EcoSchools Program
"God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good." (Gn 1:31)
Ontario EcoSchools is an environmental education program that addresses environmental learning for students both in the classroom as well as the wider operations of the school. It has been designed by school boards, for school boards, to incorporate environmental education as well as environmentally responsible action into the school setting. As a Catholic school community we are called to live out our Christian responsibility for the environment by cultivating and caring for the goodness of all God's creation.
The purpose of EcoSchools is to:
- Provide teachers with environmental education resource units for elementary and secondary grades based on the Ontario Curriculum.
- Provide guides that promote taking individual action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Align what is taught in classrooms with school operations (curriculum & facilities).
- Save money and reduce our impact on the environment (e.g., conserve energy and minimize waste) at both the Board and individual school levels and provide related opportunities for learning and action outside the classroom to reinforce classroom education.
EcoSchools achieves this by focusing on these four areas:
- EcoSchools recognizes the achievements of the participating schools through a certification process that awards a gold, silver or bronze level of achievement.
a) Energy Conservation
b) Waste Minimization
c) Ecological Literacy
d) Schoolground Greening
Congratulations are extended to the following schools for achieving certification:
St. Paul Catholic Elementary School, Norwood - Gold 2009, Gold 2008
St. Paul Catholic Elementary School, Lakefield - GOLD 2009, Silver 2008
St. Mary Catholic Elementary School, Lindsay - Gold 2009
St. Stephen's Secondary School, Bowmanville - Silver 2009