News Release
October 20, 2011

The Durham District School Board (DDSB) recognizes and congratulates 93 schools for achieving Ontario EcoSchools certification and for their efforts to live more sustainably. In six years the number of DDSB certified Ontario EcoSchools has grown from three to 93. Please see below for a complete list of DDSB certified Ontario EcoSchools.

“The Durham District School Board congratulates the EcoSchools on their achievements and on the many creative and practical ways they help create a more sustainable future for everyone,” said Chair of the Board, Larry Jacula.

To celebrate the achievement and to support environmental education in DDSB schools, teams of students have been invited to participate in an EcoSummit.

DDSB Elementary EcoSummit:
Friday, October 21, 2011 - 9:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
DDSB Education Centre
400 Taunton Road East
Whitby, Ontario

Over 40 elementary schools are sending student teams to this elementary EcoSummit. Schools register at Sinclair SS cafeteria for a welcome to group at 9 and will break out into workshops around the Education Centre until 11 where they will assemble back in the Sinclair cafeteria for lunch, keynote presentation, project planning time and wrap up. The summit is scheduled to end at 1:30 p.m. Participating students will attend various workshops and a keynote presentation. The aim of the summit is to further develop student’s skills as environmental leaders at their schools and in their EcoTeams. The summit will include a display of best practices from October 17 – 21, 2011 at the DDSB’s Education Centre(400 Taunton Road East, Whitby). This is a display of participating EcoSchools successful initiatives and is being held to both celebrate these success stories and to inspire other schools.

DDSB Secondary Schools EcoSummit:
November 15, 2011 - 12:15 - 2:30 (Author presentation at 1:00 p.m.)
J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate Institute
1355 Harwood Ave. N., Ajax, ON

Secondary Schools are invited to send student teams to attend this summit. Participating students will attend a presentation by author Gillian Deacon. All secondary certified EcoSchools will be receiving a copy of her book, “There’s Lead in Your Lipstick,” a discussion of the "toxins in our everyday body care and how to avoid them." Media are invited to attend.

Director of Education, Martyn Beckett, congratulated and thanked the schools and added that, “The Durham District School Board is pleased to host an EcoSummit to honour our schools’ efforts and to continue to provide opportunities for students learn, share and demonstrate respect and concern for our environment.”

DDSB EcoSchools develop a school EcoTeam to improve the school's efforts in the four priority areas of EcoSchools: waste reduction, energy conservation, ecological literacy and school ground greening. As part of the EcoSchools project, students and staff participated in school-wide projects such as waste-free and boomerang lunches, outdoor classroom development and habitat gardens.

The Ontario EcoSchools program provides curriculum-based resources for schools to assist them in living more sustainably. The program helps schools work toward sustainability by promoting a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, aligning class-
ased learning with school operations and helping schools to find innovative ways to save money and reduce the impact on the environment. The program reinforces the lessons by providing related opportunities for learning and taking action outside the classroom.

All Durham District School Board schools are encouraged to follow the Board's Waste Reduction and Energy Conservation Guidelines. Currently, several additional schools are participating actively to achieve their Ontario EcoSchool certification.
The Durham District School Board is responsible for public education in the rural settings of Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog Townships and the urban settings of Ajax, Whitby, Pickering and Oshawa. The Board employs more than 7,000 teaching and educational services staff. With 134 elementary and secondary schools and learning centres, the Board accommodates more than 70,000 regular day students and thousands more who take advantage of a wide variety of continuing education and adult credit courses. More information about the DDSB can be found on the Board's website at www.durham.edu.on.ca.

For more information on EcoSchools, please visit www.ontarioecoschools.org

Durham District School Board 2010-2011
Certified Ontario EcoSchools honourees include:

PICKERING Altona Forest PS -- Gold Bayview Hts. PS -- Silver Claremont PS -- Gold E. B. Phin PS -- Silver Fairport Beach PS -- Silver Frenchman’s Bay PS -- Bronze Gandatsetiagon PS -- Silver Glengrove PS -- Silver Highbush PS -- Gold Maple Ridge PS -- Gold Rosebank Rd. PS -- Silver Sir John A. Macdonald PS -- Bronze Valley Farm PS -- Bronze Valley View PS -- Silver Vaughan Willard PS -- Silver Westcreek PS -- Gold William Dunbar PS -- Silver Dunbarton HS -- Gold Pine Ridge SS -- Bronze	WHITBY Bellwood PS-- Bronze Blair Ridge PS-- Gold Brooklin Village PS -- Gold C. E. Broughton PS -- Silver Captain Michael VandenBos PS-- Silver Colonel J. E. Farewell PS -- Silver Dr. Robert Thornton PS -- Silver Fallingbrook PS -- Silver Florence M. Heard PS -- Silver Glen Dhu PS -- Gold Jack Miner PS -- Gold Meadowcrest PS -- Gold Ormiston PS -- Gold Pringle Creek PS -- Gold Robert Munsch PS -- Gold Sir William Stephenson PS -- Silver West Lynde PS -- Gold Whitby Shores PS -- Gold Williamsburg PS -- Gold Winchester PS-- Gold Anderson CVI -- Gold Donald A. Wilson SS -- Silver Henry St. HS -- Gold Sinclair SS-- Silver
AJAX Applecroft PS-- Silver Bolton C. Falby PS -- Gold Carruther’s Creek PS-- Gold Dr. Roberta Bondar PS-- Silver Lester B. Pearson PS-- Bronze Lincoln Alexander PS-- Gold Lincoln Avenue PS -- Bronze Lord Elgin PS -- Bronze Roland Michener PS -- Gold Roméo Dallaire PS -- Bronze Terry Fox PS -- Bronze Vimy Ridge PS -- Gold Westney Hts PS. -- Gold Ajax HS -- Bronze J. Clarke Richardson -- Gold Pickering HS -- Silver	OSHAWA Adelaide McLaughlin PS-- Silver College Hill PS -- Gold Coronation PS -- Silver Dr. C. F. Cannon PS -- Bronze Dr. S.J. Phillips PS -- Silver Gertrude Colpus PS -- Silver Grandview PS -- Silver Kedron PS -- Gold Norman G. Powers PS -- Gold Pierre Elliott Trudeau PS -- Gold Sherwood PS -- Gold Sunset Hts. PS -- Silver Stephen Saywell PS -- Silver Walter E. Harris PS-- Gold Eastdale CVI -- Silver G. L. Roberts CVI -- Silver Maxwell Heights SS - Silver O’Neill CVI -- Bronze Oshawa Central CI -- Gold
UXBRIDGE Quaker Village PS -- Gold Scott Central PS-- Silver Uxbrdge SS -- Gold	BROCK Beaverton PS-- Silver Sunderland PS -- Silver Thorah Central PS -- Bronze Brock HS -- Gold
SCUGOG Cartwright Central PS-- Silver Prince Albert PS -- Silver R. H. Cornish PS -- Gold S. A. Cawker PS -- Gold Port Perry HS -- Gold	OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTRES Duffin’s Creek -- Silver Durham Forest -- Silver Nonquon -- Gold

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Media Contacts:

Judy Gould, DDSB Waste and Energy Efficiency Officer
Gould_judy@durham.edu.on.ca or 905-666-6327

Or

Andrea Pidwerbecki, DDSB Communications Manager
Pidwerbecki_andrea@durham.edu.on.ca or 905-666-6313