Colonel By Secondary School Sustainability Plan

Created By:

Caroline Beddoe

Cosmos Zhao

Karen Jiang

Kartik Sharma

Lavin Kazemi

Luka Vukovic

Malindu Danthanarayana

Michael de Jesus

Mikayla Boulé

Milong Wang

Nora Moidu

Renée Whittaker

Rudi Nkem

Sahej Kaur

Samiha Hossain

Tiffany Chen

Teacher Supervisors:

Mr. Cooke

Mr. Kitay

In Partnership with:

FROGG (Friends Reaching out for a Greener Growth)

OBEC (Ottawa Biosphere Eco-City)

Revision Date: January, 2016

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Sustainability [suh-stey-nuh-bil-i-tee]

noun The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, thereby

supporting long-term ecological balance.

What is a 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. EcoCity is an international

movement for sustainable cities that began 25 years ago.

Colonel By’s Sustainability Plan

The creation of this plan was simple. Sixteen student leaders volunteered to learn more about

sustainable practices. After being trained on how to lead discussion groups, these leaders ran

workshops in eight classes, where junior CB students contributed their ideas about

“sustainability” issues, as well as possible solutions and implementation strategies.

Group leaders gathered these ideas, then consolidated and organized them - with the end

result being this document.

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It is intended that this plan of action be used in the school community for years to come. A

more sustainable world can be achieved by using these guidelines as inspiration for possible

project ideas, and by detailing ways to tackle them effectively. A price range and rough time

frame is also given in order to keep track of progress. It is hoped that the entire school and

larger community will become involved with this initiative and its implementation. Starting

here at Colonel By, we can aim to eliminate unsustainable practises by executing projects

which were conceived by individuals with a vested interest in our future; our own student

body!

There is no planet B. The plan that follows was created within the framework of these 10 guiding themes of

sustainability:

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Sustainability

Theme

Priority Issues Sustainability Project Time frame

Example An issue relating to the

sustainability theme

Projects to fight the priority issue:

Is it a school, community or home

project?

What is the general cost of the

project?

$ = less than 100,

$$ = 100-500,

$$$ = 500+

Suggested

amount of time

to plan and

execute the

project

Sense of Place We aren’t using our

outdoor space to the

fullest potential, the

indoor space is full

School Project: $$

Add more outdoor seating options for

lunch time during the summer months.

Create tables/chairs with recycled

material or purchase. Alternatively, BYO

camping chair (stores in your locker!)

At least a year

School Project: $$

Plant different flowers, plants and trees

to attract wildlife

A month long at

least, time

required after

for upkeep

Littering is a problem

inside and outside of the

school, especially around

lunch time

School Project: $

Set goals for recycling and keep the

school updated via announcements

3 months or

more

School Project: $

Make recycling/compost and throwing

things away in the proper bins more

fun! Things left on the floor just get put

in the garbage by custodial staff. Put

basketball hoops above garbage cans

and recycling bins?

A month

Design

Carbon dioxide

emissions need to be

reduced in our

community

School Project: $

Install a green roof to offset carbon

emissions

Years

There are large School Project: $$$ Possibly 3

5

amounts of heat loss in

the school

Increase insulation and

weatherstripping to reduce heating

costs.

months

Open space outside of

school is not generally

used by the majority of

students

School Project: $$

Make use of open green space

outside; build benches or other

recreational infrastructure where

students can hang out. “Outdoor

Classroom” concept could be

embraced.

Long term

Materials in school are

not being recycled

properly

School Project: $

Create a more attractive or more

structured incentive to promote

recycling. Request ads on

CougarVision announcements

Short term

Often, students find it

more convenient to get

a ride rather than

walking to school in

the winter. However,

an incentive will

encourage them to put

in the extra effort.

School Project: $

A “Free Hot Chocolate for Walkers”

week will promote sustainability

and provide a nice little reward for

those who put in the effort to travel

sustainably.

A week event

and a month of

planning +

approval.

Energy

Heat energy is

expensive and is not

being effectively

conserved in winter

months.

School Project: $$

Painting the portables with heat

insulating paint (mural styles). Should

not result in overheating in summer

months.

Fundraising period: 1

month

Paint shipping: 0.5

month

Painting: 1 weekend

Total: 2 months max.

School Project: $

In order to reduce loss of heat energy,

the production of heat energy will be

temporarily reduced allowing for a

comfortable way to integrate a sweater

weather spirit week!

1 week

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Independent energy

procurement is

necessary in the

approach to self

sustainability.

School Project: $$$

Installing solar panels on the portables

or gym to generate electricity.

0.5 years to 1 year

School Project: $$

Installing bike generators to help

increase electric output. Because the

training bikes are not often used, newer

models might have to be purchased.

Furthermore, cycling programs such as

a cycling team could be incorporated to

motivate students to cycle more often.

1 year

Light energy is not being

used to the fullest.

School Project: $$$

Construction of windows, in the school,

the portables, or even the roof will

increase natural lighting and even

ventilation during summer and spring.

