Minister Launches Eco-Schools Program

Schools in the Halifax Regional Municipality today launched a program to deal with organic waste and recyclables. Environment Minister Michel Samson kicked-off the Eco-Schools program, which is the most comprehensive environmental education program ever developed in Nova Scotia.

"If our children grow up learning to respect the environment, they will have fewer problems to address than we do," said Mr. Samson. "This program teaches life skills, and in doing so, helps Nova Scotia with its waste diversion effort."

Eco-Schools is a partnership between the Halifax Regional School Board and the EarthCycle Opportunities Society. The program is sponsored by the Department of the Environment, the Resource Recovery Fund Board and the Atlantic Dairy Council with assistance from Clean Nova Scotia. The program addresses waste management practices for all 144 schools in the Halifax system.

"We will introduce composting and recycling programs in every school, complementing the municipality's solid waste-resource management strategy," said Janet Barlow of EarthCycle Opportunities. "There are 58,000 students in the system who generate tonnes of material in the run of a school year."

Gordon Michael is the director of Community Collaboration and Partnerships with the Halifax Regional School Board. "This is a tremendous boost in our effort to deal with this important issue in our schools," said Mr. Michael. "It allows us to deal with the waste management issue through a productive and educational program that will provide lasting benefits to our students."

The Eco-Schools Program provides environmental education to all school children so that they may grow up with a sense of duty to preserve and protect the environment.