages schools to get started.
Some advantages to early application:  - Early Bird special: If you apply by April 8th you can have your certification audit visit earlier, avoiding the crowded end-of-year pressure.
- Helps you to plan for the year by choosing where to concentrate your efforts
- Allows you to keep track of your activities throughout the year
To apply, simply go to ecoschools.ca and click on Apply Online.
Taking the first step is often the hardest -- just fill in what you can at this stage. Be ready with a password that you can share with other team members. |
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Saving your results on-line
The hidden meaning of "NEXT"!!
Clicking that "Next" button when you stop work on a section automatically saves your entries. Only if you fail to click "Next" if you happen to be logging out, will the data be lost. So remember, for this year NEXT=SAVE (as well as taking you to the next page!). Make sure that you are using Internet Explorer as your browser or you will encounter problems when using the on-line program.
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Ecological literacy through community questing
Certification questions 4.1 and/or 4.2 and/or 4.3 and/or 4.4, with possible relation to 4.5 and/or 4.6, as well as the 4.7 "Look-for"!
Thanks to the 2010 EcoSchools/Evergreen Summer Institute staff for sharing this activity idea.
"Questing" in one's neighbourhood is a
very old pastime. In Dartmoor England 150 years ago James Perrot hid a jar containing his calling card at Cranmore Pool. Others trekking out to the pool followed rhyming clues that led them to the jar and answered the invitation to tea he'd left inside it on his calling card! It led to 150 years of "letterboxing," also called community questing, all over England. What a neat way it has become for learners of all ages to become familiar with their social and natural communities. In 1988 questing leapt the ocean when
environmental educator David Sobel adapted it for the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. Check out the Water Quest developed by the Summer Institute staff for a recent local example of community questing.
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Not Another Nature Film: Witty new resource from WWF
Certification question 4.3
Just what do terms like biodiversity, the Ecological Footprint and ecosystem services actually mean? WWF provides lighthearted answers with this animated short film, narrated by British comic Stephen Merchant. The film was shown at the Wild Screen Film Festival in Bristol as part of the launch of the Living Planet Report 2010.
Click here to view film.
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Bethune's "Paper Caper"
Certification question 2.2.3; can affect Performance Indicator 2.1.13
How long can a teacher make one pack of copy paper last? To find out, eighteen teachers at Dr. Norman Bethune CI signed up for the Paper Caper challenge. Five weeks later, eight are still in the running! A visitor to the staffroom might overhear teachers sharing ideas about planning paperless lessons, see them checking recycling bins for Good on One Side (GOOS) paper, and asking students to bring in any GOOS paper they find. Students and fellow staff can follow the Paper Caper results by checking a graph in the hall. This great spirit-builder is also one of the biggest ways a school can reduce its impact! Let us know if you decide to launch a Paper Caper at your school.
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Smart use of Smart Boards
Certification question 2.1.4; can affect Performance Indicator 2.1.13
Smart Boards provide a new means of interactive learning. We hope that they also save paper. But of course there's a trade-off -- less paper for more difficult-to-recycle electronics and more electrical energy use. At 250 W per Smart B oard*, that's like adding half a classroom of lighting to your school. So what's the best way to keep that electricity use to a minimum? Power bars? Yes. Sharing rather than buying one per room? That's always a good social solution. Send us your tips!
*Figures for thought: Steve Bibla reminds us that if a single Smart Board is left on for a whole school day, that could mean 250Wx6 hours=1.5 kWh of electrical energy is used. A day-lit classroom needing only 2 hours of 500 W of lighting would only use 1 kWh!!
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Winter
 Certification question 1.4; "Look-fors" 2.1.11 and 2.1.12
Trees lose their leaves, bears put on fat, and
Steve Bibla is growing a beard! We all prepare
for the winter in different ways. Is your classroom winter-ready?
It can be made winter-ready lickity split. Just
follow these simple steps -- and remember to delegate these stewardship activities to students
on a rotating basis to inculcate good energy conservation habits.
Clear material from vents so that you are heating the room and not all your stuff. If you're heating books and school supplies, you might be making your air unhealthy with the off-gassing of invisible volatile organic compounds ("VOCs").
Remember to close blinds at the end of the day to create an air insulation layer that reduces heat loss. This will reduce the consumption of natural gas, a finite resource that's best left in the ground as long as possible.
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Energy leadership opportunity for secondary school EcoTeams!
Certification questions 1.5 and/or 1.6 and questions 2.1.2 through 2.1.6 could be addressed through this project.
Apply by December 17th!
The Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative's (TREC) Youth Energy Network (YEN) helps student EcoTeams promote sustainable energy use within their school and community. Student teams applying to design a YEN energy education project will receive support from a TREC mentor plus a $100 grant for project costs. YEN projects also help EcoTeams accomplish their EcoSchools energy conservation goals. All projects are eligible to win one of three Direct Energy Leadership Grants of up to $1000!
For more information and to apply contact Lauren Bishop by email at lauren@trec.on.ca or visit youthenergy.ca. Apply NOW as space is very limited. The deadline for applications is Friday, December 17th at 3pm.
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Zerofootprint Challenge
Certification questions 1.5 and/or 1.6 and questions 2.1.2 through 2.1.6could be addressed through this project.
How big is your school's carbon footprint? Start by learning about the Zerofootprint Challenge. This gives you all the information you need to persuade your school to become part of this dynamic learning opportunity.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO SIGN UP FOR THIS CHALLENGE!
All TDSB EcoSchools have already been given an account. Participation is free thanks to support from TD Friends of the Environment. All you need to do is send an email to info@zerofootprint.net and ask to receive your password.
Zerofootprint's interactive tools help students visualize the size of their footprint, bringing the phrase "environmental impact" vividly to life. The Zerofootprint Challenge adds to the fun by inviting schools to compete against one another in the "Race to Reduce." Once you're in the race, your school is eligible for the "How Big is Carbon?" presentation. Links for teachers.
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Bus grants for TRCA field trips!
Certification questions 4.2 and/or 4.3 are partially answered by field trips.
Between January and April 2011
Toronto Field Naturalists and other donors are making a limited number of $250 bus grants available to classes visiting select TRCA facilities between January and April 2011. Schools still book and pay for the bus, but the $250 is subtracted from your final bill.
Schools must book their visit and make their deposit by January 31, 2011. But act now before the grants run out! First-come, first-served.
Click on the links below for more details.
Kortright Centre for Conservation
Albion Hills and Lake St. George Field Centres
Claremont Field Centre
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Student photography ►communicating about energy and climate change!
Certification questions 4.4 and 4.6
Photography is a powerful means of communicating about the important issues of our times. PhotoSensitive, a collective of photographers exploring how photography can contribute to social justice, invites young photographers to illuminate energy production and consumption, and how they contribute to climate change.
The Energy Project: Through a Young Lens will be part of a larger Energy Project on renewable energy and energy conservation organized by PhotoSensitive and the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA). A gallery of students' photos submitted to the project will be launched in the new year. Final deadline for submission is June 2010.
To learn more about PhotoSensitive and this initiative, visit the Energy Project microsite at www.photosensitive.com/energy. The website includes videos to stimulate classroom discussion, plus full details about how to submit photo entries.
For additional information, contact Education Coordinator Tanya Workman at tanya@photosensitive.com
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Inspire action! Northern vision presentation for schools
Certification question 4.3
Short notice...available January 17th-21st only
Make the dream come true: Exposing possibility through song, image, and story. Environmental educator Remy Rodden, B.Sc., B.Ed.
In this unique multimedia presentation of song, story, and images, Remy will share his recent Arctic/Antarctic adventures and Yukon home, as well as original sing-along eco-songs that entertain and inspire. This session can help to motivate staff and students alike to see the unlimited possibilities of taking environmental action that makes a difference in this world.
Age range: Grades 5-9, but adaptable to other ages
Length: 40-50 minutes
En francais: Remy can do his presentation in French, although most songs are in English.
Fee: $400-$600 depending on audience size.
Contact: Remy Rodden remy@thinkabout.ca
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"Chipp ing away" at the 3Rs
during the holidays
The City of Toronto has put together a list of reminders to help you practice the 3Rs during the coming holiday season, traditionally a time of massive consumption -- and waste production! We know that students are great ambassadors for the environment -- passing on a few tips to them might help make your classroom practice even more eco-friendly, and also educate whole families in your school community!
Access the City's 3RS Creative Ideas for the Holidays by clicking on www.toronto.ca/recycling, a site you can visit for tips all year round!
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From the Editor's desk...
Kindness and Caring: An EcoSchools Perspective
EcoSchools encourages us to have a connection with the living world of Nature. Extend kindness and caring in your EcoSchools program to the resources we've extracted from the air, water and ground. Ask your staff and students the following questions:
What does being kind and caring to nature mean?
What attitude do we need to be kind and caring to nature?
What behaviours do we need to demonstrate every day if we think being kind and caring to nature is important?
How do we pack our lunch if we are kind and caring to nature?
What do we do with leftover food if we are kind and caring to nature?
This holiday season, what would be a true gift, if we really believe being kind and caring to nature is important?
Happy holidays to everyone from the EcoSchools staff!
Best regards,
Eleanor Dudar
TDSB EcoSchools Specialist
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