Canada’s First Climate Ready School
Today around 80% of Canadians are living in urban areas and over 50% spent less than 5 hours a week in nature. This lack of social and nature interactions are shown to have negative effects on our well-being, with limited social connections potentially being as bad for your health as smoking and or lack of exercising. These concerns highlight the importance of public places within our community, a notion that is foundational to the work Evergreen does. Evergreen is a national not-for-profit organization with a mission to help revitalize cities across Canada through the transformation of public spaces into effective, green community spaces. They are perhaps best known for their transformation of an abandoned brick factory into Evergreen brickworks, a thriving community hub built on the principles of green design and sustainable practices.
In 2022, Evergreen launched a pilot project with the aim of turning Irma Coulson Public School into Canada’s First Climate Ready School. Before the project, Irma Coulson’s school grounds were suffering from a lack of places for students to play and learn outdoors, trees in poor states of health and considerable ponding of water. Evergreen was able to combat these issues with help of Irma Coulson community members and even the students themselves. They increased the biodiversity present at the school grounds by planting 46 trees and 1164 shrubs, which helped provide shading and cooling as well as helping with stormwater management. The addition of tunnel and land bridge, the kindergarten area and the parkour area have presented students with multiple sites suitable for outdoor play, which in turn helped reduce the amount of behavioural issues being reported. Additionally, the addition of an outdoor amphitheater provides teachers with the infrastructure needed to support outdoor class lessons.
The results of the changes administered at Irma Coulson Public School have been met with nothing but positive reviews so far from both teachers and students alike. Teachers are appreciating the creativeness of the new school ground design, allowing for a variety of different types of play. The changes in topography and different elevations present in several new areas, such as the rock outcropping, have provided their students with the opportunity to develop strength, balance and agility, while also encouraging dramatic play and performances. The new structures also lead to less props, such as sports equipment, being needed as the students are provided plenty of alternatives options that don’t necessarily need extra props such as the parkour area. The students have been observed to be feeling more relaxed and less anxious while playing in their new environment which is embedded within natural surroundings, fostering a stronger connection between the students and nature. More relaxed students have had a positive impact upon teachers as well, as they have to deal with less problematic behaviours during recess times.
Building on a successful pilot, Evergreen plans to broaden the Climate Ready Schools program to new areas, aiming to improve educational environments. Given that North American children spend less than 30 minutes outdoors daily, and 90% of Canadian children don't meet recommended physical activity levels, it's vital to prioritize outdoor play and create spaces that encourage students to engage in it during and after school. We hope more schools will join the Climate Ready Schools program, helping students rekindle their connection with nature, a connection many now struggle to maintain.
