Victoria, BC – The Capital Regional District (CRD) and its municipal partners are celebrating students across the region for their participation in this year’s Cool It! Climate Leadership Training program.
From January to June, 1,410 students from 65 classrooms participated in the BC Sustainable Energy Association’s (BCSEA) program that empowers youth to take action on climate change. The workshops build students’ knowledge of the causes and impacts of climate change before they participate in a four-week challenge to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint at home with their families.
This year, the program included a new secondary school stream for grades 8 to 12 in addition to the elementary workshops. It was also the most workshops offered in the CRD to date.
“Young people across our region continue to meet the moment, challenging themselves and others to take action on climate change that in turn inspires us all to do more,” said CRD Board Chair Colin Plant. “My congratulations and gratitude to the students and teachers who have kept us moving forward and working on solutions for the climate issues we’re facing today and those still to come in the future.”
“Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Cool It! Program and to all the participants who are helping to reduce our community’s greenhouse gas emissions and waste,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. “You are the leaders of tomorrow, but your actions today are vital to help us meet our climate targets.”
The winning classes for this year are: Selkirk Montessori School (Secondary School – Victoria, Elementary - Victoria), Spectrum Community School (Secondary School - Saanich), Stelly’s Secondary (Secondary School - Regional), St. Joseph’s Elementary School (Elementary – Saanich), Bayside Middle School (Elementary – Regional). Class celebrations were held for winning classes. The District of Saanich acknowledged their winning classes at their Environmental Awards evening on June 20.
“Congratulations to our young sustainability champions and teachers who are working hard to increase everyone’s knowledge of climate change and inspiring us to do more,” said Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes. “I couldn’t be prouder to support the Cool It! Climate Leadership Training program, and these awards are a testament to the incredible impact students make through the program.Working together, we are making a difference.”
This year, the CRD sponsored 22 classrooms to participate in the regional program, with an additional 21 workshops sponsored by the District of Saanich, 15 by the City of Victoria, and 7 by the District of Central Saanich. During the challenge, students committed to 12,349 actions that reduce energy and carbon emissions at home, which will result in a projected savings of 493 tonnes of CO2e annually, if continued for one year.
“We continue to sponsor this program because families are building new habits during the four-week challenge,” said Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor. “Each year we hear from the students about how much they enjoyed the workshops and the changes their family is making as a result.”
Since its launch in 2017, more than 230 classes in the region have participated in the program, with support from the CRD and member municipalities. In that time, participating students have reported taking more than 60,000 actions.
In 2019, the CRD Board declared a climate emergency and joined a growing list of local governments around the world promising to take bold action by reducing emissions and preparing for the impacts of climate change across the region. According to the most recent Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory, the capital region community emits approximately 1.8 million tonnes of C02e annually.
For more information, visit www.bcsea.org/Cool-It.
Proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers, the CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and all levels of government to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Melanie Tromp Hoover
Communications Supervisor, CRD Environmental Services
Tel: 250.360.3287
Cell: 250.818.1489