Energy and Waste
Last Year
Last year's waste reduction strategy of creating a comprehensive recycling program in the school by building centralized recycling stations was a resounding success. We diverted a large amount of waste from landfills by educating our school population about recyclables and creating habits of conservation. Even our kindergartens are able to separate recyclables.
We find less recyclable material in the school garbages than we ever have in the past!
This Year
This year we have shifted our efforts from recycling to reducing our waste. Following our Silver EcoSchools certication, we had a water bottle filling station installed thanks to the Grand Erie District School Board. This means that we don't have to use disposable plastic water bottles anymore. We are working towards raising funds to purchase water bottles for each student in the school. When we do this, we should be able to eliminate disposable bottles entirely.
The video included has been shown to intermediate students to show them how marketing can make us make choices that seem ridiculous if we look at them objectively. Here in Paris, Ontario, we have better options. We want to show our students that they can create change by monitoring their own habits and behaviour. Little actions like "banning the bottle" can have big results.
Waste
Our October Waste Audit showed that we had reduced both our overall waste and our waste per student even since last year. This shows that we have managed to create positive habits in our students that will help us to make Paris Central a more environmentally-conscious community. We have also expended our recycling program. We have partnered with Crayola to recycle markers. We also recycle batteries. Both of these products can be recycled in front of the office.
During our routine Waste Walk-abouts, we consistently noticed that our garbages and recycling bins were free of contamination.
Stay tuned for the results of our final Waste Audit of the year.
