Green torch-bearers foster consciousness and responsibility

A clever student launches such an effective and efficient initiative to focus on food waste that her encouragement helps to cut the daily 50 kilogram load disposed at the lunch break to less than half and wins her an 18-day adventure to Antarctica. Two other students gather corks and throwaway tetra-packs to transform trash into vibrant wearables.

And in another initiative that takes aim at saving nearly HK$1 million in annual photocopying costs, teachers and students are joining forces to halve the use of colour copying and to cut black and white photocopying by a quarter. Efforts to save paper have even extended to other activities such as the Parents’ Association family fun fair, where tickets and volunteer forms were put online, saving 5,200 sheets of paper.

These are just a few of the environmental initiatives at the Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS), where young minds are being nurtured into becoming global citizens, as well as knowledgeable and respectful leaders who will endeavour to fulfil their potential and make a difference.

“Our children will be living and dealing with conditions we as parents can only surmise, whether they be difficult or joyous. Thus, we need future leaders whose first nature is making decisions based on environmental concerns and a new view of quality of life. This is part of our mission to develop responsible global citizens and leaders,” says Dave McMaster, the Head of School.

Teachers and students are rising to environmental challenges and are inspiring each other as they strive to do their part in the school’s EcoSmart environmental programme. This permanent initiative, which exhorts participants to Join The Team, Play it Green! aims to raise awareness of green issues and galvanises students into action. In the long- term, it will help change their behaviours, traditions, systems, lifestyles, while also solidifying the future leaders’ connection with the world they will become custodians of. EcoSmart is rooted in the aptly-named SEED (School Environmental Education Development) Committee formed in May 2010, involving students, teachers, administrators and parents. Their mandate is to plant the seeds of environmental responsibility and work to make CDNIS a greener school. Underlining the school’s commitment to this undertaking, a new permanent staff position, Sustainable Development Co-ordinator, was created.

EcoSmart will tackle use and reduction of energy, water, paper and plastic. SEED will also address recycling, campus greening, traffic policies and cafeteria operations, including healthier products that reduce waste in vending machines.

Sustainable Development Co-ordinator, Nasci Lobo, says: “Whether it’s an individual or an organisation, being environmental is a long term and continuous process. Habits and systems need to be formed first, which means changing behaviour first. They then need to be monitored for further improvement as new information becomes available. We know our school can’t ‘go green’ in just a few weeks.”

Efforts to change habits are reflected in meaningful incentives such a HK$1 discount on hot drinks at the school’s Maple Café for anyone who brings his or her own cup. Some activities support external organisations. A total of HK$25,000 raised at a Dress Down Day in September was donated to Clean Air Network, an NGO that highlights dangers to health from air pollution in Hong Kong. Proceeds from such activities in March and April are to be donated to groups working on local and global issues.

Last year, the school donated funds to the Friends of the Earth Dongjiang River Reforestation Project. As a result, 76 trees were planted in the school’s name at the source of Hong Kong’s drinking water. Also, the school Environmental Club collected HK$11,000 for Project Kaisei through a student charity concert.

Other activities aim to inspire students. In early 2010, Sophie Tang, a member of Robert Swan’s Antarctic expedition, shared her thoughts with students as the first speaker in the Ecomart Speaker Series. Environmentalists, scientists, researchers, and explorers are being invited for talks. Eager young minds also witnessed the oceans in peril through the awardwinning movie Sharkwater by Rob Stewart screened at the 604-seat Leo Lee Arts Centre on World Ocean Day on June 8, 2010.

Educational activities also provide a channel for students to get engaged. These include the Gardening Club, Environmental Club, and EcoECA (Extra-curricular activity). Simple efforts range from cutouts of paper light bulbs to stick beside light switches, and displaying a junk mail tree in the school foyer, to eco-fashions created by IB Diploma Arts students, using waste/recyclable materials/theme-related pieces.

In addition, an Environmental Science course was introduced. Through the programme, students had the chance to speak with the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies at a university conference.

All environmental programs and strategies are designed to take the school well into the future as it makes plans to celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. The school has grown from 80 students to the 1,817 it now fosters on a hillside campus with a 25-metre swimming pool and a 604-seat theatre. The growth has been rapid and fruitful, bringing recognition and success. CDNIS has been awarded the High Flyers Award from Hong Kong Business magazine 4 times.

An International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, and comprised of a Lower and Upper School, it is regarded as one of the top international schools in Asia offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). In June 2010, 100 per cent of the school’s first cohort of IB students received their IB Diplomas. The Upper School is also authorised to grant credits for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). All teachers and students from Grade 5 to 12 have an Apple MacBook, while students in Grades 2 through 4 share dedicated mobile MacBooks at a ratio of 4:1. Below Grade 2, students have access to state-of-heart computer labs.

SEPARATE HIGHLIGHT
With each passing day, support has been increasing for one of the biggest environmental undertakings by the Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) – a green roof atop the library, overlooking Aberdeen Harbour. 

The school’s proposal is vying for a HK$300,000 grant from the Li Ka-Shing Foundation’s LoveIdeas civic improvement competition. The green roof is meant to be aesthetically significant and purposeful, providing habitats for flora and fauna, acting as a green lung, reducing water run-off and flooding, reducing energy costs and the heat island effect in Hong Kong. Students, teachers and parents will be able to use the green roof and it will become a natural classroom, particularly for science, art and geography, or for social gatherings to simply enjoy nature with a stunning view.

Details and concepts are being planned, but ideas so far, include flowing/recycled water, wood motifs, a butterfly and vegetable garden, sitting areas, a lawn, solar panels and a small urban wind turbine.