Last Updated: Tuesday - 01/04/2011

Here come . . . Enviro Kids

Red Deer school honoured for its ecology club

RED DEER — Go green, cut back power use and stay clean.

That is the philosophy of the award-winning Enviro Kids, a Grade 4-5 students' club at St. Teresa of Avila School, Red Deer.

Enviro Kids received the Emerald Award for Education given by Alberta Foundation for Environmental Excellence, June 18 at the EPCOR Centre for Performing Arts, Calgary.

"My students bring home what they have learned from this club," Marise Johnston, Enviro Kids' founding adviser, told the WCR.

"Some parents told me that their kids are very strict with recycling," said Johnston, Grade 2 teacher.

Enviro Kids started 10 years ago in response to growing concern with the environment.

Now the club has 50 members and is continually gaining members.

"Even my Grade 2 students are interested in joining the club, but they have to wait till they are in Grade 4," Johnston said.

Enviro Kids has three areas of concern: environmental education, recycling activities and school beautification.

This year the club embarked on an "outdoor classroom" project. The project will see the installation of walkways, trees, bushes, flowerbeds, benches and tables.

When the grant they requested from the government comes, the group is planning to purchase benches for the garden type classroom.

In the past the school monitored school energy consumption and resource usage. This resulted in improvements and a decrease in the energy costs for the school.

"The most significant achievement of Enviro Kids is that it provides opportunity and training for kids to be concerned for the environment," Johnston said.

Johnston said her personal concern for the environment motivated her to start the club.

Believing that children's education on environment would make a difference, she decided to form this club.

Johnston is hopeful that these kids will not outgrow their concern for the environment but will become future environment conservationists.

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