ecology
Photos: Ann Coffey
Glebe Report January 17, 2014
Glashan Greening Project
Glashan Public Schoolyard, south side
Glashan schoolyard greening By Angela Keller-Herzog
“Our school looks like a jail!” says a student. The schoolyard is bleak, mostly pavement. To make things worse, the majority of trees shading the yard are ash trees and have to be removed because they are infested with the emerald ash borer. This is Glashan Public School, an Ottawa Carleton District School Board middle school with a present population of almost 400 Grade 7 and 8 students. Glashan students come from the Glebe, Centretown, Lowertown, Sandy Hill and Old Ottawa South. It is located in the heart of Ottawa, at the busy intersection of Catherine and Kent streets. The bleak innercity schoolyard is in marked contrast to the vibrancy of the school and its positive spirit. Glashan prides itself on an ethos of inclusivity, and brings together students from a large catchment area with diverse ethnic and language backgrounds. The Glashan School Council wants to see renewal and greening of the yard. Principal Jim Tayler lent fuel to early discussions in the spring of 2013 when he said, “We should develop an overall vision and a plan, not just a fix here and a tree there.” The
Additional Benefits of Schoolyard Greening Research shows that getting outside in green spaces motivates children to learn, keeps them attentive, builds their imaginations and improves classroom behaviour, all aside from the obvious physical benefits. Further benefits are: • Social (decreased aggression, positive social dynamics, patience, less bullying, more playing, more personal time) • Academic (increased achievement, especially in students with learning styles not well suited to traditional classroom) • Health (garden programs and participation in food production which help students appreciate value of fruits and vegetables) • Environmental (taking care of a green schoolyard which fosters environmental responsibility and stewardship and appreciation of nature).
Glashan Green Team was established by the school council in September 2013.The school board’s centralized grounds department, however, has hardly enough resources to remove the hundreds of dying ash trees that will soon become a safety hazard on its 140 schoolyards. There is a budget for felling trees ... but no budget for replanting or greening. This is left up to parents, communities and the City. This lack of resources for schoolyard greening is not for want of scientific evidence of the community benefits of urban greening and student benefits of schoolyard greening (see boxes). Fully on board with the Glashan G re en i ng P roje ct is Jen n i fer McKenzie, the school board trustee responsible for Glashan. According to McKenzie, “There is a clear link between green spaces and healthy outdoor activity and student learning.” With the support of Centretown and Glebe community associations and city councillors David Chernushenko, Diane Holmes and Mathieu Fleury, the Glashan Green Team has applied to city grant programs. The community network Ecology Ottawa is supporting the project by lending expertise in naturalization and schoolyard greening. Ecology Ottawa community volunteers will help to water the trees and shrubs throughout the first few summers until plants are well established. An initial outreach to local businesses generated a seed fund to help with the first phase of planning – positive response from the neighbourhood including a wide range of people from dentists to jewellers to engineers. A class-by-class facilitated consultation took place at the school in late fall, led by schoolyard-greening guru Ann Coffey. Many problems with the yard were identified and many ideas, solutions and proposals for better use of the yard were received. Students are pleased that they were asked. Takeo, a Grade 8 student, commented, “I hope that with this project the yard is going to get more enjoyable for future generations of students here. I would like to experiment with growing grapes on the fence. I think it is possible in this climate.” Glashan teachers support the greening project. According to a teacher and staff survey just completed: • 70 per cent of respondents feel that there is too much pavement in this schoolyard; • Over 60 per cent feel that noise and air pollution are problems; • Surprisingly, over 70 per cent also feel that the lack of colou r a nd a r t is a problem;
Benefits of Trees & Urban Greening An extensive and growing scientific literature documents the benefits of urban trees & greening, including: • Public health and social benefits (overall well-being; cleaning the air of nitrogen dioxide and fine particulates reducing asthmatic triggers; improving respiratory and cardiovascular health; improving mental health and reducing stress; reducing noise; encouraging outdoor recreation); • Environmental benefits (carbon sequestration; energy conservation through cooling; storm water filtration and retention; provision of habitat to wildlife); • Economic benefits (higher property values; commercial value of neighbourhood).
• Over 80 per cent support installation of safety and sound barriers. Safety and excessive noise on the schoolyard are priority problems that the planning process has identified, but that may not be easy or cheap to remedy. The Green Team will consolidate the consultation results, and a discussion meeting on January 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the school library will include a presentation on a proposed site plan. A detailed budget and implementation phases will be developed following the finalization of the site plan. The challenges faced by the schoolyard renewal are formidable. Costs are likely to run over $100,000. The fact that the school board has no resources for schoolyard renewal and greening means that the school council must raise these funds from the community and foundations. The Green Team has hopes that members of the community will come forward with both financial donations as well as in-kind donation of expertise, services and volunteer time. To realize an overall renewal of the schoolyard will need many kinds of inputs, from contractors for de-paving; landscapers, arborists and nurseries for greening; engineers for safety, noise and water management issues; fundraising and communication experts and artists for colour and art. If you can help, contact the author at glashangreening@gmail.com. Angela Keller-Herzog is Chair of the Green Team of the Glashan School Council.
Classroom consultation on schoolyard greening
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