More students than ever learn to fight climate change: 1 in 2 schools join Green Schools Nova Scotia

April 18, 2017

 

(Dartmouth, NS.) – A program that helps students, teachers and parents become more energy efficient and enhance environmental sustainability in their community has reached over half the schools in the province.

Green Schools Nova Scotia encourages students and teachers to waste less and protect the environment through the creation of Green Teams, presentations, class projects and activities. As an Efficiency Nova Scotia program, it focuses on energy efficiency and how it can help students and schools meet their climate change goals.

Since 2011, Green Schools has:

  • Grown from 65 schools to over 200
  • Created hundreds of free resources and lesson plans for teachers
  • Spread over all seven school boards
  • Welcomed over 10,000 members to Green Teams
  • Completed hundreds of sustainability projects, such as energy saving campaigns, community gardens and recycling programs

Classrooms like Chelsea McOrmond’s elementary class in New Minas regularly take advantage of Green School’s resources.

“Green Schools Nova Scotia provides a great link to what we’re doing in the school and what we can do in the community,” says Ms. McOrmond, Green Team leader at New Minas Elementary School. “The Engagement Officers make time to connect with the students, which helps them see how they’re making a difference in the community and beyond.”

For Efficiency Nova Scotia, the program is reaching a key demographic.

“The Green Schools program is designed to be adaptable, so that Green Teams can focus on projects and activities that most interest them – no two Green Teams look exactly alike,” said Amelia Warren, Director of Customer Experience and Partnerships. “We’re extremely grateful for the support the program has received from teachers, students, and administrators across the province, and we look forward to continuing to grow and improve.”

Earth Week is usually the busiest time of year for Green Teams across the province. With five Engagement Officers covering all Nova Scotia, over a dozen activities have already been scheduled, including presentations and Earth Day pledges at Westmount School, Lockport Elementary, Citadel High and River John Preschool.

 

For more information or stories on schools across the province, visit www.greenschoolsns.ca.

 

Efficiency Nova Scotia is operated by EfficiencyOne, an independent, non-profit organization based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Since 2010, we’ve helped more than 225,000 program participants save energy and money. Efficiency Nova Scotia is your go-to place for energy saving programs and services.

To learn more, click to watch Why Energy Efficiency?

Green Schools Nova Scotia is a province-wide education initiative from Efficiency Nova Scotia. It is delivered by Thinkwell Shift, a Nova Scotian based company that develops conservation campaigns with a focus on behaviour change through insightful planning and implementation.

 

For more information contact:

Susan Smith
902 470 3606 ssmith@efficiencyns.ca