Sports legacy
Camosun, PISE celebrate life of Gord Sleivert Page A6
NEWS: Wire injures cyclist near Durrance /A3 ARTS: Saanich violinist takes on Canada /A19 SPORTS: Rowers strike gold at nationals /A32
SAANICHNEWS Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Offer Expires June 25, 2013
SL11
Watch for breaking news at WWW.VICNEWS.Com
School towers of recycling power Royal Oak middle school students honoured by Saanich for waste diversion
ting frustrated going out into the normal environment – malls or parks – and they can’t find the right place to recycle something.” Royal Oak’s initiative helped the Saanich School District save money. By reducing waste output, they’ve moved from having their garbage collected every week, to once every three weeks. Kyle Slavin “Every school in Greater Victoria News staff can now do this. The program we started has been copied by a number of Recycling isn’t a passing fad at Royal Oak middle school, where students have schools,” Stewart said. Saanich council on Monday was taken it upon themselves to change the scheduled to reward Royal Oak middle way the school – and the district – manschool with an environmental award, as ages its waste output. given out annually to Saanich residents For four years now, students have and organizations who exemplify what it taken recycling to the extreme, finding means to be environmentally friendly. ways to keep paper, plastics and food “What these students are doing is waste out of the garbage. better than what most The school now diverts households and busi80 per cent of its waste from nesses are doing,” said being tossed in a garbage Coun. Dean Murdock, can, destined for Hartland chair of the environmenlandfill. Instead, a series tal advisory committee. of 50 recycling towers are n Royal Oak middle “This group of stuinstalled around the school school; Green Ridge dents is setting an exam“There’s nothing that the Crew; Outright Coffee ple of what’s possible. kids or staff bring to school and Tea; Peninsula They set an impressive that we can’t recycle or Streams; Ed, Michelle, standard a few years compost,” said Angus StewJamie and Jesse ago, and now they’re art, a teacher at Royal Oak. Knaggs; and Paul doing that again,” MurMakeshift recycling cenWest. dock said, referring to tres around the school are the school receiving an much more thorough than Saanich environmental simply garbage and recyaward in 2009. cling bins. “When we see schools, and students The students have different bins in particular, taking the initiative for clifor juice boxes, bottles, cans, drink mate action and waste reduction ... we pouches, milk cartons, foam, foil, soft plastic, hard plastic and paper. There are know that’s a positive message they’re also bins to collect kitchen waste, which taking home to their parents, to family and friends. is composted and turned into soil. “And that’s getting conveyed in a way “The biggest thing that’s happened is far more powerful than a group of politithe whole feeling around the kids, the cians preaching about a new program. teachers, everybody else – they’re now These are students taking the initiative looking for the right place to put someto walk the talk.” thing,” Stewart said. kslavin@saanichnews.com “I hear all kinds of stories of kids get-
Saanich 2013 green awards
MLS #324487
MLS #324485
28-4360 Emily Carr Dr. BROADMEAD $599,900
Don Denton/News staff
Royal Oak middle school green team recycling managers and Grade 7 students Quinn Matthews, left, and Ashley Popham show one of the school’s recycling towers. The school is among a number of organizations and individuals being celebrated by Saanich for green projects, though the municipality’s environmental awards.
2766 Tudor Avenue TEN MILE PT. $929,900
MLS #322103 4361 Faithwood Rd. BROADMEAD $699,900
250.744.3301 www.roxannebrass.com remaxroxanne@shaw.ca