A key component of the NLPS Strategic Plan is to be a leader in environmental stewardship and sustainability. NLPS goals and objectives include:
Annually reduce GHG’s by 4.5% a year.
Increase learning opportunities for students and staff on climate change and responsibility.
Supply and support infrastructure for sorting, composting and recycling at all educational facilities.
Increase opportunities for outdoor learning and programming in the district.
Environmental stewardship is the responsible use and protection of the environment through conservation and sustainable practices (NOAA, 2022).
Environmental stewardship is not a new phenomenon, it has deep roots in diverse Indigenous communities across Canada who have taken care of the land since time immemorial. NLPS resides on the traditional territories of the local Snaw Naw As, Snuneymuxw, and Stz’minus people who continue to respect and care for the land we call home.
As we move towards a more sustainable society, it is clear that learning from the land and embedding First Peoples perspectives, knowledge systems, and cultures can help preserve the natural environment and all within it.
We’re excited to announce our 8th Annual Energy Cup and the 2nd Energy Cup MINI (Elementary Schools ONLY)! Both will officially launch on November 1st, 2022. The Energy Cup is a district-wide competition that empowers teachers and students to save energy and think about sustainability in schools.
For Elementary and Secondary Schools
For Elementary Schools ONLY
A big thank you to staff and students at Rock City Elementary for supporting the Zero Waste Pilot Project in 2021-2022! On February 28, 2022, Rock City introduced new sorting stations throughout the school to encourage composting and recycling, and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. Great work everyone!
After the recent success of the Zero Waste Pilot Project at Rock City, the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and NLPS has extended the project into various schools across the district. This initiative will help NLPS achieve its goal of becoming a leader in environmental stewardship and sustainability.
For schools who have received sorting stations, click here to download new NLPS posters.
If your school is looking for information to share with staff and students, please click here to download NLPS Zero Waste Presentation.
Recommended Grades: K-7
Recommended Grades: 6-12
Recommended Grades: 3-7
Recommended Grades: K-7
Recommended Grades: 8-12
Schools can register to become a collection site for batteries and cell phones. Click to find out more.
Schools can register to a number recycling programs for a variety of waste streams including, snack pouches, Nespresso capsules, and stationary.
“Children more than ever, need opportunities to be in their bodies in the world- jumping rope, bicycling, stream hopping, and fort building. It’s this engagement between limbs of the body and bones of the Earth where true balance and centeredness emerge.”
David Sobel
Always grounded in sound evidence, the David Suzuki Foundation empowers people to take action in their communities on the environmental challenges we collectively face.
Place based activities to help kids connect with nature
The Canadian Wildlife Federation’s mission is to conserve and inspire the conservation of Canada’s wildlife and habitats for the use and enjoyment of all.
The Resource Room houses a collection of environmental and educational resources, links and materials.
EEPSA is a dynamic volunteer organization promoting networking, curriculum support, and leadership in environmental education supported by the BCTF..
Room to Play: The Classroom Garden
A blog filled with great ideas for outdoor lessons and activities
Some great camp-style games to complete with your class
“The world is reaching the tipping point beyond which climate change may become irreversible. If this happens, we risk denying present and future generations the right to a healthy and sustainable planet – the whole of humanity stands to lose.”
Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of UN Tweet
These videos are provided for professional learning purposes. As always, preview any videos before presenting to students. YouTube has pop-up advertisements and comments that appear which are not controlled or monitored by NLPS staff.
Take a look at Canada’s new Food Guide and the resources available through the Government of Canada Website.
Lessons, articles, and principles to further ecological teaching and learning
Ready-to-use activities for your class! Designed to satisfy provincial curriculum outcomes, these engaging animal-themed activities for students also contain links to additional resources, plus curricular links for educators to explore.
Retired NLPS teacher Kate Reynolds has created and shared these permaculture lessons for k-7.
Looking for a guide to help you plan your school garden? Farm to School BC has developed a crop planning guide for school gardens that shifts traditional planting times to align with the school year, focusing on a spring and fall harvest while minimizing work in July and August.
