EcoSchools Canada in Calgary
Latest Updates (January 11, 2021):
- NEW! Calgary EcoSchools January Calendar of Events
- NEW! Calgary EcoSchools January EcoNotes.
- NEW! Local resources to support EcoSchools actions!
- Student Visions for a Brighter Future video - watch and discuss with your students.
- EcoSchools offers 40 actions to choose from, each with its own action guide and resources.
- The EcoSchools Sustainability Review is now available. This is a great starting point for helping you craft your Eco-Plan.
- New: EcoSchools' Covid tips for each of its 40 actions.
- K-9 curriculum links to sustainability education and action.
An Invitation
Are you a Calgary-based teacher? Would you and your students like to be involved in real-world, community-based climate action and environmental stewardship?
Ecoschools Canada is an environmental certification program that provides teachers with a framework to engage their students and entire school community in environmental and climate action projects. Schools earn points to achieve bronze, silver, gold or platinum level status - and most importantly, become active players in helping their community become more sustainable and resilient.
The ACEE team is proud to be EcoSchools Canada's on-the-ground delivery partner for Alberta. During the 2020-21 pilot year, we are offering ongoing support to Calgary-area schools. Participation in EcoSchools is FREE for all publicly funded Calgary-area schools. This year, it is also free for independent schools.
What is EcoSchools Canada?
EcoSchools Canada is the largest environmental certification program for K-12 schools in Canada, currently reaching one million Canadian students annually. EcoSchools Canada supports school communities as they:
- Build environmental leadership and capacity for students, staff and communities
- Mitigate climate change by improving operational efficiency of school buildings and behaviour change
- Connect teachers to local tools and resources
- Recognize achievements and excellence through robust reporting and a collective impact framework
- Support Canada's commitment to achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
Why Should My School Join EcoSchools?
Whether your school is a leader in environmental stewardship or you are just starting your journey, the EcoSchools Canada program offers many benefits:
- Explicit links to the Alberta curriculum
- Focus on learning through action, sustainability, and global citizenship
- Links to real-world action plans and strategies, from local to global
- A step-by-step process for creating a flexible environmental action plan
- 40 actions to choose from, each with an action guide and resources
- A user-friendly online platform that allows you to track your progress
- Opportunity to network, share, and celebrate at the Mayor's Environmental Expo
- Instill hope in your students by focusing on solutions and careers of the future
- Ongoing, on-the-ground, support for Calgary schools provided through ACEE
- Free for all publicly-funded schools in Calgary (public, separate, francophone and charter).
EcoSchools Canada Comes to Calgary!
We are very excited to be bringing EcoSchools Canada to Alberta. The focus for our 2020-21 pilot year is on Calgary schools. This year, we aim to:
- Engage at least 25 schools, 100 teachers and 3000 students in the Calgary area
- Create resources for teachers including curriculum links to sustainability education and action, EcoSchools actions, and the City of Calgary's climate action and environmental plans strategies
- Offer a variety of on-boarding and support opportunities to schools to help them achieve a minimum of bronze level certification
- Provide opportunities for schools to network, exchange ideas, and learn from each other
- Provide opportunities for student leaders to mentor younger or less experienced students
- Create opportunities to better connect teachers and students to the vast array of Alberta-based environmental education resources and program
- Conduct a full evaluation of all aspects of the program so we can learn from this Year 1 pilot and make the program even better for future years
- Lay the groundwork and raise funds for expanding this program to other Alberta communities in 2021
How Calgary EcoSchools Came to Be
In spring 2019, the Alberta Council for Environmental Education teamed up with the City of Calgary and Calgary's two major school districts to engage Calgary's school community in environmental stewardship and climate action that directly supports the city's newly adopted climate action plan and other environmental strategies. Our main goals were to create a framework for collective action that fosters a common sense of purpose and civic pride and most importantly, help students feel hopeful for the future through purposeful action.
Our journey has since led us to partner with EcoSchools Canada, an award-winning bilingual environmental certification program for schools that strives to nurture environmental leaders, reduce the ecological impact of schools, and build sustainable school communities. We are excited about building a strong and vibrant EcoSchools community here in Alberta. In this first-year pilot, we will be focusing our efforts on Calgary but aim to extend our reach to Edmonton and other parts of Alberta in the coming years.
Information Sessions for Teachers: Recording Now Available
To learn how your school can become an EcoSchool, click on the image below.
Become an EcoSchool!
To learn more about how to join EcoSchools' growing community in Calgary, click here.
Our Partners and Supporters
We are grateful to our delivery partners, EcoSchools Canada and the City of Calgary, for helping us bring the EcoSchools program to Calgary and making it relevant to our community. We also thank The Calgary Foundation, Royal Bank of Canada Foundation, Alberta Ecotrust, E
nergy Efficiency Alberta, and the City of Calgary for their financial support of this program.
We invite other organizations to support this important work - please contact our Executive Director Gareth Thomson at: gareth [at] abcee.org to discuss.
