In a joint effort between the Ontario Ministry of Education and the World Wildlife Federation, Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne has announced a challenge issued to schools across the province to reduce their ecological footprint through their participation in the WWF Earth Hour promotion.While Earth Hour itself is scheduled for a Saturday evening, Wynne believes that the province's schools can make their mark on the preceding Friday, March 27, 2009.
The minister indicated the direction of her thinking in a letter to Ontario's directors of education. "Earth Hour is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to environmental education. Not just by turning off the lights, but by turning on young minds. Whether it’s a lesson on electricity, civics or mathematics, please encourage your schools to use Earth Hour as a learning opportunity."
Minister Wynne also pointed to Ontario's Environmental Education Policy Framework, launched under the banner Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow. The initiative makes environmental education a part of every child’s learning and fosters environmentally responsible practices across the province. In keeping with all of that, schools are encouraged to find ways in which a lighter electrical load might be achieved for that weekend prior to leaving the school on that Friday evening. As well, teachers and students are encouraged to engage in fruitful dialogue that raises awareness around the very real issue of climate change.
Last year, in Toronto alone, participating schools were able to achieve a 29% reduction in their use of electricity, a significant effort at reducing their impact on climate change, and one that resulted in the saving of considerable dollars in electricity costs.
The real savings, though, are those that, in some small way, make our planet a more viable future place for us, our children, and their children after that. Please consider what you might be able to do, either on Earth Day itself, or everyday, that might show this great big hunk of rock that we actually do care.
