News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Dozens of projects led by learners or educators seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their communities and raise awareness of climate change will be implemented in schools and early learning centres across the province.

“We believe in empowering learners and educators to find local solutions to global challenges,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy. “While these projects are developed with a local lens, they have the potential to inspire actions from people across the province and beyond.”

Almost $200,000 has been allocated from the province’s Climate Change Fund to support the implementation of these projects in both anglophone and francophone sectors by the end of the school year.

“These action-oriented projects offer a unique combination of best practices in climate action and the innovative ideas of learners and educators,” said Cardy. “These experiential learning opportunities will help learners develop problem-solving skills, build resilience and collaborate with others.”

More than 60 projects have already been selected in both sectors and more applications are expected before the francophone sector’s application period closes on Feb. 25, 2022.

Successful applicants are selected based upon their ability to reduce their community’s carbon footprint, as well as the application of global competencies such as problem-solving, innovation, collaboration and sustainability.

Examples of projects include:

·         Eco-Friendly Footwear (Anglophone East School District): Learners will design sneaker moulds and create a recycling hub where plastics will be repurposed to produce the moulds.

·         Nettoyons Notre Communauté (Clean Up Our Community) (Francophone Nord-Est school district): Learners will collect samples of roadside litter within the municipal boundaries of Saint-Léonard and propose solutions to the municipality and the public pertaining to the issues of overconsumption and waste.

·         Gardening Greens through Reusable Rains (Anglophone North School District): Learners will create a hydroponic garden that uses rainwater from the roof and work with a local expert to design and create a water-capture system prototype, build a rainfall storage tank and grow edible produce.

·         Young learners in early learning centres will be involved in projects that include gardening, outdoor education and facility upgrades aimed at reducing their carbon footprint.

An additional $131,000 has been allocated to build the capacity of educators and provide climate action education training to them in both sectors. Educators can use the funding to pursue professional development, enhance classroom resources related to climate action and form community partnerships.

“Educators have asked us for resources to pursue climate action opportunities to enhance their knowledge, pedagogical skills and educational materials,” said Cardy. “Empowering them to move to an action-oriented mindset with respect to climate action is an effective way to positively influence a large portion of the population.”

The grants are meant to complement an existing multi-faceted approach to deliver effective climate action education to learners across the province.