The schoolyard at Elgin Street Public School will take on a greener look when new trees are planted as part of the Metro Green Apple Program.
Elgin Street Public School is going green.
The school received $2,000 from the Metro Green Apple Program to plant new trees and beautify its schoolyard.
The program is an initiative by the Metro grocery chain, to encourage conservation and healthy living. It provides grants for different primary and secondary schools with good ideas for green projects
“I love playing in nature,” says Victoria Ducharme, a six-year-old Grade 1 student.
She knows how important trees are.
"I know trees are very important since they give us oxygen to breathe and if we did not have trees we would have no oxygen.”
The schoolyard has been affected by the Emerald Ash Borer beetle and eventually all of its trees will die.
This beetle is a non-native, highly destructive wood-boring beetle that feeds under the bark of ash trees. All species of ash are susceptible to attack.
It poses a major environmental threat to urban areas in Ottawa.
“It is vital to act now and re-plant trees, before all of the existing cover is gone, leaving us with nothing,” says J.V. Devine, the project co-ordinator of the Green Apple Program.
“Our project will also attract more urban wildlife and create local ecosystems that provide habitat and food for animals and birds like grey squirrels, chipmunks and a variety of bird species.”
By planting native species and increasing the tree canopy, the schoolyard habitat will improve and increase the site’s biodiversity and health.
The project will also serve as an outdoor classroom for the all children from kindergarten up to Grade 6.
Devine says, children and classrooms will adopt the trees and ensure they are cared for and not damaged during school hours.
Finally, the project will provide shaded play spaces, reduce water consumption and form windbreaks. The school will also create a special shelter for birds and provide habitat for them. An important part of the project is the education for children and community about the benefits of trees and green spaces
“Such education will help members of the school and community understand the interconnections between living and non-living things in habitats.”
The project will be completed this July.