SuperPower Your School - Part 1

Cross your fingers... we just entered the Superpower Your School contest,  sponsored by Staples and Earth Day Canada.  The prize... $20000 of technology for our school.  Sweet!  

In the contest application, they asked this question...  "What does your school do to help the environment?  What are your school’s creative & innovative environmental projects and programs?"  Easy peasy!  The only hard thing was narrowing it down to 250 words.  Look at how we responded...

"Jackman has a long history of passionate eco engagement.  Staff, students and parents are committed to making a difference in our school and community.   Together, we aspire to lessen our impact on the environment.   

We make great efforts to divert waste from landfills.  We promote waste-free lunches and snacks.  We are keen composters.  We are dedicated recyclers.   Every year, we conduct a thorough waste audit.   We have discovered that our garbage is decreasing over the years.  Impressive.  

A few years ago, we wrote letters to the City of Toronto, asking this simple question… “Why can’t we recycle plastic clamshell containers in Toronto?”  Inspired by our letters, the city council made a change to their recycling program.  We were proud to see our action make real change.   

At Jackman, we’re passionate about conserving energy, with frequent messaging about powering down lights and electronics.  We also recognize that walking and biking to school (instead of driving) are an important aspect of living more sustainable lives.   

Teachers are increasingly shaping curriculum with eco ideas.  Recycled art projects, math projects with eco data, eco-themed research projects and so much more.  Students are engaged with eco learning in many ways.   

We know that our ideas need inspiring communication, so we share our ideas with posters, displays, announcements and presentations.   We also blog our eco ideas online for the whole world to see… jackmanecoteam.blogspot.ca    

Being eco is reflected in everything we do.  It’s who we are!  Jackman is truly a vibrant eco school in Toronto!"