“We are at a point in time where we must act,” says Craig Davis, Head of School at Mulgrave School in West Vancouver. “As school leaders, we must make future generations our priority, now.”

A group of Canadian independent schools are making a bold public commitment to meaningful action on the climate and biodiversity crises, and inviting schools everywhere to join them. Their plans include embedding climate and nature education in their core curricular program and school cultures, creating new policies and practices, and setting goals towards carbon neutrality, biodiversity restoration, and more.

“Schools have the opportunity to lead their communities towards the safe, just future we must build together,” says Michèle Andrews, co-founder and Executive Director of DoorNumberOne.org. “This pledge is an exciting step for schools to declare their commitment to that future.”

The pledge is comprehensive, with guidance for schools at every level, covering all elements of school program and operations. “There are other pledges around, but they don’t reach far enough,” Andrews shares. “We wanted to create a new vision for a healthy, safe, just future where all are thriving – humans, and the more-than-human world.”

“Our children need to experience and learn from the transformations we make now to climate-positive schools and communities. They will ultimately be required to continue this kind of change once they graduate,” says Marc Ayotte, Head of School at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton, Ontario.

“We are seeing the anxiety in our students, and we are experiencing it ourselves,”  says Norm Gaudet, Head of School at TFS – Canada’s International School, in Toronto, Ontario. “Working together across our school, and with community partners, is helping everyone see a path forward and have a meaningful impact.”

The pledge is free for schools to sign, and they will be added to the DoorNumberOne.org pledge webpage once they confirm. Schools will be asked to provide an annual update on their progress. 

Read the pledge, see who has signed, and request a copy for your school here.

DoorNumberOne.org, a Canadian charity founded in 2020, works with schools in Canada and the U.S. to develop and implement aspirational whole-school climate and nature action plans focused on restoring and regenerating our communities.

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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact:

Michèle Andrews, michele@DoorNumberOne.org

Nadine Pettman, Npettman@mugrave.com at Mulgrave School

Katelyn Galer, katelyn.galer@hsc.on.ca at Hillfield Strathallan College

Norman Gaudet, ngaudet@tfs.ca, at TFS – Canada’s International School