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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSUS 02-23Report to Executive Committee Report Number: SUS 02-23 Date: March 6, 2023 From: Kyle Bentley Director, City Development & CBO Subject: City of Pickering Environmental Schools Grant -Results of the 2022 Funding -File: D-7000-007 Recommendation: 1.That Report SUS 02-23 regarding the City of Pickering Environmental Schools Grant be received for information. Executive Summary: On October 21, 2019, Council approved the creation of the City of Pickering’s Environmental Schools Grant (Resolution #154/19). The purpose of the grant was to provide thousands of Pickering students the opportunity to implement activities that contribute to a healthy environment. The intent of this report is to share the results of year three of the grant program. In 2022, the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) and the Durham District School Board (DDSB) each had access to up to $10,000.00 for their respective schools. The Viamonde School Board (VSB) could apply for up to $1,000.00, which was reflective of there being only one joint elementary and secondary school site in Pickering. Staff worked with all three school boards to communicate the grant opportunity to their respective schools. Seven schools applied and a total of $18,494.26 in funding was allocated in 2022. Each school board provided a summary outlining the projects that were undertaken within their respective schools (see Attachment #1 for DCDSB, Attachment #2 for DDSB, and Attachment #3 for VSB). Through the City of Pickering’s Environmental Schools Grant, the schools collectively undertook the following initiatives: •purchased Painted Butterfly Kits to help educate students on the lifecycle of the butterfly and the importance of pollinators for our natural environment and food systems; •created a native plant pollinator garden to attract pollinators and to support outdoor learning; •installed amour stones for outdoor classroom seating; •added mulch to large caliper trees for protection and water retention; •hosted six educational and interactive workshops with Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue, to educate students about soil, water, and food chains; and purchased related supplies, including owl pellets to dissect, green house technology for Micro:bits, soil and water testing kits, as well as outdoor science tools; •installed raised vegetable garden beds made of recycled materials, to educate students and the wider community on the planting process and the importance of growing local food; SUS 02-23 March 6, 2023 Subject: City of Pickering Environmental Schools Grant Page 2 •purchased a 3D printer filament extruder to recycle 3D printer waste and create new filament; and •hosted subject matter experts who engaged students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related workshops to design planet-friendly products. The City’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. The cost of this program is funded from the casino reserve. 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. In 2022, three schools from both DCDSB and DDSB participated, as well as the secondary school from the VSB. Participating schools recognized the City’s contribution in various ways including: •eNewsletter (e.g. Weekly Buzz); •social media; •media release; •school website (e.g. DCDSB News); •classroom communications; and •news section of the board website. Many schools have inquired about applying for funds in 2023. Pending Council’s approval of the 2023 Current Budget, Pickering’s Environmental Grant program is intended to be offered again to the above-noted school boards. The attached reports from these School Boards provide a brief overview and photographs of the work that was completed. Through the Pickering Environmental Schools Grant, many schools were able to deliver meaningful projects they may have otherwise not been able to do. The City of Pickering’s grant provided opportunities for local students to expand their knowledge about environmental matters, and share their experience with family and friends. These efforts will help Pickering’s future decision-makers gain an appreciation about the important role they play in creating a more sustainable home, neighbourhood, and city as a whole. Attachments: 1.Durham Catholic District School Board Environmental Grant Final Report 2.Durham District School Board Environmental Grant Final Report 3. Viamonde School Board Environmental Grant Final Report SUS 02-23 March 6, 2023 Subject: City of Pickering Environmental Schools Grant Page 3 Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By: Original Signed By Original Signed By Melanie Edmond, BSc Kyle Bentley, P. Eng. Coordinator, Sustainability Director, City Development & CBO Original Signed By Original Signed By Chantal Whitaker, BESc (Hons), CSR-P Stan Karwowski, MBA, CPA, CMA Manager, Sustainability & Strategic Director, Finance & Treasurer Environmental Initiatives ME:ld Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Original Signed By Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer 1 Attachment #1 to Report SUS 02-23 Durham Catholic District School Board Pickering Environmental Schools Grant 2022 Final Report 2 St. Mary Catholic Secondary School– 21st Century Learning As part of the new grade 9 destreaming program, 165 students from St. Mary Catholic Secondary School had the opportunity to learn how to care for, and conserve, animals in Durham Region through presentations from Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue. Sessions were held the week of November 21st with all six classes. Students learned how to analyze soil, water and study food chains through hands-on learning projects. Part of the grant also went towards purchasing related supplies, including owl pellets to dissect, green house technology for Micro:bits, soil and water testing kits, as well as outdoor science tools. The supplies allow for experiential hands-on learning and exploration with extensions to future career pathways. The new science curriculum in Ontario promotes green energy, coding/technology conservation/sustainability, and Indigenous knowledge. Students learned about the connection of the land and animals and how we can do more to protect and care for the world around us. St. Mary’s acknowledged the City of Pickering’s contribution through a media release, school/school board website, and social media (e.g. Twitter) to parents and community members. 