Pillar 3: Environmental Action

Environmental Action Begins with Education

BY DANA KOBERNICK, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

AS INFORMATION AND IMAGES OF THREATS TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONTINUE TO PROLIFERATE, STUDENTS HAVE DEVELOPED A STRONG SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE ACTION. THEY ARE THE FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS AND, AS A SCHOOL, LCC IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SUSTAINABLY-MINDED CHANGEMAKERS.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE AREAS THAT STUDENTS HAVE BEEN EXPLORING.

ABUZZ IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL: THE BEEHIVE PROJECT

Last spring, Junior School students in grade 3 were “bee-witched and bee-wildered” as they watched the installation of a beehive next to the kindergarten building. With one queen and 7,000 bees swarming about, it was an opportunity to explain the important role they play in the ecosystem and shatter the misconception that they are inherently dangerous.

Led by teachers Marjolaine Cayouette and Margaret Roper, and with the support of Alvéole, an organization that helps schools meet their sustainability goals, students learned about the lifecycle of bees, their environmental impact and honeymaking. “We wanted to create an ageappropriate project that would stimulate the students’ interest in the environment,” says Ms. Roper.

The project will be ongoing, as the beehive is to remain in place through the fall and winter months. “The plan is to extract the honey and share it with the community,” says Ms. Cayouette. “We hope that we can do so in a way that will allow us to raise funds for an environment-related charitable organization.”

Sweet!

Kindergarten students learn to sort their lunch into compost, recycling and garbage bins.

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS & SOCIETIES

An integral part of the IB Diploma curriculum, the Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) course combines both science and social science to examine the scientific, ethical and socio-political aspects of environmental issues. “Students are asked to critically assess all angles of a given issue and to prioritize their relative importance,” says Ettore Zuccheroso, science teacher. “They are then able to adopt an informed personal response and develop a strategy to address it.”

For example, in a role-play scenario, students participate in a simulated town hall meeting to debate the proposed elimination of the fictional town’s recycling program. All stakeholders must weigh in and all opinions matter. “There is no right or wrong answer,” says Mr. Zuccheroso. “It’s about balancing pros and cons and accepting that consensus will not necessarily be reached.”

As part of the ESS class in 2022–2023, students are required to create a project or initiative that will reduce their ecological footprint.

Grade 10 product design presentation

A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR ZERO WASTE

A circular economy is a model of production and consumption where resources are retained, reused, repaired, refurbished or repurposed. It’s better for the environment and for the economy, and it is a concept that Alec Mathewson ’95, technology and design integration specialist and Fab Lab coordinator, is teaching in his classroom.

“In a linear economy, we use and then dispose of products, which ultimately end up in a landfill,” he says. “In a circular economy, however, products can be disassembled and their components can be regenerated in some way. This is done by design and with intention at the manufacturing stage.”

In her circular economy project, Sienna Duarte ’23 worked through a series of prototypes to design a shirt that is eventually transformed into a tote bag and pillow. “The product is made of recycled fabrics and fabric scraps instead of brand new materials,” she says. “When its life comes to an end, consumers can return it so that parts can be salvaged and reused.” Mr. Mathewson says that implementation of a circular economy requires collaboration from multiple stakeholders, with industry, business, designers and government working together toward the same end. For its part, LCC’s new Centre for Discovery has been structured around this idea.

TURNING THE TIDE ON PLASTIC POLLUTION

Sobering revelations are common in grade 8 science. As part of their microplastics lab, students are tasked with researching a body of water anywhere in the world, describing the source of the water pollution, and proposing a solution.

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of options from which to choose, with so many oceans, rivers and lakes teeming with plastic debris. Adam Laurin ’25 selected the Gulf of Mexico for his project and, through his research, confirmed the presence of plastic bottles and bags. “As they decompose into microplastics, marine life is placed in danger as are those consuming the fish,” he says. “To address this, we must limit our use of plastic, replace it with other materials, and improve recycling efforts.”

“To further illustrate the scope of plastic pollution in our bodies of water, students dissolved and strained store-bought sea salt in a class exercise,” says Anne-Marie Lalonde, former LCC science teacher. “We were all shocked to discover plastic particles.”

In keeping with LCC’s strategic plan, environmental action will continue to be a primary focus both in and outside the classroom, with initiatives and activities in all school divisions.