Check out this curated list of lesson plans, activities, resource databases, and information about a range of food literacy topics from organizations all over North America.
A non-profit, charitable organization that works with educators to bring agriculture and food education to students throughout the province.
Lesson Plans from a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating British Columbians on milk, dairy farming and nutrition.
These videos are provided for your own professional learning. As always, pre-screen any videos that you intend to show to your class.
A film that can be found on Netflix or Google Play
A film that can be found on Netflix or Google Play
An amazing site for student and teacher use. Not specifically aligned with BC curriculum, but there are some great activities, videos, and games!
Resources for teachers, parents and kids
Plusieurs ressources, dont certaines en français, comme le Projet Caribou dans la section Plants, Animals and Habitats, des activités sur les changements climatiques ou des chasses aux trésors.
Authentic First Peoples Resources (K-9) (Indigenous)
The annotated listings provide authentic First Peoples texts that meet provincial standards related to literacy as well as a variety of specific subject areas. The guide is intended to help BC educators introduce resources that reflect First Peoples knowledge and perspectives into classrooms in respective ways.
Garry oak ecosystems, once a prominent feature of the pre-contact landscape of Coast Salish territories, were carefully tended gardens and farms growing spe:nxw (camas) as well as other edible and medicinal plants. Camas blooms in the month of tum̓pé:nxw (May) which in hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ means time for camas, alternately called punxwémun – time of camas blooming.
For more information including links to videos, articles and other information, see the link below.
Additional Information on Coast Salish plants:
This resource provides a set of printable 30 randomized bingo cards featuring the plants that can be found in Colliery Dam Park. Use the printable call cards included in the PDF or use the virtual dual language bingo activity to draw cards. Also included is a reference sheet including information about a variety of plants and their uses.
Online Virtual Dual Language Calling Cards
Version française de la version en ligne
A Process Guide for Incorporating Indigenous Foods into Institutions.
This game is designed to be a practice activity for using the rise and run to plot linear equations. It is embedded with information related to an important Coast Salish cultural plant.
A Hul’q’umi’num’ language guide to plants and animals of southern Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Salish Sea.
*** Note, the orthography (spelling system) used in this guide is different than the orthography recommended for use in NLPS.
Geoduck clams are the largest saltwater clam found on the west coast. Used in the past as a food source by Coast Salish people and now prized in Asia as a delicacy, the geoduck , or or puné’q in hul̓q̓um̓ín̓um, ̓is highly sought after and has been the topic of much interest.
Indigenous Waterways & Current Water Crisis
The Secret Life of Water presents how Canada can be traced back to Indigenous waterways and trade routes, the past, present, and future of water in Canada, and the current water crisis. This resource includes podcast, transcript, teaching guide, lesson plans, PowerPoint, access to articles, videos, timeline, and other activities.
In this unit jointly created by NLPS and Ocean Networks Canada, students will explore multiple ways of knowing the beach environment through exploration of Hul’qumin’um’ language, personal connections, and science. Features include the Coast Salish story Xeel’s the Creator and an in-depth look at plankton which connects the biosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth’s daily rotation. The concept of system sustainability is central to the learning in this module, also represented through the meaning of the title which translates to working together as one with positive relationships.
The SeaDoc Society works to ensure the health of marine wildlife and their ecosystems through science and education. They strive to find science-based solutions for marine wildlife in the Salish Sea through a multi-species approach. SeaDoc is a program of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. SeaDoc is the home of Salish Sea Wild, a video series about the wild species of the Salish Sea.
Play bingo on your plant walk down to the beach! All of the living things on that cards can be found at Sealand Park, but the activity can be used on many other forested trails down to the ocean. Give each student a laminated bingo card and a dry erase marker to mark of the plants they identify on their walk. Use the English or hul̓q̓umín̓um̓ electronic draw cards for in-class use with a projector (great for learning the names prior to your walk!)
hul̓q̓umin̓um̓ Electronic draw cards
1111 Dufferin Cr.
Nanaimo BC V9S 2B5
