Woodroffe High School Sustainability Plan - OBEC

Woodroffe High School Sustainability Plan In association with Ottawa Biosphere Eco-­‐City Initiative & the University of Ottawa What is Sustainability? Sustainability is the ability of things to continue to exist. It applies to natural and human features. We use the earth's resources to meet our needs, but we also want to leave enough natural resources and beauty for future generations to live healthy and happy lives. What we do matters. You impact the environment—the environment impacts you. What is this Sustainability Plan? This sustainability plan is your agenda for action. It lists Woodroffe students’ ideas on important issues in Ottawa and Britannia, and suggests actions or projects that could address them. As you read the plan, you may get new ideas on what you can do to address sustainability. Feel free to put your own ideas into action. On the last page, the plan asks you to write an issue and the action you would like to take to address it. The table of Priority Issues and Actions/Projects for sustainability list three kinds of projects the students have suggested, distinguished by different colours and print styles: a) Individual & family projects b) School projects c) Community/large scale projects The last page helps you to decide your personal priorities for sustainability and to make a commitment for action. It then becomes your personal sustainability plan. Biosphere Eco-­‐City The Biosphere Eco-­‐City (BEC) is an urban-­‐centred region where people and organizations demonstrate how to make their city more sustainable through individual initiative, cooperation and sharing of information. Biosphere means “sphere of life” and it is the Earth’s outer shell of land, water and atmosphere that supports all life. Eco-­‐
City is an international movement for sustainable cities that began 25 years ago. The BEC model was pilot tested in Ottawa in 2009-­‐2010 and this experiment developed into the Ottawa Biosphere Eco-­‐City initiative (OBEC), which is discussed next. A Biosphere Eco-­‐City includes an urban core as well as the surrounding countryside. This is important because the urban and rural areas affect each other, and cooperation between them can do a lot of good. BEC is a bottom-­‐up approach to sustainability. It involves people and organizations implementing their own ideas. Government plans are useful, but the actions of you, your friends and neighbours will make the most difference in determining whether Ottawa will be sustainable. Ottawa Biosphere Eco-­‐City Tools The Ottawa Biosphere Eco-­‐City (OBEC) Initiative uses simple tools to help people get involved in sustainability and to cooperate with each other: • Themes – These are the areas of action for sustainability. Think of sustainability in terms of your area of interest. Whether it is energy, food or waste etc., you can share ideas and activities with people who have the same interests. BEC's Ten Themes of Sustainability are described in the left column of the table on page 3 of this plan. Issues may relate to more than one Theme. •
Sustainability Plan – This plan was developed by your students as an agenda on how to address sustainability. •
Database of Projects – The OBEC website (www.obec-­‐
evbo.ca) lists sustainability projects in Ottawa. Anyone with a sustainability project can send a summary to OBEC to put on its database. There, viewers can read about them, get ideas and contact the people responsible in order to participate. •
Demonstration Projects – These show new ways of addressing sustainability. People can see how the projects were done and even copy parts that interest them. •
Biosphere Eco-­‐City Council – Stakeholders and volunteers meet to share ideas and to provide direction to make Ottawa sustainable. Woodroffe High School Woodroffe High School is a vibrant secondary school with high academic standards, a strong athletic program, and a wide range of extra-­‐curricular activities. The staff is energetic, highly qualified and dedicated to excellence in the classroom. They enjoy working with adolescents and go out their way to support them throughout their academic careers. Woodroffe High School offers a variety of courses designed to prepare students for university, college or vocational pursuits. A number of innovative programs are being developed to better serve the needs of students. These include the development of a number of multi-­‐disciplinary courses, an arts certificate, and an international studies certificate (Woodroffe High website). Woodroffe and OBEC Partnership In February 2014, volunteers from the Ottawa Biosphere Eco-­‐City (OBEC) in cooperation with University of Ottawa student volunteers arranged to assist in the development of a Sustainability Plan at Woodroffe High School. UOttawa students and OBEC volunteers gave a presentation on sustainability and conducted a workshop with over 80 Woodroffe students. In the workshops students were divided into 10 groups for the Ten Themes of Sustainability. They