3 St. Monica Catholic School The Eco Team and staff at St. Monica's Catholic elementary school created a pollinator garden on school property. The space includes many types of Indigenous and drought resistant flowering plants to attract pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, to our garden. The garden supports the Life Systems strand in the science curriculum for all grades. The garden is located by the outdoor classrooms, so that it will be a convenient location for teachers to bring their students to study the ecosystem the garden will create. The plants are labelled to support further learning. The garden spans roughly 100 square feet. This is a draft design of what we expect the garden will look like in full bloom. List of purchased plants include: Serviceberry, FothergiIla, Rudbeckia X2, Echinacea, Boxwood X4, Nannyberry, Aster, Lavender, Alchemilla. The City of Pickering’s contribution was recognized through the school board website, school website, an article in the Weekly Buzz that is sent to all staff and the DCDSB News to all DCDSB families. 4 St. Isaac Jogues Catholic School Through funding from the Pickering Environment Schools Grant, St. Isaac Jogues was able to build an outdoor classroom space by adding some armour stones for sitting, mulch for the protections of larger trees, and were able to clean out old weedy garden beds. The project was completed for the primary classrooms at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic School and provided a space where students could go outside for their education and learn about the environment. Students also use the space during recess and lunch. The City of Pickering was recognized through the school board website, school website, the article in the Weekly Buzz to all staff and DCDSB News to all DCDSB families. Attachment #2 to Report SUS 02-23 Durham District School Board Pickering Environmental Schools Grant 2022 Final Report 2 City of Pickering Environmental Grant Final Report 2022 As of the end of 2022, the following schools have completed their environmental grant projects in partnership with the City of Pickering. 1.Dunbarton High School (DHS) Teacher: Paul Brunette The grant funds were used to purchase new raised garden beds for growing vegetables at Dunbarton. Planting the garden beds got many groups of people involved, and helped everyone come together for an environmentally beneficial event. Not only did many of Dunbarton’s environment council students get involved (12, to be exact), this event also managed to get family and community members to participate as well. Dunbarton’s administration was instrumental in helping to select what garden beds to purchase (we opted for beds made of recycled material). The DHS environment council and Durham's Practical Learning Program class will help plant, maintain, and harvest the veggies year after year. What was the environmental benefit? With this grant, the Dunbarton Environmental Council helped implement an event that educated, not only the students, but the community on the importance of growing and eating local food. By growing food for the community, our council was also able to spark an interest that gets more staff and students into gardening. Much of the veggies that are grown are donated to a local charity. Qualitative/Quantitative metrics The Dunbarton Environmental Council can measure the project’s success by identifying how many students attend and actively participate in planting, maintenance, and harvesting each year. This project showed great success as it managed to get many students involved in local foods and gardening. Along with this, the garden beds are able to inspire the community to actively grow their own food and eat more locally. Dunbarton’s Environment Council has had their own fully operational veggie gardens since 2011. Every year, students are eager to partake in the entire 3 process: selecting what veggies to grow, the planting process, weeding and watering (we have a summer schedule for student volunteers) and harvesting the food. Students are allowed to take some food home. They are always raving about how much better local food tastes. The City of Pickering was recognized through the use of Dunbarton High School’s feeds on their social media accounts. Along with that, DHS Environment Council’s Instagram and Twitter accounts also consisted of exciting posts of the event. There were also announcements made on the school’s website, and therefore was seen by Dunbarton families, community and board members. 4 2.Elizabeth B. Phin Public School Teacher: Gary Braid We purchased a 3d printer filament extruder (basically it's a shredder that recycles 3D printer waste and creates new filament that can be used to create new 3D printer jobs). Our grade 6, 7, and 8 students who joined our Future City project last year, learned how to use 3D printer software and during this process, we learned about the above- mentioned product. We were hoping to create our model for the project using recycled 3D printer waste and a 3D printer but things didn't quite work out last year. This year, we used the City of Pickering grant to purchase the Extruder and the money we won from another sustainability project (another $5,000) to purchase a 3D printer. We have reached out and formed a relationship with Ontario Tech University, Pickering Public Library, and Whitby Public Library and these institutions are saving their 3D printer waste for us. In addition, we have reached out to all of the DDSB High Schools to do the same. The environmental benefit is that we are saving the 'plastic' from the 3D printer from landfills. If this project becomes very successful, we will be able to save ALL 3D printer waste from the entire DDSB Schools and all Durham Libraries from going into the landfills. We have collected waste from a variety of sources since February of last year and will continue to reach out to additional establishments. the City of Pickering was recognized through classroom communications (newsletter/email) and it was also mentioned in a school newsletter and Twitter. 5 6 3. Glengrove Public School Teacher: Crista Wales • The funds were used to purchase Painted Lady Butterfly kits for the 3 kindergarten classes at Glengrove. • 65 students were involved in raising the caterpillars. Students observed the caterpillar growth each day, then counted the days until the butterflies emerged from the chrysalis. • The environmental benefit is to help increase the number of pollinator species that live locally in our area. • 15 butterflies survived to be released to the wild. • The City of Pickering was acknowledged in the school newsletter and classroom communication. 1 Attachment #3 to Report SUS 02-23 Viamonde School Board École secondaire Ronald Marion Pickering Environmental Schools Grant 2022 Final Report 2 The Environmental Schools Grant helped École secondaire Ronald Marion fund Scientists in Schools workshops for their grade 7-8 studies in line with science curriculum but with particular focus on environmentalism. Scientists in the School which centered around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math), and included activities that challenged students to design planet-friendly products. The school looks forward a renewed partnership with Scientists in Schools to provide the same basis of design-thinking in the context of environmentalism. The City of Pickering’s contribution was recognized in a written communication to the parents, spoken about with the students, and acknowledged during the subsidized Scientists in School environmental workshop.