14 Cowichan News Leader Pictorial
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
• • • GO GREEN • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Chemainus secondary students looking for zero Green team: Teens taking the initiative to make their school green
Maeve Maguire
News Leader Pictorial
W
hen Duncan Councillor Michelle Staples was presenting an environment outreach program to kids in schools last spring, she became aware they wanted to do more than learn about what to recycle. “I was delivering a workshop to the Chemainus Secondary Green Team group. One of the things I realized quickly was these kids were educated about what to do,” she said. “They know to turn off the lights. They understand organic composting. What they are interested is in action.” The Green Team has since set a goal to make Chemainus Secondary a zero-waste school. This means the school will divert all its waste to organic composting and recycling and not send anything to the land¿ll. Staples said the project is in its infancy — the school district will hear about it this week — but the kids have already inÀuenced change. The Green Team has developed a zero-waste action plan for the school. One of its ¿rst tasks was to attend a North Cowichan council meeting to request council pay to pick up the school’s organic waste. Council agreed. Staples said learning how to work with government and follow a process is an important part of the kids’ education. “For the council meeting they all dressed in business-type clothes. We talked about how important that is. If you’re going to go in there, you have to leave your blue jeans behind. Show them you’re
courtesy Chemainus Secondary
EcoSense
Chemainus Secondary School Green Team members are pushing hard to get their school to zero-waste status. committed to doing this. How often do we hear our leaders say ‘The children are the voices of the future?’ It’s our responsibility to support that.” The next goal the Green Team has set for itself is to take its action plan to the district level. With support and guidance from a group of mentors Staples gathered, the kids are creating a district-wide zero-waste model based on the data they collect at
Chemainus Secondary. The goal is for other schools in the district to apply this model using its own data gathered from zero-waste audits performed by Staples and the Cowichan Green Community. Staples anticipates schools in the district could be zero waste as soon as next fall if the district supports the program ¿nancially. “The school district will ideally ¿nd
funding to supply the schools with what they need to do this. By next year, they could have a zero-waste school district. Everyone is ready for this.” Staples said the kids spearheading the change is making the difference. “That’s the beauty in this. It’s coming from the kids.”
FOO WEAR SA FOOTWEAR SALE AALE ONN NNOW! NOW NOW W! Until December 2, 20 012
UP TOFF 50% O
.NET
OVER 350 VEHICLES TO CHOOSE FROM TEAMAN DUNC
“Right Here in the Cowichan Valley”
250-597-0424
7329 TRANS CANADA HWY
Join our Footwear Club & start getting free products
www.albernioutpost.com st.com #108-109 Trans Canada Hwy. Duncan Village
250-597-2727
SCRAP METAL DRIVE Cowichan Valley Novice D Capitals Fundraiser
On now to November 30 2012
Carbon monoxide prevention Natural gas is used safely and reliably in homes across B.C. Regular inspection and maintenance is the best way to ensure peak performance of your natural gas appliances — and to prevent carbon monoxide (CO) in the home. Since CO is colourless and odourless, you can install a CO alarm for extra peace of mind. To learn more about carbon monoxide safety, visit fortisbc.com/co. FortisBC Energy Inc., FortisBC Energy (Vancouver Island) Inc., FortisBC Energy (Whistler) Inc., and FortisBC Inc. do business as FortisBC. The companies are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. FortisBC uses the FortisBC name and logo under license from Fortis Inc. (12-315 11/2012)
Saving even the smallest piece of metal can really help our planet and our community! We’re ScrapDrive Drive in your and wonder if you have anyscraps unwanted scraps We’rerunning running aaScrap in your area,area, and wonder if you have any unwanted of metal that you of would metallike that you would to contribute good cause. We’ll be in your to contribute to like our good cause. We’llto beour in your neighborhood collecting on theneighborhood dates below. collecting on Nov. 30, and our Collection Bin at Liquidation World is open Nov. 17 & 18. We’ll then take all metal scraps that we collect to Schnitzer Steel, who’ll give us pricing normally reserved higher This we money will gotoa Schnitzer long way towards community group — We’ll thenfor take all volume metal accounts. scraps that collect Steel,helping who’llour give us and also our planet! pricing normally reserved for higher volume accounts. This money will go a long way towards helping our community group — and also our planet.
Cowichan Valley Novice D Capitals
Collection Bin Open Nov 17 & 18 at Liquidation World Parking Lot For more info call 250-746-7830 or email cvmhahockey1@gmail.com find out more at scrapdrive.com