Sometimes bad news makes me even prouder to be part of TDSB EcoSchools. Last week the New York Times reported that only 59% of Americans now believe that the earth is warming, down from 79% in 2006. In Ottawa, the first job cuts announced after the election as part of the government's belt-tightening exercise were to the Ministry of the Environment. Yet here at the TDSB we have 401 certified EcoSchools this year--220 of them gold or platinum; our trustees have sanctioned the purchase of 14 "greener" vehicles as a step toward more sustainable transportation; and the Board is installing 233 kW of solar photovoltaic energy which will earn $3.6 million over the next 20 years for the Environmental Legacy Fund. The Fund will also receive $1.75 million over the next five years from the sale of carbon credits, providing much-needed cash to continue investing in an environmentally responsible TDSB.  This is the path to sustainability.  

EcoSchools is more than a program; it is a movement that continues to grow. It is energized by leadership at all levels, from students taking action in environment clubs; staff weaving "the environment" into classroom programs; parents supporting school ground greening and eco-fairs; caretakers using the BAS to reduce energy use; and the many TDSB central staff and trustees who support you in schools wherever possible. A commitment to a healthy environment means taking the long view--the truly exciting and somewhat buried news that you won't read in the Times is that at our school board more and more people are doing just that! You are already tomorrow's heroes--keep up your fine work!                                                                                    -E.D.

The EAC was established to fulfill Action 9 of the TDSB Climate Change Action Plan. It brings many of Toronto's leading environmental leaders together with trustees, students, parents, community members, senior managers, instructional leaders, teachers, administrators, and labour federations. The whole committee of 57 members meets three times a year. Fact-finding and research about best practice occurs in the four working groups: Teaching and Learning, Energy and Finance, Grounds and Food, and Sustainable Transportation. The working groups will bring recommendations forward to support our trustees as they pursue greater environmental sustainability at the TDSB.

To follow the work of these very dedicated groups, visit the EAC Online Community at www.environmentaladvisorycommittee.wordpress.com.

EcoSchools Section 4, Question 4.6 

Dave Meslin's eye-opening interactive exhibit, The Fourth Wall: Transforming City Hall at the Urban Space gallery, 401 Richmond Street, offers tons of ideas for becoming more active citizens. Go to Meslin's site

* To preview the exhibit go to BlogTO. 
* Watch Meslin's 7-minute "Antidote to Apathy." Inspire our EcoTeams, who are transforming the world...one school at a time!

EcoSchools Section 4, Questions 4.4 and 4.5 

 

COBWEB (short for Complexity and Organized

Behaviour Within Environmental Bounds) is powerful interactive simulation software for secondary students. Climate scientist Professor Brad Bass partnered with TDSB's Steve Bibla to develop
lessons for SNC2D, CGF3M, CGR4M, SBI3U, and
SBI4U.

Using COBWEB students can observe how environmental changes affect social and biological systems. Themes pursued include survivorship, population growth, resource variability and drought, the costs of energy, and cheating.

Learn more about COBWEB. Professor Brad Bass is offering free in-school workshops. He can accommodate up to 4 classes per day, depending on your school's schedule.

Available dates

Tuesdays: Nov. 15, Jan. 17, Jan. 31, Feb. 14, Feb. 28,  

Mar. 13, Mar. 20, Apr. 17, May 8, May 29 

Fridays: Nov. 11 and Nov. 18  

Time: Full day  

To register: E-mail Paige Preston-Walker at

Paige.Preston-Walker@tdsb.on.ca or call her at 416-394-7965 to discuss available dates.   

EcoSchools Section 4, Questions 4.5 & 4.6; Section 5, Question 5.7

StudentsCAN connects graduate university students working as animators with students and teachers in schools to explore, understand, and address climate change. The program is administered by U of T's Science for Peace in collaboration with TDSB EcoSchools. The animators can meet with individual teachers, groups of students, or groups of teachers. Options include  

• giving talks and workshops (in classrooms or to teachers)  
• working with teachers to build knowledge of climate change and activities about climate change  
• providing resources  
• assisting EcoTeams with projects related to climate change. 

