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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLN 01-21Report to Executive Committee Report Number: PLN 01-21 Date: January 4, 2021 From: Kyle Bentley Director, City Development & CBO Subject: Pickering Environmental Schools Grant -Results of the First Year of Funding -File: D-7000-007 Recommendation: 1.That Report PLN 01-21 of the Director, City Development & CBO on the results of the Pickering Environmental Schools Grant be received for information; and 2.That a copy of Report PLN 01-21 be forwarded to the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) and Durham District School Board (DDSB) Trustees for City of Pickering, DCDSB and DDSB Directors of Education, DCDSB Superintendent of Facilities Services, DDSB EcoSchools Facilitator, DDSB Education Officer (Curriculum Grades 7-12) and eLearning Administrator, DDSB, Administrative Assistant, Student Achievement & Curriculum Department. Executive Summary: On October 21, 2019 Council approved the creation of a Pickering Environmental Schools Grant and provided 2020 pre-budget approval in the amount of $8,750.00 (account 2195.2712.0000) for the initiative. The purpose of the grant was to provide thousands of Pickering students the opportunity to implement activities that contribute to a healthy environment. The Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) and the Durham District School Board (DDSB) each had access to up to $4,000.00 for their respective schools. The Ontario French Public School Board could apply for up to $750.00, which was reflective of there being only one school in Pickering. Staff worked with the three school boards to communicate the grant opportunity to the schools and the feedback was very positive. Twelve schools applied for funds quickly reaching the maximum $8,750.00 of available dollars. Unfortunately, two significant occurrences impacted some schools’ ability to complete their project. Labour disruptions in late 2019 and early 2020 meant that certain tasks were not allowed to be performed. Then in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a province-wide closure of schools until September. Most of the proposed projects were focused on engaging students in-person. As such, when schools reopened, City staff provided an extension to mid-November for initiatives to be completed. Report PLN 01-21 January 4, 2021 Subject: Pickering Environmental Schools Grant Page 2 Seven of the twelve schools successfully completed their projects. A total of $7,476.07 was used The remaining schools were unable to undertake their projects due to the evolving COVID-19 restrictions in place to keep students and staff safe, which limited the intended scopes of work. Attached are DCDSB and DDSB summaries outlining the unique projects that were undertaken including: • planting multiple pollinator gardens; • installing shade trees in an outdoor classroom; • planting native shrubs and plants; • creating interpretive signage; • purchasing butterfly rearing kits; and • installing an indoor aeroponic growing tower for students to grow herbs, vegetables and plants in the school. Pickering’s Environmental Schools Grant initiative provided equitable access for thousands of students to be engaged in fun, educational and meaningful activities they otherwise would not have been able to pursue. Financial Implications: Not applicable to this report. Discussion: The parameters outlined in the Environmental Schools Grant Application Guidelines ensured that the funded activities/programs provided an environmental benefit to the Pickering community and its residents, had clear measurable benefits and results, and directly supported the City’s goals to continuously improve environmental sustainability. The City’s contribution was recognized in various ways such as through social media, school announcements, verbally at planting events, and with “thank you” signs and rocks displayed in the gardens and on the growing tower. Many schools have already inquired about the ability to apply for funds in 2021. Pending budget approval in 2021, Pickering’s Environmental Grant program will be offered again to the above-noted school boards. The attached reports provide a brief overview and photographs of the work that was undertaken. As documented, the grant provided valuable hands-on opportunities for Pickering students to broaden their skills and knowledge about environmental matters and empower them to take on an important role for improving sustainability within their community. The youth were able to share their experience with friends and family where it could influence further actions. An equally important note is that, as Pickering’s future decision-makers, these tools helped provide them with an understanding of the natural world and their role in protecting it. Despite the challenges presented this past year, many schools were able to modify and deliver exciting projects through the Pickering Environmental Schools Grant. It also provided a great opportunity for the City to work with new partners and help them to champion ‘on the ground’ sustainable projects. Report PLN 01-21 January 4, 2021 Subject: Pickering Environmental Schools Grant Page 3 Attachments: 1.Durham Catholic District School Board Environmental Grant Final Report 2.Durham District School Board Environmental Grant Final Report Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By: Chantal Whitaker, BESc (Hons), CSR-P Kyle Bentley, P. Eng. Supervisor, Sustainability Director, City Development & CBO Stan