HISTORY
Earth Day 2008:
Highland hosted an Earth Day that the whole community came together to support. With over one hundred workshops attending, it was a fun way to learn about the environment while celebrating the beauty of our Valley. The day was incredible. There were friendly goats as well as food venues out in the sun. Both were a big hit for the students who lined up to enjoy organic and locally grown lunches. The event had all of Highland anticipating what the next Earth day had in store.
Eco-Team Founded December 2008:
The students who helped to organize the successful 2008 Earth day decided to make themselves an official group and became the Eco-Team.
Earth day 2009:
The second Earth Day celebration at Highland was attended by guest speakers Julie and Colin Angus and Malcolm and Jackie Holt. They told stories of travel and revolution that inspired students to take action. After the assembly, students did so by heading outside to clear the grounds surrounding Highland of trash. Students were shocked by the sheer amount of litter and it gave many a new perspective regarding their garbage disposal habits. Three truckloads later and Highland was left with a fresh outlook and a cleaner environment.
Recycling May 2009:
It took many months to get proper recycling bins and other needed supplies, but by May we were fast at work. To encourage the new recycling program, the Highland Eco-Team gave away ice-cream cones to those who properly disposed of their pizza boxes. This was the first step and in September we implemented an organized and complete recycling system. Once this started other schools began to notice and soon School District 71 decided to distribute recycling bins and provided pick up for waste. Most recently, teachers have begun giving up their time to help us with this big task.
Composting, October:
At the beginning of September, the Eco-Team decided that the waste reduction program was not complete when there was still 80-100 pounds of compost a week being thrown in with the rest of the garbage. After deciding that creating a school wide composting system was necessary, we visited the Comox Valley Compost Education Site to learn how to implement and maintain a healthy compost.
Assembly, November 2009:
With composting and recycling bins in the hallways, the Eco-Team was ready to see some positive change. We tried not to get discouraged when we continued to see fruits and vegetables in the garbage cans. This motivated us to hold a school wide assembly with the purpose of teaching peers how powerful our team will be if everyone works together for a green community. A slide show of photographs revealed the beauty of the Comox Valley and the unfortunate litter that we hoped to get rid of. Highland was a focused and attentive audience while we spoke about the harm of garbage and landfills. After explaining how to effectively use our composting system, people were excited to ‘throw away’ their old habits and start making change. All the hard work Eco-Team put into creating the assembly paid off as the compost and recycling bins are now constantly being filled.
Workshops/Meetings:
We make an effort in trying to attend workshops whenever we have the opportunity. These allow us to grow as a team in order to learn about new ways to inspire change and take action. Several Members were very grateful to have taken part in a workshop with Me to We’s Keith and Renee. These social activists use their musical talent to spread awareness about poverty and education. Our team as well as other students from highland spent time with the duo building our leadership skills that helped us become a stronger influence in the school. We have also attended day long sessions learning about energy efficiency with BC Hydro. We meet at school as a team weekly to touch base with one another, figure out our priorities and discuss our goals. Eco-Team is proud to be a voting member of the Comox Town Council Green Team because it allows us to communicate with the city as well as the school district.
Highland hosted an Earth Day that the whole community came together to support. With over one hundred workshops attending, it was a fun way to learn about the environment while celebrating the beauty of our Valley. The day was incredible. There were friendly goats as well as food venues out in the sun. Both were a big hit for the students who lined up to enjoy organic and locally grown lunches. The event had all of Highland anticipating what the next Earth day had in store.
Eco-Team Founded December 2008:
The students who helped to organize the successful 2008 Earth day decided to make themselves an official group and became the Eco-Team.
Earth day 2009:
The second Earth Day celebration at Highland was attended by guest speakers Julie and Colin Angus and Malcolm and Jackie Holt. They told stories of travel and revolution that inspired students to take action. After the assembly, students did so by heading outside to clear the grounds surrounding Highland of trash. Students were shocked by the sheer amount of litter and it gave many a new perspective regarding their garbage disposal habits. Three truckloads later and Highland was left with a fresh outlook and a cleaner environment.
Recycling May 2009:
It took many months to get proper recycling bins and other needed supplies, but by May we were fast at work. To encourage the new recycling program, the Highland Eco-Team gave away ice-cream cones to those who properly disposed of their pizza boxes. This was the first step and in September we implemented an organized and complete recycling system. Once this started other schools began to notice and soon School District 71 decided to distribute recycling bins and provided pick up for waste. Most recently, teachers have begun giving up their time to help us with this big task.
Composting, October:
At the beginning of September, the Eco-Team decided that the waste reduction program was not complete when there was still 80-100 pounds of compost a week being thrown in with the rest of the garbage. After deciding that creating a school wide composting system was necessary, we visited the Comox Valley Compost Education Site to learn how to implement and maintain a healthy compost.
Assembly, November 2009:
With composting and recycling bins in the hallways, the Eco-Team was ready to see some positive change. We tried not to get discouraged when we continued to see fruits and vegetables in the garbage cans. This motivated us to hold a school wide assembly with the purpose of teaching peers how powerful our team will be if everyone works together for a green community. A slide show of photographs revealed the beauty of the Comox Valley and the unfortunate litter that we hoped to get rid of. Highland was a focused and attentive audience while we spoke about the harm of garbage and landfills. After explaining how to effectively use our composting system, people were excited to ‘throw away’ their old habits and start making change. All the hard work Eco-Team put into creating the assembly paid off as the compost and recycling bins are now constantly being filled.
Workshops/Meetings:
We make an effort in trying to attend workshops whenever we have the opportunity. These allow us to grow as a team in order to learn about new ways to inspire change and take action. Several Members were very grateful to have taken part in a workshop with Me to We’s Keith and Renee. These social activists use their musical talent to spread awareness about poverty and education. Our team as well as other students from highland spent time with the duo building our leadership skills that helped us become a stronger influence in the school. We have also attended day long sessions learning about energy efficiency with BC Hydro. We meet at school as a team weekly to touch base with one another, figure out our priorities and discuss our goals. Eco-Team is proud to be a voting member of the Comox Town Council Green Team because it allows us to communicate with the city as well as the school district.