 EcoSchools Section 4, Questions 4.2 and 4.3

Changing Currents: In a half-day EcoSpark field trip, students will visit their local stream or river and assess its health by examining the bugs that live in the water. EcoSpark staff will provide the expertise, the equipment, and lots of in-class resources. Teacher training is required first; it is offered four times a year. Visit their website for more information.  

Wattwize: With the help of an EcoSpark conservation coach, EcoTeams will work to asses electricity use and decrease consumption in their school, create a student-led conservation campaign, and implement the plan throughout the year. Visit their website to learn more!

 EcoSchools Section 1, Question 1.1

The new AW 3.0 offers more opportunities for EcoSchools to share ideas. The Q&A discussion forum harvested its initial set of questions from the 15 Kick-off events; it  allows readers to get straightforward answers that have been carefully checked with EcoSchool staff.  It's wide open and we check it daily, so more questions always welcome! (Answers take a few days to be posted.) The "Workshops, field trips, and presentations" discussion forum is the place to visit for more detailed information about possible local excursions to help deepen students' ecological literacy. And the newly introduced Teacher Talk forum will become the place to share ideas and get feedback from colleagues about lessons and activities that they-or you-have tried.

Check us out! We want to make this site a dynamic, ever-changing resource. That means we need you to join us! We're talking about ways to attract a crowd. Would prizes work? If so, what sort? If not, what instead? Let us know!

The EcoClub at John Fisher PS used Waste Reduction Week (WRW--October 17-21st) to improve their waste-free lunch practice. The pre-Waste Free Lunch Challenge audit was a pleasant surprise: students found that the three lunchrooms (for 480 students) produced only 0.2kg. of garbage, 0.3kg. of recyclable material, and 2.0kg. of organic material, and 2.0kg. of organic material--2.5 kg. total in a single day!

To launch WRW and Repas sans dechets, members from the EcoClub visited classes to remind fellow students about what makes up a waste-free lunch and how to "boomerang." Daily audits during the week revealed even further reductions, with lunchroom garbage being reduced to less than 1 kg. of all left-over 'waste' on three of the five days.

With such a small amount of left-overs to deal with, the club realized that their giant 60-litre garbage bags were completely unnecessary. Inspired by Maurice Cody PS's practice, the team replaced the big garbage cans with small pails from the caretakers' storeroom that were perfect for re-use. John Fisher's lunchrooms are now using 18-litre bags, allowing everyone to see at a glance just how successful their waste reduction efforts are!

 The EcoSchools department wants to hear about other schools' successes in reducing lunchtime waste. Contact us to tell us your story!  

TDSB's Bruce Day with forestry students Andrew and Hamsha, Grounds Crew Dwayne and Ben. Photo: Gail Bornstein, TDSB/Evergreen Associate

Warden Ave PS's splendid Nature Study Area has provided a marvelous show of what a rich learning resource nature can be. But after five years, it needed attention!

On October 13, 2011 it became the first TDSB Nature Study Area to undergo a 'makeover.' A preliminary survey had revealed many native tree and shrub seedlings (sugar maple, oak, cherry, beech, walnut, dogwood and viburnum). In 90 targeted areas, islands of these native species were identified for protection. Only then were invasive species removed to allow the native tree seedlings room to mature.

EcoSchools staff breathed a sigh of relief when they completed kick-off #15 on October 21st The turnout was great, with a total of 627 teachers and 235 students plus lots of principals, vice-principals, head caretakers, parents, and a sprinkling of office administrators and educational assistants. Demonstration EcoSchools workshops are now underway: 7 school EcoTeams are hosting and 18 schools visiting in October-November. The Students for Environmental Progress (STEP) have had their first meeting, and the Environmental Advisory Committee holds its fall meeting in mid-November. Don't miss the next issue for news about these and other events! And let us know if anything in this issue makes a difference to you (did you spend 7 minutes viewing that "Antidote to Apathy" video? Or the blog on The Fourth Wall: Transforming City Hall exhibit?)  

Best wishes,
The EcoSchools Communication Team

Eleanor Dudar, Jenn Vetter, and Diana Suzuki