Kalamalka Secondary’s Environment Club has a vivid understanding of the need to protect the environment – the school itself is named after its neighboring lake, Kalamalka Lake. But until the Environment Club was started two years ago, students and staff alike had little awareness of the amount of materials ending up in the school’s waste bins.
Supported by an improved recycling system that accommodates a wider range of materials, students have recycled close to 10,000 beverage containers. In addition to this, the students have started a composting system that in turn supports the school’s ‘Kalagarden’, which has yielded a plentiful variety of vegetables and herbs.
It’s been an amazing 2018/2019 school year for the Return-It School Contest, which received countless recycling success stories from B.C. elementary, middle and high schools. Every spring, hundreds of schools who take part in the Return-It School program have an opportunity to share and enter their recycling stories into a contest. Return-It’s School Contest is focused on empowering the leaders of tomorrow by providing an incentive for students in B.C. to take their recycling initiatives to the next level. More than two million students have been inspired by the program over the last 19 years. Last year alone, 287 schools took part. As we celebrate 25 years of environmental stewardship, the School Contest continues to underpin a mandate of empowering change through education.
We are excited to be supporting the Ocean Ambassadors program and connecting it with the Return-It School Program. This spring, through Return-It School, we'll be helping to send some students to the Ocean Ambassador program that may not have the means to attend the program otherwise.
Rutland Elementary - 1st place Elementary Division 2017/2018
November 29, 2018
At Rutland Elementary School in Kelowna, we have had in-school beverage container recycling for many years. So far this school year, our 424 students have diverted 5842 beverage containers from the landfill and the Parent Council has used the $296.45 collected towards the purchase of musical instruments such as xylophones, metallophones and ukuleles.
We have three collection bins set up in the hallways, one in each portable and one in the staff room. Twice a week a parent volunteer sorts and counts the containers and, every month or two, takes the bags of containers to our local Columbia Bottle Depot at 680 Dease Rd.
Stanley Humphries - 1st place Secondary School Division 2017/2018
November 19, 2018
SHSS Recycling Program - Making a difference one container at a time!!!!!
Brendan is a visually and cognitively impaired student who attends the special education program at SHSS. Working with these challenges, Brendan has overcome many obstacles in order to be a successful team leader of our recycling program. With adaptations and modifications put in place, Brendan has learned to do jobs in a certain way in order for him to complete the task. He takes his job to teach and recycle in our school very seriously. He helps students know the routine, procedures, schedule, and work that needs to be done in a timely manner in order for the job to be completed efficiently. The students have seen Brendan as a recycling team leader for a few years and respect him, his experience, and the work that he does within the school community.
