Earth Week at Greenwood

It’s Earth Week at Greenwood! Throughout the week, our Stewardship and Sustainability Committee is encouraging us to reflect on our impact on the environment and to consider concrete, sustainable actions we can all take in our daily lives. From reducing our meat consumption, to responsibly recycling textiles and batteries, to choosing reusable containers, there are many changes we can all make to work towards a better future for our planet. I know the Committee’s work certainly has me thinking about the sustainable swaps I can make on a daily basis.

Monday, we kicked off our Earth Week assembly by welcoming Julie Dabrusin, Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Julie shared details on her work in policy development, describing the actions the Canadian government is taking to reduce the country’s carbon emissions, preserve wildlife habitats and support Indigenous climate leadership (among many other things). 

Julie also highlighted that there is something else we can use to make an impact that is bigger than each of us individually: our voices. To illustrate the impact our voices can have, she gave the example of single-use plastics. “Single-use plastics weren’t on the government’s radar at all when I was elected in 2015,” Julie says. By the next election in 2019, eliminating single-use plastics was firmly in the government’s plans thanks to thousands of calls, emails and letters from concerned constituents. “People were so vocal about this issue that we had to do something,” she says. 

Julie emphasized that all Canadians, no matter their ages, have the power to spur the government to action. Even though most of our students are not of voting age, they can still email their MPs, start petitions or attend demonstrations -- and they can bring about meaningful change as a result.

Speaking of using our voices, our Headship elections take place this Friday. I recognize that it takes a significant amount of time, effort and courage to run for Head of Student Leadership, and I congratulate all of the candidates for throwing their hats into the ring. I hope that each and every student and staff member will exercise their right to vote for the people that they think will best represent them and serve the needs of the school.