COLONEL BY ECO CLUB

“ Nature is our biggest ally and our greatest inspiration ” - David Attenborough 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS About ……………….……………….……………….……………………. 4-5 Meetings ……………………….……………….……………….……… 6-9 Earth Week …...……………….……………….………………… 10-11 Garden ………..……………….……………….……………………. 12-15 Plant Sale ……………………….……………….…………………. 16-17 Meet the Team ..……………….……………….……………… 18-19 How to Join …………………….……………….……………….. 20-21 3

CB Eco Club is a club that is primarily focused on two things. First, the club is focused on spreading awareness about the environment. Through the course of the year, Eco Club aims to inform the student population of Colonel By to be more environmentally-conscious, make real changes to improve the school and to get students involved in activities during Earth Week. The second thing that the club is focused on is taking care of the school’s garden. Eco Club maintains the garden by putting in continuous work to clean up the garden, plant seeds and water the plants. ABOUT 4

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Although COVID-19 has greatly impacted the way that club meetings are held, Eco Club has still run for the past few years, incorporating more online activities like attending seminars hosted by guest speakers and pursuing online projects. Now that Eco Club is fully back in person, the meetings will still consist of some seminars throughout the year; however, the meetings will also be watching documentaries related to the environment, having discussions, being able to work on projects in-person and taking care of the garden. This school year so far, Eco Club meetings have consisted of a variety of activities. Some of these activities include having a plant sale, having a display case up and writing articles for the newsletter. MEETINGS Where: Room 210 When: Every day 1 at lunch 6

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Eco Club made a display case documenting eco innovations from around the world. Image of newsletter Eco Club publishes seasonal newsletter containing articles about the environment. 8

In past years, members of Eco Club have gone to climate strikes to protest. Image of climate strike Image of webinar Apple trees were planted at Colonel By, which was a project led by Eco Club. 9

EARTH WEEK Events and Projects 10

Earth Week is one of the biggest events of the year for Eco Club. Taking place between April 16 to 22, Earth Week is an event that spreads awareness about Eco Club to the whole student population. In past years, Eco Club has organized activities for students to do related to Earth Week and have also broadcasted segments on Cougar Vision to the entire school. This week in April serves as a reminder to look after the planet we live on and to be more aware of how our actions affect the environment. 11

THE GARDEN Harvest and Clean Out 12

Although Eco Club does not work on the garden in winter because of how cold it gets, as soon as spring arrives the club begins work on the garden so that the garden can flourish during the summer months. Located at the back of the school, the school has a large garden box where Eco Club members usually plant an assortment of different plants. During the spring, Eco Club meetings will start becoming more focused on the school’s garden, where vegetables like bell peppers and radishes are planted. Once the plants have had a few months to grow, some are ready to be harvested and eaten. If the garden is successful, there will also be a chance to to either take the harvested produce home to eat or to sell to teachers as a fundraiser. 13

At the start of every school year, the garden has to be cleaned out by Eco Club as the plants are not able to survive Ottawa’s harsh winters. The roots of all the plants have to be pulled out from the garden box and tossed into bags for compost. This ensures that in the spring the club has a clean slate to work with in the garden box. Fall Clear Out 14

The roots of plants are being dug up and recycled 15 Sunflower seeds are being taken from the head of the sunflower

The plant sale is a fundraiser that Eco Club runs to generate money towards future projects aimed at improving Colonel By. This year the plant sale was to fundraise money to buy an electric compost. Students were able to come to the school’s atrium, where Eco Club members were selling spider plants for only $3. PLANT SALE 16

At an Eco Club meeting, club members prepared for the plant sale by potting young spider plants and watering them. 17

MEET THE TEAM Mme. Souligny Mme. Souligny is the teacher supervisor for Eco Club. She helps run the club with the execs, and she grows a lot of baby spider plants! “Eco Club creates a welcoming environment where students can share their love for our planet through in-class discussions and school-wide initiatives. Some of my personal highlights with the club have been Earth Week activities and planting the apple trees.” - Kate Beshiri President of Eco Club 18

Kate Beshiri Erika Sales Alicia Gilmour Annabel Lu Willow Cartwright President Secretary Club Exec Club Exec Social Media Manager 19

HOW TO JOIN Feel free to email either the teacher supervisor or club executives if you have any questions or concerns about Eco Club. Teacher Supervisor - Mme. Souligny: [email protected] Club Executives - Kate Beshiri: [email protected] - Annabel Lu: [email protected] - Erika Sales: [email protected] - Willow Cartwright: [email protected] - Alicia Gilmour: [email protected] 20

For more information on Eco Club, join the club’s Google Classroom and follow us on Instagram! Google Classroom Code: tejgygr Instagram Account: @colonelby_eco There are some forms on the Google Classroom to fill in to be part of the club and sign up for club projects, such as Eco Club’s newsletter. The Google Classroom is where most upcoming information about club projects, meetings and activities will be. Make sure to check it out and we look forward to seeing you at the next meeting! 21

We Hope To See You Soon! Join Colonel By Eco Club today