TAKE HANDS-ON ACTION
For some people, community climate action means building or creating something concrete and tangible; a visible addition to your school or community to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and/or adapt to a changing climate. Some examples might include installing bike racks, planting trees or building a community food garden. In many cases, a lot of education and awareness work is needed to get the support you need to actually implement these types of actions. However, if you have the support and you are ready to get your hands dirty and build, install or plant something - go for it!
ACTION IN PRACTICE!
Planting a School Pollinator Garden
Pollinators are a critical part of almost every terrestrial ecosystem. We rely on pollinators to make sure our fruits and vegetable flowers are pollinated and able to produce food in the form of seeds, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Pollinators are struggling with the impacts of pesticides, habitat loss as well as the impacts of climate change. One great way to help them is by planting pollinator gardens - a safe space for them that is packed with the plants and flowers that they love. This is exactly what many TDSB schools are doing, with support from the TDSB as well as several community organizations including the City of Toronto. At RH King Academy, students in the King Environmental Council (KEC) planted a pollinator garden in front of their school on what was just a concrete parking lot.
Title: Planting a School Pollinator Garden at RH King Academy
Source: RH King CI
PLAN YOUR ACTION
If you want to implement a successful hands-on project that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or help your community adapt to climate change, it’s best to make a plan! You may want to use the Community Climate Action Plan template to guide your work. Think carefully about what kind of hands-on action you can successfully pull off with your available time, people and other resources. Here are a few questions to consider:
What kind of climate action is your group most interested in? Do you have an area of focus e.g. energy, waste, transportation, food, greening?
What exactly do you want to achieve? How does this tie into TransformTO or Toronto’s Climate Resilience Strategy?
What are the steps you need to take to lead up to that final result?
Are there any key teachers or parents that can help you implement this project?
Which community group or partner would you like to work with?
Where can you find the resources (funding, information, equipment, other materials) to help you implement this action?
Are there any organizations that have resources or information that you can tap into?
What permissions will you need to implement this project?
How will you spread word of your project?
How will you get extra volunteers on board to help out with any building or construction work?
ACTION IN PRACTICE!
Title: Bike lanes leading to the bike racks
Source: Leaside HS
Leaside High School Cycling Project
Students in the Leaside environmental club were instrumental in the implementation of a cycling-prioritized redesign of the school’s driveway and parking lot. In conjunction with a consultant from Green Communities Canada who helped us navigate community partnerships with Metrolinx and Toronto Public Health, to install brightly painted bike lanes from the main neighbourhood access road, leading directly into the school parking lot and right up to new bike racks. The school community partnered with Toronto City Parks and Recreation to repave the parking lot to ensure safe marked bike access to local tennis courts, fields and our adjacent community lawn bowling club. This promotes active transportation to and from the community hub, school and green space - all of which are used extensively for permits for local sports clubs and other youth activities.
RESOURCES & IDEAS FOR ON THE GROUND ACTION
Youth led projects that help to achieve Toronto’s climate mitigation targets might include:
Advocating for cycling infrastructure (e.g., bike racks or bike lanes) at school and/or in the community. TDSB schools can request bike racks by visiting the TDSB Environment, Energy and Climate Action website.
Working with your EcoSchool team and school community to support waste diversion including recycling e-waste, solid waste, hosting clothing drives and encouraging repair cafes.
Supporting strategies to divert and reduce food waste. Work with your school’s EcoTeam, school cafeteria and caretakers to discuss in-school strategies such as effective green bin collections, vermicomposting or outdoor composting.
Building or helping to maintain a community food garden at school or on the property of a community partner like a faith group, community centre, etc. TDSB schools can learn more about food gardens with one of our partners, or DIY
Planting trees for shade, carbon sequestration and flood water abatement at the school or in the community. More information about planting trees at schools can be found by visiting the TDSB Environment, Energy and Climate Action website
Caring for neglected trees and natural spaces, encouraging stewardship to promote healthy growth and carbon sequestration.
Look for opportunities to support local community partners to reduce their environmental footprint. Your support could be working to generate new ideas to solve a problem in a sustainable way.
Areas to consider include:
Food waste reduction: Working with your local community partner to promote food waste reduction and create systems for recovering food waste for redistribution and/or composting
Energy audits and reduction: Doing a basic energy audit for a community partner and helping them start to switch over to more efficient technology (e.g. LED light bulbs)
Fundraising opportunities: raising funds and awareness for community environmental initiatives
Accessible and active transportation: helping partners provide barrier-free access to the community
This video was part of the TDSB Virtual Youth Climate Action Summit on February 13, 2022. Watch the entire series on YouTube.