From eco parks to ponds, a bird sanctuary to reusable water bottles and recycling stations, the HT Green Team is doing their part for the environment. Led in part by teacher Paul Langevin, the Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School Green Team has applied for and received grants from various sources to fund their projects.
“The Metro Green Apple Grants have been an essential part of our success,” said Langevin. Metro’s Green Apple School program was created to encourage conservation and healthy living. They provide grants to many primary and secondary schools that have eco-friendly ideas which need funding. On June 2nd, The Green Team received their second $1,000 cheque from Metro for their Think Outside the Bottle celebration, which was held on March 18th. Langevin said Metro has been a strong supporter of the school’s environmental efforts. Langevin added the grants helped offset the cost for the Green Team’s Be the Change reusable steel water bottles, which have been a huge success.
The team, whose environmental efforts recently garnered them Gold Certification from EcoSchools Ontario and the Ontario Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Youth Achievement in February, is looking to reduce the amount of single-use water bottles consumed at the school. As a result, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario (CDSBEO) installed two water filling stations at Holy Trinity for students to have easy access to drinking water.
During their Think Outside the Bottle celebration last March, the Junkyard Symphony played for students and parents, using recycled items as instruments and for magic tricks. Langevin said 1L water bottles were used as part of the symphony’s percussion. The Metro grant was also used in part to pay for the symphony. The founding members of the Green Team recruited three new members during the celebration. After the show, students from the seventh and eighth grades completed a survey and successfully answered questions about the information they received.
The current and founding student members include 11th grade students Meghan Major, Ashley Bissonnette and Chelsie Vuorensyrja, with new members Adam Vlacholias, Andrew Cholock and Alain Therriault from the school’s intermediate section of Grades 7-8. Vlacholias said during fourth period on Mondays, the intermediate students gather the recycling from all over the school and bring it to the school’s outdoor recycling station.
The Green Team was created in 2009 by Langevin and fellow teacher Patrick O’Shea. Once a few of the students became involved, and with the help of teachers Rob Butler, Matt Merizzi, Marla Harrington and Library Technician Renee Carriere, the environmental wheels were set in motion. Overall, Langevin said the projects provide “a great experience – a great opportunity for the students to take leadership in an area that requires the energy of our youth to be a success now and into the future.”
In 2009, with the help of a $5,000 grant from TD Bank Friends of the Environment, the Green Team created a fully-functional pond on their school property. Students from Rob Butler’s Grade 12 Technology Class helped build the pond.
Here is a list of other successful projects created by the Green Team:
- Jammers juice pouches are being collected at various locations around the school through Terracycle.
- Collection of used ink cartridges and cell phones for recycling are collected through Think Recycle.
- Vermicomposting in Food Sciences courses.
- Composting program in cafeteria, Food Sciences courses and school breakfast program.
- Earth Day yard cleanup and waste audit (over 40 acres).
- Tree planting and bird box monitoring through HT GreenWorks! initiative with the help and support of the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (www.rrca.on.ca).
- Two outdoor recycling waste stations with one more to come.
- Water fill-up spouts installed on water fountains to encourage the refilling of Be the Change reusable steel water bottles.
- Wildflower Garden through HT GreenWorks! initiative on west side of property, near large tree area.
Langevin said the Green Team has many other plans in the works right now. The team has been working closely with both the Raisin Region Conservation Authority and the Cornwall Carbon Reduction Initiative. Another exciting project is expected to happen sometime during the 2010-11 school year: the installation of solar panels. The installation of the solar panels will be made possible due to a $10,000 grant. More details on this grant and other Green Team projects to come.
Keep up to date with the HT Green Team at www.htgreenteam.com. The site was created and is maintained by Pat O’Shea.
