Pollution prevention at school

Use this quiz to find out how good your students are at preventing pollution in their day-to-day lives. On a later date, retake the quiz to see how they've improved.

Instructions:

1. Read the actions below
2. Score yourself
   
   • I try to do it = 1
   • I never do it = 0
3. Tally up your score and see how environmentally friendly you are!

Actions

1. I turn off the lights when I leave an empty room
2. I turn off computer equipment at the end of the day to save energy
3. I turn the taps off tightly to avoid dripping
4. I bike, walk or bus to school, or share rides to and from school
5. I use unbleached, recycled paper
6. I use non-toxic glues, paints, markers and other materials
7. I encourage my classmates not to litter and to recycle properly
8. I talk about environmental issues and alternatives with my family and friends
9. I take my lunch to school in re-usable containers and a re-usable lunch bag
10. I don't use single use plastic knives, spoons and forks at lunch
11. I compost my uneaten food where possible
12. I save unused or partially used sheets of paper to use as scrap paper
13. I collect unused school supplies to reuse next year
14. I try to make my art projects out of things I already have at home instead of going to the store

How did you score?

• 11 to 14: You really know your P2! Share your knowledge and be an agent of change!
• 6 to 10: Good job! You obviously care about the planet!
• 0 to 5: Nice try. Hopefully the quiz gave you a few ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly.

Job chart

Incorporate environmental activities into your classroom job chart. For example, turning lights off after everyone's left the room.

Toy exchange

Every student brings in an unused toy. For every toy, the student gets a ticket which they can exchange for a new “used” toy. All unclaimed toys are donated to a charity. Unused tickets can be saved for the next toy exchange.

Rewards program

Students are rewarded for their environmentally friendly behaviour. You can use punch cards to track their actions. After a student has filled their card, they get a classroom award such as being able to choose their partner in the next class assignment, getting to use the teacher's chair or receiving a sticker.

Agent of change research project

As a class, brainstorm new and innovative ways to make the school more environmentally friendly. Make a list of the best ideas. Assign students to each idea and ask them to create an action plan, detailing how they would implement it. Have students present their work.

"Repair it" show and tell

Students are tasked with finding broken but repairable objects in their home, like shoes, shirts with missing buttons, or Christmas decorations, and finding out how to repair them. They will then explain step-by-step how it was fixed and present to the class. Compile each student's work into a digital repair guidebook that can be taken home or shared with other classes.

Model government

Students will learn how to solve complex environmental issues within various layers of government.

How to set up your model government:

• Identify an environmental issue, such as greenhouse gas emissions, protection of natural resources and clean energy
• Put students into groups of 3, each representing a different level of government (federal, provincial/territorial, municipal)
• Brainstorm and then debate ideas to come to a consensus strategy
• Prepare a detailed report and present to your classmates