1 year minimum

School Project: $$$

Automatic Lighting Systems: These will

effectively decrease light energy being

wasted and can be installed in portables

and classrooms all around the school.

Project procedure exists as automatic

lighting systems have already been

installed in the teacher’s lounge and the

gym.

1 or less than 1 year

School Project: $$

LED lights are becoming less expensive

and can be easily installed in many

locations around the school.

2-4 months

Energy Conservation is

limited when school

devices remain plugged

in over the weekends or

holidays.

School Project: $

To save energy, all outlets such as those

in computer labs, the library,

classrooms, and even the office should

be unplugged to save energy over

weekends and holidays. This can be

executed with the help of students and

teachers at the end of the day (final 5

minutes of class).

Weekly task. A

procedural book would

need to be written to

instruct teachers which

outlets may be

unplugged (for example,

wi-fi and phone lines

will remain as they are)

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Habitat

Loss of natural

environment is common

when buildings are built

(such as schools).

School Project: $$$

Green roofs may become reality in long

term renovations which increase

rooftop support and also increase the

roof’s capabilities to control how much

rainwater is held during summer

months. If the school can support

meters of snow during winter, why

would a green roof not be possible to

consider?

Fundraising: 1 year

Renovations: 1-3 years

Soil instalment: 1 week

Plant instalment: 1

week

3+ years

(3 is extremely

optimistic)

Destruction of natural

habitat for plants and

animals as cities expand.

School Project: $

-Create a flower garden to help support

important insects (bees, butterflies,

etc.)

-Plant native species of plants

Home Project: $

-Plant flowers and other plants in your

garden at home to support a healthy

ecosystem as well as fresh produce.

School garden: over the

next year(s)

Community Project: $

-Prevent commercial development of

local lands/forests that are important

ecosystems: petitions, write letters,

even protest(!), etc.

Ongoing

Pollution of habitats and

greenspace.

School Project: $

-Do garbage clean-ups around the

school yard and surrounding

community (especially down by the

river)

Home and Community Project: $

- Get involved in garbage clean-ups in

your area

- Monitor pollution levels in local rivers,

parks, and undeveloped areas

Whenever possible

during the warmer

months

Food

Destructive farming

methods: pesticides,

monocultures,

School and Home Project: $

-Raise awareness about farming

methods and encourage students to

A few days

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emissions, lots of water

used over-farming, etc.

(global and local issue).

Thus, there we need to

support local, organic

methods.

support local, organic farmers (students

could inform their parents and

encourage the family to eat more

sustainably)

-Could be done through posters,

handouts, presentations, guest speaker,

CougarVision ads?

School Project: $$-$$$

-Talk to caf to learn where caf food

comes from and if we can partner with

them to support more sustainable

sources of food (e.g: get fresh produce

from a local produced during fall and

spring, or even just be more conscious

of where food is coming from)

Long term: figure

out over the

course of a year to

hopefully get

things ready for

the next

School and Home Project: $

-“Green” lunch days: no waste, local

food, homemade food (not processed,

no packaging → link to waste)

Could try it out

once every few

weeks. If

successful,

increase

frequency to once

a week

School Project: $$

-Have a small garden at school, with

maybe some herbs and a few hearty

plants that produce yield in spring

and/or fall (so that school can use the

produce during the school year)

Over the next few

years:

-Scout out area

this spring and

determine what

needs to be done

(build beds,

fencing, etc.)

-Fundraise

(perhaps sell

seeds/seedlings)

this year or next

- Start building /

setting up garden

by the end of this

year/beginning of

next year if

possible

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Home and Community Project: $-$$$

-Have gardens at home where you grow

your own food or join a community

garden

Anytime

School Project: $

-Grow seedlings/sell seeds to

encourage people to plant gardens at

home (to grow their own fresh food!)

A week during the

spring

Eating a healthy,

nutritious diet consisting

of fresh food

School Project: $-$$

-Talk with caf to learn the nutritional

information of the food they sell

-Take action if changes need to be made

to meet Food Guide, use fresher

ingredients (see the project about

supporting local farms), have healthier

options, and ensure that students know

what is in their food (e.g: labels, info

posters, etc)

2 years

Natural Capital Wasting energy School and Community Project: $

Turn off lights for an hour everyday

an hour a day :)

School Project: $

Stream cougar vision online

A month to

implement

Air pollution School Project: $$$

Give everyone Presto cards (to

encourage public transportation and

reduce air pollution)

Many years,

maybe by slowly

increasing the

number given

Wasting water School Project: $$$ and

Home Project: $$

Dual flush toilets to save water

A year

Mining

(metals/minerals)

School Project: $

Recycle e-waste consisting of old

electronic devices so that when new

ones are made, more materials don’t

need to be mined (some schools

have recycling campaigns where

they collect the neighbourhood’s e-

Forever

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waste, then earn money from

recyclers.)

Waste

Excess use of plastic

bottles, wrappers,

packaging.