Karwowski Director, Finance & Treasurer CW :ld Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Marisa Carpino, M.A. Interim Chief Administrative Officer Original Signed By Original Signed By Original Signed By Original Signed By Pickering Environmental Grant Report St. Monica School, Pickering Tower Garden Project October 12, 2020 St. Monica’s Eco Team was the driving force to have the indoor Tower Garden brought to the school. When the team (students that represent each grade from 3 to 8) heard there was an opportunity to obtain a garden inside the school they were excited, but also brought up some concerns as well. They created PRO and CON list where they discussed the benefits vs cost of having the indoor garden. The positives on the list included better air quality inside the school, promoting healthy eating and providing many learning opportunities about the plants and the environment for the students. Some concerns were the supervision of the tower, distribution of produce and the responsibility of the maintenance. After meeting with a parent in the school community that has a tower garden in their home and having them explain how easy it is to maintain, and after a discussion on how we could manage the produce, the Eco Team felt confident enough to apply for the grant. As soon as we got the tower in February 2020 the ECO team planted the seeds in the Rockwool medium. The team tested the water’s pH and chose a variety of seeds to plant and made a map of the seeds. The seeds were transferred to the Tower Garden early in March (see picture below). Our principal Mrs. Wardle invited the sales Rep Joe Palumbo to speak at a Parent Council meeting to introduce the garden to the parent community. This is where the City of Pickering was acknowledged for granting our school the money to purchase the garden. Unfortunately, because of Covid-19, we did not see the harvest of the first crop of vegetables planted. This school year we are excited to begin planting again. A grade 3 class will be adopting the Tower Garden this year and will begin planting seeds within the next few weeks to coincide with the teaching the unit on Plants in the Science and Technology curriculum. We will be taking many pictures that we will share with the community via St. Monica’s Twitter account (using #cityofpickering) and our online schooling platform Edsby. The City of Pickering will surely be acknowledged as our benefactors for this fantastic addition to our school. Signage will also be Durham Catholic District School Board Attachment #1 to Report #PLN 01-21 added to the base of the tower saying thank you to the City of Pickering for supporting our school and our ECO initiatives. Inga Spinoti Teacher, ECO lead This is a picture of the Tower garden right after the seedlings were planted. PICKERING ENVIRONMENTAL GRANT REPORT FATHER FENELON CATHOLIC ELEMNETARY SCHOOL SLOPE PLANTING AND EROSION CONTROL NOV 2, 2020 Father Fenelon’s EcoTeam was part of the planting along the slope on the east side of the school. The school and board worked with the City of Pickering planning and sustainability teams to help with a planting project. This project would be mutually beneficial to the school for helping with some erosion control on the east side of the property as well as creating a natural habitat with some native species, and to the City to assist with some concerns about privacy and erosion that had been expressed by nieghbours of the school. The City of Pickering was acknowledged for granting our school the money to purchase the garden. The planting occurred the week of October 26th, 2020, so the growth of the plants and the filling out of the area will not be realized until the spring/summer of 2021. The board will also be adding some bordering shrubs to the project in the spring time, as these shrubs were not available at the time of planting. The funds provided by the City were allocated to the purchase of the plants, and part of the contractor work required to excavate the swale and the planting area. The school board contributed a portion of the cost for the contractor services. The City of Pickering will surely be acknowledged as our benefactors for this fantastic addition to our school. Below are many pictures of the planting days. City of Pickering Environmental Grant Final Report As of the end of 2020, the following schools in the Durham District School Board have completed their environmental grant projects in partnership with the City of Pickering. 1.William Dunbar PS Teacher: Michael Ringrose ($886.37) Out of the 30 ish plants we purchased we planted them in 5 different garden areas on our school grounds. We now have milkweed and other plants that support the various stages of the butterfly lifecycle in 5 different garden beds. We also now have made space for future planting of milkweed seeds and other bulbs for students in the future to continue the hands on planting experience. We had students digging holes in the garden, planting the various shrubs and flowers, and had an older group of students moving mulch from a large pile to the various garden beds around the school grounds. We used various gardening tools and gloves that the students and teachers brought in to complete the project.” A sign of thank you to the City of Pickering appears in the garden. 