Congratulations to Lansdowne’s Eco-Action Team who recently won a Capital Regional District’s ECO-STAR AWARD! Leah Smith, an active student on our Eco-Action Team, represented our school at a special awards ceremony held at Crystal Gardens, along with Mitchel du Plessis, Lansdowne’s Youth & Family Counselor and coordinator of our Eco-Action Team. Also attending on behalf of Lansdowne were supportive family members, community partner from WildBC Kelly Nordin, our PAC President Donna Sanford, and me.
Along with Lansdowne Middle School, it was great to see such a variety of businesses and non-profit organizations receiving awards for a diverse array of environmentally-focused initiatives. There are many creative projects taking place throughout the CRD to address environmental concerns, and the involvement of youth – such as the students in our Eco-Action Team – will be crucial to the long-term success of creating a more sustainable world.
Lansdowne’s Eco-Action Team received its particular award for promoting “Waste Reduction”. To that end, our Eco-Action students have been involved in a variety of activities to further awareness of the many ways we can all reduce, re-use, and recycle – from promoting “litter-less lunches” to re-using old newspapers as compost bin liners to sorting one’s recycling into the correct bins located in our classrooms and hallways. Along with their focus on waste reduction, our Eco-Action Team also focuses on various other initiatives, such as currently planning for the next phase of Lansdowne’s NatureScape installation – an outdoor classroom and natural space of garden beds with indigenous plants and trees, pathways, and cedar benches and stage.
The initiatives of our Eco-Action Team complement the wide variety of activities that are taking place throughout our school to further our students’ environmental awareness and connection to the natural world. For example, I recently enjoyed watching many of our new grade 6 students gathered in our foyer to learn about the Seaquarium, and there will be three classes hiking in Goldstream Park at the time of this newsletter’s publication!
Congratulations to our Eco-Action Team, and to all of those in our school community who are furthering environmental awareness and more sustainable living.
Ken Andrews
Principal