We are inviting schools everywhere around the world to make a commitment towards a thriving world for all.
Inspired by and developed with our 20 founding Canadian schools in the Climate Action Accelerator Program, this pledge aims to inspire all school communities to strive towards aspirational, strategic, whole-school climate and Nature action, engaging everyone in their school communities and reaching beyond, into the local businesses, governments, organizations and community groups connected to schools.
Schools pledge to…
- work towards sustainable and regenerative practices in all areas of the school
- share progress more broadly to support learning and inspire their community and other schools to take action
The pledge covers these four areas:
1. Vision + Strategy
- Consider Indigenous ways of knowing and the seventh generation principle in decision making and actions.
- Communicate a vision for the school’s role as a leader and collaborator in the Climate and Biodiversity Crises embedded in the Strategic Plan and visible on the website.
- Align short and longer term goals with restoration and regeneration, consistent with the IPCC Paris Agreement defined targets to stay within 1.5 degrees of warming as well as the Kunming-Montréal biodiversity framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
- Consider climate and Nature action plans when making choices of school partners (eg. apparel providers, banking institutions, insurance companies, etc.).
2. Organizational Culture
- Nurture a deep connection to place and Nature.
- Embed leadership in climate action and Nature in the school values/ethos.
- Deepen understanding of our position as an interdependent species in our ecosystem.
- Ensure all members of the school community have the opportunity to co-create and implement the climate and Nature action plans.
3. Collective Learning
- Embed climate change and Nature in core curricular program(s).
- Provide professional learning for all faculty, staff, and other key adult stakeholders.
- Ensure the learning:
- Reflects the intersectionality of the climate and biodiversity crises with the other social issues of our time, including diversity/equity/inclusion, truth and reconciliation, physical and mental health and wellness.
- Is across all disciplines.
- Emphasizes evidence-based hope and a solutions orientation.
- Promotes intergenerational learning and action.
- Supports and facilitates student agency.
- Provides emotional health and wellness support.
4. Physical Space
- Reduce ecological impact through short and longer term strategies related to carbon emissions, energy, materials (waste) management, water, and others.
- Protect, manage, restore and create biodiversity and local/global ecosystem health.
- Center climate and Nature in school, campus, and institutional practices
Lastly,
Schools pledge to engage their broader school community and share plans, progress and lessons learned publicly to promote and support the learning and source inspiration for their own climate action. This will include reporting key metrics and a summary of progress annually to be shared on the Climate + Nature Leadership Pledge webpage.
Meet the leading schools who have signed this pledge:
Hillfield Strathallan College,
Pre-K – Grade 12, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
TFS – Canada’s International School
Pre-K – 12, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Pre-K – 12, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Appleby College
Grades 6 – 12, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Grades 4 – 12, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Kindergarten – 12, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Kindergarten – 12, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Kindergarten – 12, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Kindergarten – 12, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
Join the Movement!
If you are interested in making this pledge, please complete this short form and we will send you the digital version in French or English. There is no fee for making this pledge. We will add you to this site once you have confirmed.
If you are interested in another language, you can let us know on the form and we can contact you to explore the possibility.
We are building a movement too exciting to resist, and too powerful to ignore. We hope you will join us!
Don’t forget to follow and tag us in your social media @doornumberonenfp. #buildingamovement
