An actions plan to reduce Northview's Environmental footprint. A project for "Real Solution to An

Reduce Northview Heights’ environmental footprint.

          Environmental footprint measures human demand on nature. It compares human consumption of natural resources with Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate them. So if we reduce Northview’s Environmental footprint, then we are not only save energy, but by doing so we are also increasing the life of our planet “Anyone can make a difference” – having said that, here is my proposal of an action plan that includes short term - long term goals and ideas, that will help reduce Northview height’s environmental footprint:

<u>Food System:</u>
       • Promote eating low on the food chain by increasing access to vegetarian/vegan food options while selling food at lunch time.
       • Increase amount of “sustainable meals” (meals that include at least 1 local and/or organic ingredient) by 30%.
       • Sell locally grown food at cafeteria and give out free coupons to students who buy it.
       • Give a discount in to students who bring their own reusable utensils.

<u>Waste:</u>
       • Eliminate the use of all garbage bags that are not blue or green at school as they are not sorted and are automatically sent to the landfill.
       • Implement a battery and ink cartridge recycling program.
       • Create a club called “Best out of Waste” in which students reuse thrown items to create something unique, which can be entered in a competition for prizes.
       • Use paper plates instead of Styrofoam plates.
 
<u>Paper Consumption:</u>
       • Default all printers and photocopiers at school to double-sided printing.
       • Electronic Assignments.
       • Re-use paper printed on one side, have double sided exams or tests, etc.
       • Re-use old envelopes, CD-covers, boxes, etc.

<u>Energy Use:</u>
       • Turn on reduced # of lights. For example; every other light can be turned on. This way both energy and money (since lights don’t get used as much) is conserved.
       • Do not turn lights on when unnecessary. For Example; Cafeteria often has enough natural light, yet all inside lights are turned on.
       • Enable the computers to sleep feature after 5 minutes of non-use. (CO2 not emitted.)
       • Turn lights out when leaving rooms, reduce bulb sizes, and install dimmer switches and motion sensors wherever possible.

<u>Other:</u>
       • Get students to group together, look for reusable items at school and make productive use of it in exchange for volunteer hours.
       • Setup a “repair shop” club at school. (A place where students can get their broken stationery items fixed, get clothes tailored, get binders fixed, etc.)
       • Rather than having the Robotics Team building a robot each year, get the team to deploy new technological innovations or even inventions” to reduce pollutants and emissions impacting air, water, and climate change.

       • Commit funds to add energy sources which do not create air pollution (e.g. wind and solar energy) where economically possible.
Perhaps the school can fund-raise enough money for a couple of years with a goal of getting some money to install alternative energy sources at specific areas of school. This may take a lot of time and effort; however it has been proved that the use of solar panels and alternative energy sources are undoubtedly helpful to the environment and also it saves a huge chunk of our energy bills.
Also, (just as an idea) mechanical energy systems can be installed in the future, in which electrical energy can be produced through mechanical energy created from various places at school such as the weight room.

       • Setup an awards program to recognize the innovative and exemplary actions of individuals who has contributed towards preservation of school energy, at the end of each year. (This way, more students will be encouraged to get involved in the action against consuming less energy at school, to reduce its environmental footprint.)
Also, as a bonus to the awards program, perhaps we can get TDSB to add a small section on the report card under which a teacher can identify if the student is united with the school in its action to save energy. (Another method of getting student to work together as a team)

       • Create a thirty minute “Black Out” event once in a month where all lights are turned off and candles are used in classrooms to save energy. These thirty minutes can be used for educating students on the importance of saving energy, showing the destruction that global warming can cause, and teach how vulnerable our planet really is.

          “Global climate change needs global action now. The alarm bells ought to be ringing in every capital of the world.” - John Gummer. This is Our Planet. Our Country. Our City. Our School. If we take action together as a school, we can get people all over the planet doing the same. No matter what the idea, we must all work together, united as a school, to help increase the life of our planet taking tiny steps at a time such as; Reducing Northview’s environmental footprint.

(Story converted to an Impact Story by Zazengo) 207