New Green Team at Scotsburn Elementary!

Scotsburn Elementary School students are working hard to keep our Earth green! Green Schools NS Engagement Officer Pam visited students in Scotsburn on April 25th at the invitation of Mrs Sarah Grant, a teacher at the school. Mrs Grant teaches grade 4/5 and also helped to organize a cleanup of a local trail recently. Participating students picked up lots of litter, including some unique items, such as old car parts, and even a bicycle!

Students at Scotsburn Elementary recently started their own Green Team, and these students pick up litter around the schoolyard every week. They even made a sign for the local cafe, Deb’s Hidden Cafe, to encourage everyone to help keep the community green. This team emerged when students noticed litter on the playground and took it upon themselves to pick it up. They continue to do these tasks around their school and community not only to have a cleaner place to play and learn, but also to help the waterways, animals, and their environment. This is an amazing initiative for young Scotsburnians! At Green Schools NS, we are excited to see this self-starting team grow! We will continue to support their green ideas and projects in the school community. Keep up the good work Scotsburn School Green Team!

One of the Education Assistants at the school was interested in the idea of upcycling an old t-shirt into a reusable bag. This is a fun activity for all ages, and only takes a few minutes, and helps to reduce the number of textiles sent to Nova Scotia’s landfills. A generous parent of a Scotsburn Elementary student owns a shop and had some t-shirts she was no longer selling. Instead of throwing them away, she donated them to the school. Most of the t-shirts read, “Reduce, Reuse, Regift,” which a perfect slogan for a green team! Some of the t-shirts had a few marks or stains on them, but instead of throwing them away, students plan on using them to make their own upcycled t-shirt bags! Another great way to reduce the waste being sent to landfills, and also to reduce the amount of plastic bags used when shopping!

Did you know that more than 7,000 tonnes of textiles like t-shirts are recycled each year in our province? According to Divert NS, a shocking 30,000 tonnes are still sent to our landfills! When we no longer wear our clothes and shoes, instead of tossing them in the garbage bin, there are a lot of green alternatives! In many municipalities in NS, textiles don’t belong in the garbage at all! We can give them to family and friends or donate them at one of the many AFTeR donation bins. AFTeR, our textile recycling association is so keen that they can even find ways to recycle holey socks! If you’re crafty too, there are lots of ways you can reuse old fabrics, from making t-shirt quilts to crocheted rugs using old bed sheets, and more! The limits are endless when it comes to finding ways to repurpose our old clothes and other textiles. There is no need for these items to end up in our landfills. Check out our Pinterest Boards for some textile upcycling ideas.

Students in Scotsburn know the importance of eating locally grown foods. Students told Pam about the many farms in the Scotsburn area, and that eggs, strawberries, veggies, and other foods taste a lot better when they get them from a farm or from a nearby farmer’s market. Students shared that they like it when they personally know the people who grow their food, and many are even their family members. Locally grown foods are better for the environment since they don’t have to travel far, and it also supports your community!

Students and staff at Scotsburn Elementary School are doing a lot of great work to protect the environment. Thank you for all you do to protect our precious planet!

~Pamela Chandler,
Engagement Officer, Northern NS