brainstormed issues and actions for each theme. This plan acknowledges current activities at the school, and proposes new ones. The uOttawa students organized the information into a Sustainability Plan, to deliver to the school. OBEC is available to help the school with follow-­‐up and implementation of these actions. Sustainability Vision for Woodroffe Students Students and staff at Woodroffe High School will incorporate sustainability principles and practices into their work and lives. In so doing, they will continue to enjoy a healthy, sustainable environment. This supports a high quality of life now and in future generations. Pinecrest Creek Pathways are part of an extended bike and pedestrian route, which is well connected to the rest of the City. It provides easy access to Parliament Hill, Algonquin College, and Kanata. The Sir John A Macdonald Parkway is a scenic route that runs from Lincoln Fields near the High School to downtown along the Ottawa River. Woodroffe High School is also adjacent to Lincoln Fields Transitway Station, a major bus hub. Lincoln Fields Shopping Center and Carlingwood Mall are the main commercial centers in the area. Some of the natural features of the area include Mud Lake and Britannia Park with a popular beach. Ottawa & Britannia Ottawa, developed around the junction of the Ottawa and Rideau rivers, is the capital of Canada. Ottawa is a diverse city with a population of over 800 000 people. The beautiful landscape has multitudes of green spaces within the urban area, and includes a green belt of farms around the urban core. Eighty percent of Ottawa is rural and contains some of the best agricultural land in Canada. Ottawa is one the most educated cities in Canada as well as one of the most bilingual. Woodroffe High School is located in Britannia – Queensway Terrace – Lincoln Fields area of west Ottawa. This is a diverse area with a mix of high and low-­‐income housing, single-­‐family and high-­‐rise buildings. The area has excellent transportation connection including pathways, roads, and public transit. The Ottawa River and PRIORITIES & STRATEGIES FOR ACTION Sustainability Theme Priority Issues -
Transportation (movement of goods and people) Too much traffic Cars are not eco-­‐friendly Using too much gas Emissions in air (CO2) Long bus rides Difficult to cycle to school Noise pollution Wasting energy/gas Space consumption for roads Out of tune auto-­‐mobiles Low-­‐efficiency cars -
(for buildings, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture) -
Bike/walk/carpool to school Plant trees to off-­‐set carbon Busing whenever possible Buy electric cars Develop bike rental system/repair old bikes to donate Paid school parking to encourage taking the bus Build more walking/cycling paths Proper maintenance of bike paths Stop investing in fossil fuels Support a passenger rail system Limiting car use/amount of cars Energy Sustainability Actions/Projects Use of non-­‐renewable energy supplies Energy use for lighting Energy use for large appliances Energy use for clothes dryer Energy use for electronic devices Energy use for home heating Energy use for snow blowers Energy use for air conditioning Energy use for water heating Energy use for car manufacture -
Use energy-­‐saving bulb/candles when not reading Use sunlight for reading when possible Use appropriate sized vehicle (like smart car) Dry clothes and sheets outside Use fire place for light and heat in winter Use manual (non-­‐motor) lawn mower Shovel instead of using a snow blower Wear clothes that reflect temperature Start school earlier to use more natural light Use efficient heating/cooling systems Use wind-­‐mills, wind turbine Sustainability Theme Priority Issues Sustainability Actions/Projects -
Design (built environment e.g. buildings & roads) Low air quality School is too hot in the summer Not enough sidewalks on my street Humidity Bike rack gets full -
Plant trees around school and home High-­‐tech insulating paint for schools and homes Build a green wall More bike racks at school Shelter for bike racks (protection from rain and snow) Green house at school One plant in every classroom Reduce heat during high temperature months More sidewalks in residential communities -
More bike lanes -
Take a guided nature walk Use cloth bags rather than plastic bags Buy products that are recyclable/biodegradable Plant trees/bushes/flowers at home (garden) Use both sides of paper when printing Organize a recycling competition between classes Organize park clean ups every few months Plant more trees than we take away Make a law to plant as many trees as you cut down Create nature reserves -
Create rest areas for bees (gardens) -
Need more green space Polluted environment for animals Deforestation Waste destroying habitats Bees endangered Habitat (urban green spaces, rural environment and connections between them) Sustainability Theme Priority Issues -