School Project: $

Bring your own container/plate in

caf, and encourage caf to reconsider

packaging of certain foods

Flexible, can be

implemented for

any length of

time

School Project: $$

Sell/give out reusable CB water

bottles

1 month

Community Project: $

Encourage City to charge money/tax

for plastic bottles - 10 cents per

bottle bought (petitions, writing

letters…)

Months

Home Project: $

Encourage use of reusable water

bottles and buying products in bulk

(rather than individually wrapped).

Think about the excessive materials

of the products you are buying.

Whenever

Throwing out things

that can be reused and

re-purposed

Community and School Project: $

CB garage/book sale/ bazaar

1 day/weekend

event + planning

(1-2 months)

Improper recycling,

composting

School Project: Free

Milk blanket project (with Key Club),

cellphone/battery recycling

1-2 week project

Community Project: $

Encourage passing law allowing city

officials to give out fines for

improper recycling (petitions,

writing letters, emails…)

Petition city for “one side of the road”

waste collection on residential

roads, minimizing garbage truck

Months

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travel times.

School and Home Project: $

Develop a compost system at

Colonel By. Start by placing bins in

the caf where most people eat.

Also, consider using this to make our

own fertilizer by mixing organic

fertilizer and compost. This can also

be done easily at home.

1 month to start

up, then ongoing.

Home Project:

Encourage proper recycling and

composting in your home. Reuse and

recycle or compost everything that

you can.

Whenever

Health

Not enough students

are experiencing/

taking advantage of

being outside at school

School Project: $

Encourage students to go outside

when they're stressed. This can be

done through advertisements.

Whenever

During winter, it’s

hard to make the

outdoors accessible

School Project: $

Clear paths in the back to make it

easy and safer to walk outside

Encourage students to get outside to

for the benefit of getting vitamin D.

Organize a group

of students to

volunteer help

clear the path.

Reduce the spread of

germs and minimize

waste

School Project: $$

Get better hand dryers as opposed

to paper towels.

Need to

fundraise and

talk to the school

board, so maybe

a year and then

they could install

them over the

summer.

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Recreation

Too few fun,

sustainable activities

that connect our

school community to

our large outdoor

space!

School Project: $

-Winter Carnival

-Outdoor Intramurals

-Class Snow Sculpture Contest

-Student-Run Skating Rink

-Winter Dodgeball

-Nap Club ;)

Depends, talk to

admin, a few

weeks-months.

Unsustainable

Amounts of Waste at

School Events

School Project: $

BYO tupperware/water bottles to

events for food and drink (e.g. Relay For

Life, BHM Showcase, Fall Fiesta, coffee

house, etc.)

Easy, takes at

most 2-3 weeks

to advertise that

it’s happening.

Summary of Implementation Ideas and Fundraising Ideas

● Instagram/Twitter/Social Media Accounts and Hashtags to Promote/Spread Ideas

● Cougar Vision for Advertisements of events and initiatives

● Literless bake Sales

● Lotteries

● Hot Chocolate Sales / Fair Trade coffee sales

● A sustainable Valentine’s Day (less paper, wrappers etc.)

● The selling of cheap (and temporary) water bottles made of ice

● Put up info poster about food/farming, or talk to classes

● Green lunches every few weeks or so (waste free)

● In spring, germinate seeds and grow seedlings (over a few weeks - months)

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Student Testimonials

“Being a part of the creation of Colonel By's first sustainability plan was a tremendous pleasure

and amazing experience. I worked with incredible people in creating this plan and learned a lot about

sustainability, the biosphere and the environment in general. As a school, Colonel By came up with

several ideas and actions that can be implemented as a community, school or at home in order to

maintain a sustainable community and city. The creation of this sustainability plan is a great step

towards making Colonel By a more eco-friendly and sustainable school and I am excited to implement

many of the ideas we have came up with as a group over the following years. It was a pleasure to be a

part of this initiative and I am eager to see how else we can improve our planet.”

- Karen Jiang, gr. 11

“Although Colonel By is home to a countless number of clubs, joining FROGG and creating our

sustainability plan really was a unique experience. I feel that the impact we made, and continue to

make, on the school and community is both significant and real. Being able to work with such a

wonderful group of people did not just teach me leadership and teamwork, but also the importance of

protecting our environment, both on a global and individual level. Knowing this plan will allow our

school to continually develop as an eco-friendly community, I look forward for the years to come.”

- Milong Wang, gr. 12

“Colonel By is my home away from home. It is a place of learning and being able to partake in

new activities. By being a part of FROGG and having the opportunity to create our very own

Sustainability Plan, I finally feel like I’m giving back to a school that provides so much for me. My

school is on its way to becoming a sustainable and eco-friendly environment with the ideas from both

students who have been here for a long time and students who have just stepped through our doors. I

am so proud and thankful for all my peers, teachers/supervisors and members of Ottawa Biosphere

Eco-City Initiative for giving us the opportunity to kickstart a better, greener Colonel By Secondary

School.”

- Tiffany Chen, gr. 11

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Special thanks go out to the following organizations for their help in the creation of this plan:

OBEC (Ottawa Biosphere Eco-City) and its outstanding group of volunteer members,

SYC (Sustainable Youth Canada) for its support on student involvement, and

The City of Ottawa for its generous funding, allowing for training of our student leaders.