Past Environmental Projects at Paris Central
We have identified a number of projects that we will be working towards on an on-going basis. Our goal is to bring awareness of energy conservation and waste reduction to our students by making these conversations part of our day-to-day lives. Bulletin board and presentations at assemblies keep these projects and our attitudes towards sustainable living in the forefront of out minds.
New Recycling Centers
A group of Grade 8 students have been busy building Recycling Centers for the school. The Recycling Centers were introduded to all Paris Central students at the February assembly. The Grade 6 and 8 classes performed Jack Johnson's "3 Rs" to get the students excited about recycling.
In the coming weeks, members of the ECOClub will be visiting all of the classrooms to help students to sort their recyclables. The purpose of this project was to bring awareness to the recycling process and to get all students involved in reducing our waste at Paris Central.
Click on the video to the left to watch the Grade 6 and 8s performing Jack Johnson's "3 Rs".
Tracking our Energy and Waste
Each week, the ECOClub have been visiting all classrooms to assess their Waste Management and Energy Conservation effort. We are tracking contamination in the garbage cans (recyclables) and in the recycling bins (garbage), as well as the state of classroom lights and electronics when no one is in the room.
We have been displaying individual class results on the ECOClub's bulletin board. By the end of the year, we are hoping to see all squares on this chart.
Take Me Outside Day
On October 30th, we participated in "Take Me Outside Day".
On this day, the whole school went outside for one hour and did a leaf clean-up. We collected all of the leaves from the yard, parking lot and sidewalk and spelled the words "TAKE ME OUTSIDE 2014" in giant letters on the schoolyard. We then piled the leaves for the grounds crew to collect for compost.
All students enjoyed getting outside for some fresh air, fun and physical activity. We will definitely participate in this event again in the future.
Environmental Education in the Classroom
Teachers have been connecting the curriculum that they use in their specific grades and subjects to environmental themes. There are numerous connections between environmental issues and the Ontario Science, Social Studies, Language and Health curriculum.
Click here to see examples of lessons that engage our students in learning about, for or in the environment.
Earth Hour
Paris Cenral celebrated Earth Hour on March 27th, 2015. Classroom lights were turned off, and non-essential electronics were powered down.
International Earth Hour is on March 28th. Click here to go to the Earth Hour website.