2.Vaughan Willard PS Teacher: Richard Munderich ($678.00) Two large maple trees were planted at the outdoor classroom of Vaughan Willard Public school. Both trees were around 14 ft tall and had a 32" root ball. They had to be planted by a DDSB contractor with a backhoe. A thank you sign appears in the garden with the trees with thanks to the City of Pickering for their generosity. Attachment #2 to Report #PLN 01-21 3.Claremont PS Teacher: Bianka Warren ($242.77) Throughout the fall of 2019, the Claremont Eco School team sent two representatives, along with Mrs. Warren (teacher in charge), to an event at Durham Forest that opened their eyes to a range of possibilities that would help sustain the environment. Eco team members thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor excursion and learning about the life of pollinators, who are so important to our environment. During a meeting following that excursion, the representatives were able to share their knowledge with other Eco team members, and consolidate an idea to create pollinator gardens at Claremont P.S. Measures to discuss the proposal with the principal was underway, and approval was given. As the Eco Team engaged in this endeavour throughout the fall and winter months, Mrs. Warren took the initiative to apply for the $250 grant offered by the City of Pickering as a promotion to benefit our environment. In the meantime, time was then spent on surveying the possible areas of the school that would best benefit our pollinator friends, but not be of any threat to students with bee allergies. With Mrs. Warren's guidance, the location of the pollinator gardens was chosen to be out front of the school and integrated into the existing flower beds. Word was soon received that the Claremont Eco Schools team was successful in acquiring the $250 grant (yahoo!). A number of meetings followed throughout the fall and winter with Eco team members learning about, and discussing the likes of pollinator plants that would best fit the school's location and purpose. The use of the internet and pamphlets obtained from the outdoor excursion were used. After the new year, the Eco School team simply met occasionally with the We Team (We Schools initiative) to further learn about initiatives that could help communities in our local area. They took a short hiatus from the project due to the fact that nothing could be done until the spring when the ground thawed out. Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit and school was out the rest of the year. As teacher in charge, Mrs. Warren knew that the native plants required for the project were predominately available in the spring season, so she took it upon herself to visit the Native Plants Nursery in Claremont, at the end of June, to purchase the required plants and deliver them to the school. The friendly service of the Native Plants Nursery personnel was greatly appreciated, and were also able to provide more information about the plants and composting soil that would benefit their growth. At the beginning of July, with the uncertainty of the return to school in the fall and physical distancing measures in place, Mrs. Warren, with the help of one of her family members, spent a day first weeding, then using little plant shovels to plant the flowers in the pollinator gardens. School custodians were gracious enough to help with some weeding on their spare time and provide water to Mrs. Warren for watering the plants throughout the summer. The garden was a success! Thank you to the City of Pickering for their generous grant. A thank you appears on a sign in the garden that speaks to our appreciation. 4.Dunbarton HS Teacher: David Gordon (1 160.85) Project was beautification of the front school garden and replacement of vandalized pollinator garden on Whites Rd. The work was complete October 24 through the labour of twenty students and three staff over two hours (in-kind 46 person hours @$15/hour=$690 in kind labour value). In the front garden, four yards of topsoil, 400 daffodil bulbs and ten shade tolerant shrubs were installed. Two cedar planter boxes were installed and planted with daffodils and allium. During this work a project was conceived to have each class paint inspirational messages on rocks to be installed in the garden by the end of November. The Whites Rd pollinator garden, created by students in 2017 to aesthetically enhance the new school sign, was recently vandalized and destroyed by the landscaping crew. All remnant plants were removed and replaced with over 50 indigenous perennials, with one Andropogon gerardii marking each side of the school sign. A sign of appreciation appears in the front garden to the City of Pickering for their partnership. 5.Maple Ridge PS Teacher: Victoria Jaspers-Fayer ($508.08) The final product of our project is the improvement of the garden beds at the front of the school. With the grant money, we were able to purchase new plants, including native, drought-tolerant and pollinator friendly species. We bought a new watering can to help our success in putting in new plants as well as mulch to help cut down on the need for watering and in order to protect the plants from invasive weeds. Students in grades 5 - 8 participated in every phase of the project, including painting and writing on rocks to identify some of the plants in our garden along with symbols indicating pollinator-friendly and drought-resistant plants for anyone passing by the front of our school. In addition, kindergarten students were able to witness the butterfly life cycle by following their class website, as schools were closed in the spring during the time that the butterflies were hatching. A rock of appreciation has been added to the garden in thanks to the City of Pickering for their generous grant for this project.