[Student Reporters] Richmond Hill High School Attempts to join EcoSchools Program

Tae-Hu Kim / 11th, Richmond Hill High School

Richmond Hill High School (RHHS) a public secondary school in Richmond Hill Ontario is promoting environmental conservation efforts and waste reduction to their students in an attempt to join the Ontario EcoSchools program.

EcoSchools is a program that teaches "ecological literacy" to students and seeks to reduce waste and conserve energy in ways best fit for individual schools. Schools choose to join EcoSchools and strive to enforce conservation standards to become recognized as a certified "ecoSchool".

The program has shown moderate success growing from thirteen schools in 2003 to over nine hundred schools in over thirty-two school boards as of 2008-2009. Publicly endorsed by the Council of Directors of Education in August 2007 the EcoSchools program has managed to reduce energy usage amongst their certified schools on average using 12% less electricity and 7% less natural gas compared to other schools.

Yet while Ontario EcoSchools is a province-wide program the brunt of the work falls to the teachers and students of the individual schools. Students and faculty must strive to minimize waste and increase conservation efforts within their own school to become certified as an EcoSchool. Whilst curriculum resources and guides are provided by the Ontario EcoSchool program recruitment implementation assessment and execution is done solely by the school.

Fortunately RHHS is taking its own initiative to quickly become certified as an ecoSchool as stated by a school administrator in an assembly given earlier this week. A guest speaker was brought in to promote environmental literacy and waste reduction. Individuals have been given the opportunity to join the RHHS "Green Team" and the administration has scheduled a Green Team meeting mandatory for all teachers this Thursday.

While it is still too early to tell whether or not the RHHS administration's efforts will bear fruition the Richmond Hill's ecoSchool conversion has started with a markedly positive note. Televisions and monitors throughout the building now broadcast conservation tips and reminders for students to waste less and be more considerate towards the environment. Students teachers and even parents are being strongly encouraged to join the "Green Team".