Ontario EcoSchools is an environmental education and certification program that helps schools in Ontario develop environmental practices to reduce their ecological footprint in their community.

Each school that applies must exhibit a variety of requirements, including teamwork and leadership, energy conservation, waste minimization, and school ground maintenance. Following the application, a school visit with an EcoSchools assessor will verify all aspects of the application.

This year, five schools in the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board have applied and been certified as an EcoSchool. There are different levels of certification, ranging from Bronze to Platinum, depending on the amount of points a school earns in regards to their environmental contributions.

The following are this year’s results:

Gold Certification

St. Mary’s Catholic School, Collingwood

Foley Catholic School, Brechin

St. Noel Chabanel Catholic School, Wasaga Beach

Silver Certification

Sacred Heart Catholic School, Midland

Bronze Certification

Canadian Martyrs Catholic School, Penetanguishene

We want to thank all of the schools who have taken the initiative to become a certified EcoSchool and look forward to seeing more schools get involved in the fall. To learn more about the program, visit Ontario EcoSchools.