Earth Week 2023 at Greenwood

Greenwood’s annual Earth Week is a great opportunity for the entire school community to demonstrate our stewardship of the environment. This week also gives students, staff and their families the chance to practise environmentally conscious habits. 

We started Earth Week with Julie Dabrusin, MP for Toronto-Danforth, who came in to speak with the Greenwood community on Monday. Monday was also Meatless Monday, an initiative from our Sustainability and Stewardship Committee that encourages students and staff to seek alternatives to meat consumption. The choice to switch to consuming less meat can be beneficial for the environment as meat produces 60% of all food production greenhouse emissions. 

Tuesday was Trashless Tuesday, where students were encouraged to bring or purchase a waste-free lunch. Choosing reusable containers and utensils over single-use packaging can divert a lot of waste and recycling. Today, students and staff garner House points for bringing in a reusable water bottle. Using a reusable water bottle can save on average 156 plastic bottles per year. Later tonight, Greenwood families can be a part of Earth Week by observing Earth Hour from 7 to 8 p.m. and cut down on energy usage. 

Tomorrow is Walk to School Day where students are challenged to walk to school to reduce carbon emissions from vehicular transport.The walk will also raise funds for the World Wildlife Fund, and the House with the most donations will win the coveted Greenest House at Greenwood award. Thursday’s Community Time will also have students perform a community clean-up with their Adviser groups. 

All these habits combined play a role in making our planet better for future generations.