Sustainability Actions/Projects Processed foods Overconsumption Loss of agricultural land Lack of healthy food Need to protect agricultural biodiversity Reliance on long-­‐distance food People not understanding where there food comes from Food (farms & urban markets, heritage crops/animals, urban gardens) -
Reduce overconsumption of food Use compost bin Store food properly Eat fresh food Understand where your food comes from Buy organic food Buy local food Grow your own garden Have a compost bin in every classroom Cafeteria should utilize seasonal food Sell local apples in cafeteria Field trip to a local farm Develop sustainable food education class More local farmer’s markets Send surplus food to nearby food shelter Develop community garden Keep more land for farms instead of development Use local food for community events Community trips to local farms -
Drink tap-­‐water Take shorter showers Use less paper, use electronics instead Better disposal of waste Collect rainwater for gardens Selective tree-­‐cutting and re-­‐planting Turn off taps, use low flush toilets instead Switch to greener energy Natural Capital (maintaining land, water, soil, natural materials) -
Too much bottled water Excessive clear-­‐cutting Deforestation & flooding Pollution of water (due to pesticides) Ruining soil/land by mining Ruining land by waste dumping Using too much paper Reduce water & chemicals on plants Sustainability Theme Priority Issues Sustainability Actions/Projects Waste (processing of wastes, recycling, design, and conversion to energy) -
Improper disposal of waste Oil Spillage Too much garbage (releases methane) Burning garbage pollutes air Garbage dumps smell bad Limited landfill capacity Plastics pollute environment Lack of awareness of household waste Cheap consumer goods do not last Unwanted items become waste Used textbooks are discarded We get too much thing than we need -
Use re-­‐useable bags Use ball-­‐point pen/pencil which can change cartridge or pencil lead Use re-­‐chargeable batteries Sell old clothes Avoid paper cups for coffee Using re-­‐useable lunch bags Using Tupperware Use both sides of paper Recycle paper, pop cans, cardboard, and water bottles Use less paper, use more electronics Avoid using paper towels in school Collect food waste for composting -
Health Air pollution Water pollution Processed/unhealthy food Inactive people Use of pesticides/herbicides -
(clean air and water, safety, tranquility, and needs of vulnerable groups) Walk/bike more Bus & carpool Use natural cleaning products Eat locally and organically Properly dispose of waste (recycling, compost, garbage) Create a bike repair shop/Install more bike racks Create a free rent-­‐a-­‐bike program for those who can’t afford a bike of their own Organize a farmer’s market at the school every month Have assemblies to teach students about sustainability Update gym’s workout equipment Create more bike lanes on busy roads Community “Fun Day” Organize a park cleanup Build more recreational facilities (like skate parks) Hire at-­‐risk youth to build community facilities Sustainability Theme Priority Issues Sustainability Actions/Projects -
Recreation -
Too much time spent indoors Poor quality outdoor ice rinks Lack of school activities Lack of community activities (urban and rural recreation, including farm visits) -
Play real sports instead of Wii sports Field trips/outdoor activities (Beach volleyball, canoe trips) Outdoor book club More pep rallies/School dances Weekly after-­‐school drop in sports School carnivals Canada day parties Take better care of the outdoor rinks Community hikes Lack of neighborhood involvement Lack of school spirit Sense of Place (feeling of belonging, sense of community) -
Encourage community involvement Encourage school spirit Attend local fairs Travel to favorite place within Ottawa School gardening for school credits Planting trees for legacy Pep rallies Community BBQ charity fundraising Breakfast club Shoveling driveways for Elders Community pot luck once a month Movie night Clean up parks Organize nature tour Get Involved -­‐ Your Plan for Action This Woodroffe Sustainability Plan will now become your plan. It was meant to give you ideas on how to take action within your school at home, or in your neighbourhood. In the space below, you are invited to make your commitment to sustainability. What issues from above most interest you? What actions could you take to address these issues? Try to pick issues in which you know you can make a difference. The Project Database on the OBEC website is a great tool to find out what other individuals and organizations in Ottawa are doing to contribute to sustainability in Ottawa. If you develop or join in a sustainability project, please consider sharing it with others on the Ottawa Biosphere Eco-­‐City Database at: http://obec-­‐evbo.ca Your priority sustainability issue(s): Proposed action(s) that you can take: Thank you for contributing to the sustainability of your school and your community. Woodroffe High School and Ottawa Biosphere Eco-­‐City Council Report by: University of Ottawa Volunteers, Communication and Outreach, OBEC