The Glenfir Conservation Project

Objectives

1. To Make Glenfir School a leading “Green School” by:

- By decreasing our Food footprint through organic gardening, composting, and education,

- By protecting and restoring the natural habitat of our schoolyard,

- By making Glenfir More Energy Efficient through lighting solutions

2. To create awareness of and promote sustainability in our

community.

Reducing Glenfir’s Food Footprintprogress to date

- Organic community vegetable garden laid out with irrigation system in place

- Compost system up and running.

-PVC green house built (100% recycled)

-Community Clean ups (Adopt a highway, TD GCSC, on +offsite regularly)

-Native Habitat Garden (prepared in 2007 , regular maintenance and invasive weed removal)

-Parking lot native planting (planted Nov. 2010)

Protecting and restoring natural habitatprogress to date

Environmental Education

- Classroom education, e.g. promoting the school-wide composting program

- School assemblies

- Earth Day celebration and activities

- School Board, parents meetings

progress to date

Short Term Goals1. Project: Organic Community Garden

Goals: Increase Garden Size and Crop Yield : Increase School Involvement

2. Project: Habitat Restoration ProjectsGoals: Onsite Native tree, shrub, herb Planting : increase on-site invasive weed removal

3. Project: School Composting ProgramGoal: Improve composting process (aerating, composition, vermi-composting): Increase awareness

4. Project: 100% Recycled PVC Greenhouse Goal: Install Black heat sinks : Shelves : Start Growing Native seedlings, vegetables in Spring

Energy Efficiency - Lighting

- Science lab lighting proposal (see piece of financials and proposal next slide)

progress to date

Short Term Energy Efficiency goals

1. Location: Science Lab Goal: Install more efficient lighting

Estimated Capital Cost: $2,000

2. Location: Junior Boy’s WashroomGoal: Install motion censors for lightingProposal status: in the works

3. To improve the operation of our climate control system: lower thermostat, eliminate local air-conditioning during winter months

Experience So Far

We have learned so much in the past year and this experience has been invaluable. We have learned the importance of local agriculture, regular composting, and native species. We have discovered how much our school uses on energy and we have investigated ways on reducing it and our footprint. We have learned more about the importance of environmental education and the importance of respecting our one and only home. So far, this has been a great learning experience, and we hope to create more environmental change!

“Take the first step in faith, you don’t have to see the full staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King Jr.

E-Education

Community Clean ups

Native Urban Planting

Glenfir’s Organic Community Garden

Glenfir’s Composting Program

!00% Recycled PVC Greenhouse

Fundraising

For more read our overview