Sustainable High Schools Project
From ClimateNetworkWiki
The Sustainable High Schools project was adapted from SYC's successful Sustainable Campuses Project and is a collaboration between the Sierra Youth Coalition and the Sierra Club BC. Both projects are youth-driven initiatives created to support school communities in envisioning, assessing and improving their level of ecological and social well-being.
The Sustainable High Schools Project empowers students with the skills, tools, and resources to generate greater social equity, ecological integrity and economic accountability through class projects, policy creation, and infrastructure upgrades. The project aims to bring together staff, administrators and parents who want to support students in making their high school communities models of sustainability.The High School Sustainability Assessment Framework provides a balanced approach for high school communities to measure and then improve their level of social and ecological well-being. Check out our website to find out more about the project, register your class for a presentation, or download resources such as the SHS Kit!
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Join the Sustainable High Schools Network!
Students and teachers working for sustainability across the province and country are starting to share their challenges, success stories, and updates on how the SHS project is going at their school. The Sustainable High Schools Network includes high schools in Victoria, Vancouver, the Gulf Islands, the B.C. Interior and coming soon in Ontario.
When you register to join the SHS Network, we'll help you to:
- Create a profile for your school that you can update here on the campus climate network wiki so that you can share and see real-life examples of what can be done, how to do it, and who to contact to get advice and inspiration.
- Join our Sustainable High Schools facebook group to find out about or create get-togethers and chat online with like-minded youth in your area
- Sign up for our Sustainable High Schools email list to receive and contribute updates on school sustainability projects, opportunities, events and ideas!
- Become a member of the Sierra Youth Coalition and the Sierra Club! For a donation of $20 or more, you can: vote/run for election on SYC's national Executive Committee, stay up-to-date with the latest environmental issues in your area, get opportunities to travel as an SYC delegate to inter/national conferences, gain access to our charitable number to issue tax receipts for your own fundraising projects and get a 40% discount on ViaRail! If two people from your school club donate, all members of your group can become SYC Associate Members and get many of the same benefits.
How Does the SHS Project help youth lead their schools to sustainability?
SHS offers clubs, classes, and individual students resources, training and mentorship to foster sustainable behaviour change and inclusive, triple-bottom-line decision-making.
THAT means we help youth get everyone in their school to change their habits and start living in a more sustainable way - composting, riding bikes, eating organic food etc. (The foster sustainable behaviour change part) It also means we help youth get decision makers in the education system such as principals, school board trustees and government to ask students and staff what they think (the inclusive part) and to remember the environmental and social consequences and goals of their schools AS WELL AS the economic cost when making decisions about staffing, courses, buildings, contracts etc. (the part about expanding the usual $$$ "bottom line" to a triple-bottom-line.)
SHS helps youth and adults work together to make the work they already do more effective and successful by doing the following:
- Create a Sustainability Advisory Committee: Work with other student leaders, teachers & administrators to envision and create the kind of school you’d like to be a part of.
- Complete a Sustainability Assessment: Use 30 indicators to measure the sustainability of your school!
- Start Action Planning & Implementation: Create projects and policies to improve your school’s sustainability.
We provide schools with:
- SHS Kit which teaches you about the program, talks about sustainability and how to assess how sustainable your school is, how to create and start on sustainability projects, and how to celebrate successes in your school.
- Interactive presentations
- Online resources
- Ongoing mentorship
For more info, check outwww.sustainablehighschools.ca.
What is a a Sustainable High School?
A sustainable high school is a centre of education that inspires its students, teachers, and staff to reduce their ecological impact on the world around them, consider the ethical implications of where they buy their products and invest their resources, and ensure a safe and supportive community that enables all members to reach their potential. Sustainable schools are models of innovation! They act upon their local and global responsibilities to protect and enhance the health and well-being of the human and ecological communities they are a part of.
How sustainable are Canadian schools? No one knows! We do not currently measure the state of sustainability in high schools, and “sustainability” is a word with many meanings to many people. However, we can assume that most schools have to cope with bullying, send organic waste to the landfill, and could probably save money by using their heating more efficiently. When viewed through the SHS framework, most schools are already making progress – but are also capable of sizeable, measurable change towards sustainability.
Why does it matter if schools are sustainable?
- Every high school is an economic unit which consumes resources, buys products, and emits waste. By challenging schools to make the links between policy planning, daily choices and their environmental and socio-economic effects, we can now make very real change on a large scale possible.
- Many different people care deeply about the social conditions, environmental impact and/or economic viability of their schools and would like to see change, but feel limited in their capacity to act or make a difference. Participating in holistic visioning, research and action towards sustainability is a tangible way for all school community members to create a better learning environment!
- Canadian schools are the foundations of our society. Schools nurture, educate, and train the next generation of Canadian citizens and leaders; behaviours learned there will be carried on into every home and workplace of the future. We need to teach and empower youth to take responsibility for their daily lives and institutions, in order to ensure they will know how to meet their own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to also meet their needs.
How can we make our schools more sustainable?
Through participating in the Sustainable High Schools Project, you can help create a vibrant national network of high schools that are sharing tips, success stories and lessons learned while pursuing sustainability! Student clubs are already doing so much, but they are trying to save the world in their lunch hours. We think they should get more support! SHS will help you engage your whole school in making their initiatives for environmental and social justice more effective.
