Environmental Education Resources
The information on this website is for information purposes. Please use your professional judgment in ensuring resources/activities meet your students' needs and your school's/board's policies.

Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow: A Policy Framework for Environmental Education in Ontario Schools
The policy framework for environmental education in Ontario, released in February 2009, offers school boards and schools an approach to environmental education that recognizes the needs of all Ontario students and promotes environmental responsibility in the operations of all levels of the education system.

Ministry of Education, Shaping our Schools, Shaping our Future
In Spring 2007, the Ministry of Education commissioned a report on environmental education in Ontario. Shaping our Schools, Shaping our Future, (also called the Bondar report). The report details 32 recommendations for improving environmental education in Ontario. The Ontario EcoSchools program aligns with and supports this report, providing means for boards and schools to implement these recommendations.

Revised Science and Technology Gr. 1-8 curriculum expectations were published on December 21 2007.

Ontario Ministry of Education, environmental education opportunities:
Elementary curriculum
Secondary curriculum

Canadian Wildlife Federation
Many education programs designed to meet the needs not only of teachers but also of youth leaders, park naturalists, and other conservation educators. They also have a comprehensive Resource Library – this is where you’ll find resource sheets, lesson plans, and other resources on themes like the arctic, water, climate change, pollinators, and many more.

Clean Air Champions
CAC offers 3 programs for students in Grades 5-12. Each program provides curriculum-connected activities, ongoing staff support and a presentation from one of over 200 National, Olympic or Paralympic athletes that will motivate students to take action for the environment and their health - HSBC Clean Air Achievers (bilingual), Air Aware (bilingual) and High School Climate Challenge.

EcoSpark
Programs such as Changing Currents, Wattwize, Our Solar Future.

David Suzuki Foundation
Within the climate change section of this web page, many useful explanations can be found on the science, impacts, politics of, and solutions to climate change.

Earth Day Canada
Earth Day Canada is the national organizer of Earth Day/Earth Week in Canada. They also provide resources for integrating environmental education into your curriculum such as classroom-ready lesson plans, printable activities, and literacy tools at EcoKids.ca.

Evergreen Foundation
Evergreen is a national funder and facilitator of local, sustainable greening projects in schoolyards, parks and communities across Canada. Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds helps schools and their communities create outdoor classrooms, providing students with a healthy place to play, learn and develop a genuine respect for nature.They provide expert assistance, funding and grants, resources, teacher training and lesson plans and design training.

Federation of Ontario Naturalists
Nature Guardians program and Youth Summit for Biodiversity plus resources for conservation.

Green Learning
Teaching resrouces for environmental and social change.

The Ontario Society for Environmental Education
OSEE holds an annual conference for environmental educators; provides workshops and professional development activities; participates in writing and reviewing provincial curriculum; writes and provides lesson plans for the use of those involved in environmental education.

‘Phantom load’ information

Polaris Institute
Water related issues, including the impacts of bottled water.

Rethinking Schools — EE focused issue

Shade Guidelines created by the Shade Policy Committee of the Toronto Cancer Prevention Coalition in collaboration with Parks, Forestry and Recreation and with the support of Toronto Public Health, as directed by the Board of Health and City Council

Sierra Club of Canada
This page links you to the Sierra Club's climate change campaign. Lots of background information, especially on the political background to climate change. Includes a very useful links page.

STAO - Science Teachers Association of Ontario
An association for educators dedicated to the promotion and improvement of environmental education.

Step Outside — Your Guide to Nature's Events in South Central Ontario
Published two to three times per month, Step outside is a compilation of seasonal happenings that can be used to bring nature into your classroom. The guides detail specific flora, fauna and climate events, which are often taking place just outside your school - though these may happen sooner or later depending on the season and where you are relative to the Kawartha region of Ontario, where the guides are written.

Waste Free Lunch
Thinking of implementing a waste-free lunch program? This site has implementation strategies, sample PA announcements, letter to parents etc. in the Teacher Resources Section.

World Health Organization
The World Health Organization makes the connection between environmental and human health. This page links to many website which focus on the health impacts associated with climate change.

World Wildlife Fund
Endangered species conservation.

Eco-Schools International Programme
The Eco-Schools International Programme was developed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE – www.fee-international.org). Eco-Schools programs are being implemented in 44 countries around the world.

Ontario EcoSchools is a customized program created by Ontario school boards that is tailored to the Ontario curriculum.