Sustainability at Appleby College
Appleby College has a long history of environmental stewardship; however, in 2020 following the recommendations of a whole-school sustainability audit and in response to the rising global concerns surrounding climate change, positions were created for two Directors of Sustainability and Regeneration, and a new Sustainability and Regeneration Prefect role was added to the prefect team.
There are many ways that Appleby students can be involved in climate action throughout their time at school including:
- Sustainability and Regeneration clubs at Middle School, Upper and Senior School levels
- Earthworks co-curricular offered each school term
- Whole grade-band service days focused on environmental stewardship
- Global Education trips focused on sustainability themes such as renewable energy and circular economy
- Involvement in Earth Week activities
- Opportunities to pursue independent community and research initiatives such as the WasteZero food compositing campaign
They are also reminded of the importance of how individual actions can make a positive difference in the fight against climate change every time they walk past the Sustainability Hub (affectionately referred to as the SUS hub) which features weekly ‘sus’ polls, a waste sorting area, and information on how to get more involved in climate action!
In addition to the many opportunities offered to students to become involved in climate action, Appleby College is also deeply committed to reducing its own carbon footprint by tracking utility usage using the START Dashboard, offsetting air travel through the Trees4Travel program, and by signing the Climate Action Pledge. To ensure that Appleby College remains accountable to its vision and climate goals, a Climate Action Plan has been developed and is reviewed yearly by the Directors of Sustainability and Regeneration.
Vision & Overarching Goals
Vision:
- A community committed to adopting a regenerative lens for a climate positive future.
Overarching Goals:
- Honour indigenous ways of knowing and the seventh generation principle in our decision-making and actions
- Committed to achieving Net Zero Emissions
- Increase community engagement for climate-positive actions
- Enhance biodiversity on-campus
- Embed climate education and climate action into the curriculum
Climate & Nature Leadership Pledge
Vision + Strategy:
- Considering indigenous ways of knowing and the seventh generation principle in our decision making and actions
- Communicating a vision for our school’s role as a leader and collaborator in the Climate and Biodiversity Crises embedded in our Strategic Plan and visible on our website
- Short and longer term goals aligned with restoration and regeneration, consistent with the PICC Paris Agreement defined targets to stay within 1.5 degrees of warming as well as the Kunming-Montréal biodiversity framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030
- Considering climate action plans when making choices of school partners (eg. Apparel providers, banking instructions, insurance companies, etc.)
Organizational Culture:
- Nurturing a deep connection to place and nature
- Embedding leadership in climate action and nature in the school values/ethos
- Deepening our understanding of our position as an interdependent species in our ecosystem
- Ensuring all members of our school community have the opportunity to co-create and implement the climate and nature action plans
Collective Learning:
- Embedding climate change and nature in our core curricular program
- Providing professional learning for all faculty, staff, and other key adult stakeholders
- Ensuring the learning:
- Reflects the intersectionality of the climate and biodiversity crises with the other social issues of our time, including diversity/equity/inclusion, truth and reconciliation, physical and mental health and wellness
- Is across all disciplines
- Emphasizes evidence-based hope and a solutions orientation
- Promotes intergenerational learning and action
- Supports and facilitates student agency
- Provides emotional health and wellness support
Physical Space:
- Reducing our ecological impact through short and longer term strategies related to carbon emissions, energy, materials (waste) management, water, and others
- Protecting, managing, restoring and creating biodiversity and local/global ecosystem health
- Centering climate and nature in school, campus, and institutional practices
We will engage our broader school community and share our plans, progress and lessons learned publicly to promote and support the learning and source inspiration for their own climate action. This will include reporting key metrics and a summary of our progress annually to be shared on the Climate + Nature Leadership Pledge webpage.
Downloadable Resources
Sustainability Contact Information
Should you wish to speak with someone about Sustainability at Appleby College, please contact:
NICOLA ST GEORGE |
LAURA HREBENIUK |