Victoria School in Kamsack is one of four Saskatchewan schools and one of 110 schools in Canada that has received support for “greener playgrounds” from the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds (TELG) program.
The school received $1,100 from the program for the purchase of seeds, seedlings, tools to support its work with food as a lifeskill and teaching tool and for the walkway for the wheelchair accessible playground.
The other Saskatchewan schools to receive support from the program were Confederation Park Community School in Saskatoon, Neilburg Composite School and MacDonald School in Stockholm.
Victoria School's greening project improves food security for the school and the wider community, said information from TELG. The school already had raised bed planters for growing food and this past year.
"Not only is this garden a teaching tool for our community, but the produce from our gardens provides our school kitchen with food for our students,” said Amanda Burback, the co-ordinator of the Community Schools. “We want to create a garden accessible to all, and continue to teach our future how to secure their own nutritious food for generations to follow."
This year, 48,245 students and staff at schools across Canada are transforming their outdoor playgrounds into a healthy place to play, learn and connect with nature through the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds (TELG) program., the information said.
One of Evergreen’s longest standing partnerships and largest educational initiatives, the TELG program is at the forefront of the school ground greening movement, it said. Since 2000, the partnership has provided millions of dollars of support through hands-on expertise, training, publications and grants to over 6,000 schools across Canada, reaching close to 1.2 million elementary and secondary school students and 96,000 teachers and school staff. The scope of the TELG program’s impact inspired Evergreen to cofound the International School Ground Alliance in 2011.
Green school grounds aim to inspire discovery and learning, increase physical activity, motivate teachers and students, and support environmental awareness and stewardship, it said.
Each project offers a unique opportunity for schools to engage with the greater community, including the active support role many Toyota dealerships have played in their local service areas.
“Through this innovative long-standing initiative, students and staff each year have access to expert hands-on environmental learning and the unique opportunity to design and create their school’s new outdoor space,” said Geoff Cape, Evergreen CEO. “Toyota’s incredible commitment to this work continues to encourage a life-long passion for play and learning in nature that builds a caring relationship with the natural world – a foundation for building sustainable and flourishing cities.”
“Toyota’s commitment to enriching communities and establishing a future society in harmony with nature is at the core of our collaboration with Evergreen,” said Larry Hutchinson, president and CEO, Toyota Canada Inc. “Toyota Canada is proud of the impact the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program has had over the past 16 years, providing everyday opportunities for students to engage with nature on Canada’s school grounds.”
Since 1991, Evergreen, a not-for-profit, has provoked bold action in transforming public landscapes into thriving community spaces, the information said. “We believe that connecting people, natural and built worlds create flourishing cities for the future.
“For more than 25 years Evergreen has connected, collaborated, and catalyzed Canadians to do amazing things positively affecting attitudes and behaviours that lie at the core of a sustainable city.”
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles, with a national network of 286 dealerships servicing customers from coast to coast, it said. “Being a leader in the automotive industry does not simply start and end with making great vehicles. It also means investing in the communities in which we live, work and play. With a long-standing commitment to environment, education and safety in Canada, TCI is dedicated to supporting like-minded organizations such as Evergreen.”
