What s happening for Earth Day 2016?

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1 What s happening for? In 2016, Earth Day Canada is #Rooting4Trees! Woo hoo! 2016 marks the beginning of a global Earth Day movement to plant 7.8 billion trees one for every person on the planet. Earth Day Canada s 2016 #Rooting4Trees campaign supports the beginning of Canada s contribution to this ambitious goal. With support from people across the country, we hope to plant 25,000 legacy trees that will demonstrate Canada s collective commitment to climate change mitigation and celebrate Earth Day Canada s 25 th anniversary. Why Trees? Trees help combat climate change. They absorb excess and harmful CO2 from our atmosphere. In fact, in a single year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 produced by driving the average car 26,000 miles. Trees help us breathe clean air. Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. Trees help communities. Trees help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability and provide food, energy and income. We re #Rooting4 Trees this Earth Day, will you join us? 1

2 How to participate Pledge a Tree :: Help Earth Day Canada grow the global forest by planting 25,000 trees This April, plant or pledge a tree for Earth Day. Forests are essential to our future, and tree planting is one of the most effective, efficient and affordable ways to mitigate climate change. How does it work? From April 1 st to April 25 th, Earth Day Canada will be collecting pledges to support tree planting projects across the country. Through our new crowdfunding site, our goal is to raise enough funds to plant 25,000 trees. Check out our site and fundraising targets beginning April 1 on earthday.ca How do I get my school on board? Be creative! Here are some great ideas for launching the fundraising portion of your #Rooting4 Trees campaign: Themed Quiz Night: Host a community quiz night focused on trees! Research tree facts, nominate a quiz-master, divide attendees in to teams, and have fun! Charge a small admission fee and provide environmentally-friendly prizes to the winning team. Administrator Challenge: See if your principal or vice-principal (or favourite teacher!) will agree to do something drastic, hilarious or fun (e.g., shave their head, wear green all day, give students an extra recess, dress like a tree, get a pie in the face, etc.) if you reach your fundraising goal. Flea Market: Promote reusing and recycling by hosting a school-wide flea market where families can donate gently used items from home, such as old books or toys. Movie Night: Host a community movie night! Invite your whole school community to enjoy an environmentally-themed movie, such as Project Wild Thing, Call of the Forest, or The Lorax. Charge a small admission fee or sell popcorn at the event. Be sure to obtain permission to screen the movie before launching your event. GOOS Paper Notebook Sale: Collect Good-On-One-Side (GOOS) or recycled paper and create handy notebooks to sell to the whole school community. GOOS paper 2

3 notebooks are easy to make and help reduce paper use. Check out these tutorials from Martha Stewart and Design Sponge. - A-Thons : Walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons, skate-a-thons, read-a-thons etc. take some organizing but are a lot of fun! You can ask for a block pledge (e.g., $10 for the event) or ask for a pledge amount per km or hour, etc. Set up a thermometer poster to indicate how close your school is to reaching its goal. Plant Sale: Engage your parent community or local plant nursery and hold a plant sale just in time for spring! Try to choose trees, shrubs and plants that are native to your area. Plant a Tree :: Take action in your community Join schools from across the country in a focused and united effort to grow the global forest. How does it work? Get your hands dirty and plant a tree! Connect with your school administrator to plant a tree on your schools grounds or reach out to a local tree-planting organization to host a more community-focused event. If you are hosting an event that is open to the public, spread the word by posting it on Earth Day Canada s Events Calendar! Fantastic tree planting resources LEAF Do-It-Yourself Tree Planting Workshop > Evergreen s Native Plant Database > nativeplants.evergreen.ca Evergreen s School Ground Greening Resources > Trees Ontario: Tree Planting Tips > 3

4 Canadian Gardening: How to pick the best tree for your yard > Share your story Take a picture or video of your school celebrating Earth Day or planting a tree. Use the hashtags #EcoKids and #Rooting4Trees to share via Twitter and EarthDayCanada 4

5 Things you might need Announcements At <insert school name>, we are #Rooting4Trees this Earth Day! We re joining schools across Canada in an effort to plant 25,000 trees and grow the global forest! Earth Day Canada is #Rooting4Trees and we are too! <insert details about the times and locations of your campaign events>. Take action by pledging a tree or planting a tree this Earth Day! Share these interesting facts and trivia with your school community by including them in your announcements: The impact of deforestation and the benefits of planting trees Deforestation is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for up to 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation plays such an oversized role in climate change, in fact, that part of the 2015 Paris Agreement singled out both the end of deforestation and the importance of reforestation to hitting national climate goals. Planting trees lots and lots of trees is the best way to counteract deforestation. In just one year, a mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen as ten people breathe! Approximately one billion people depend directly on forests for their livelihoods and each year approximately 12 million hectares of forest are destroyed. Planting trees can prevent and reduce soil erosion and water pollution as well help recharge ground water. Canada has 348 million hectares of forest land. This represents 9% of the world s forests and 24% of the world s boreal forests. Forests dominate the Canadian landscape almost everywhere except the Arctic and the Prairies. Let s not lose our forests. Numerous studies show that spending time around trees and looking at trees reduces stress and improves mood. 5

6 Newsletter content Edit the content below for your school newsletter. What s happening for? At <insert school name>, we are taking action this Earth Day! This year we are #Rooting4Trees and helping Earth Day Canada grow the global forest! We re joining schools across Canada in an effort to plant 25,000 trees! Contact <insert lead teacher s name or EcoKids Club lead here> for more details! 6

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8 Twitter and Facebook Resources Download at Tweets: 1. What are you doing for #EarthDay16? Take action by pledging or planting a tree! Join in earthday.ca 2. For #EarthDay this year we are #Rooting4Trees and grow the global forest! Visit earthday.ca 3. Start #Rooting4Trees and schools across Canada in an effort to plant 25,000 trees! #EarthDay16 Facebook Posts: 1. What are you doing for #EarthDay 2016? Take action by pledging or planting a tree and in the #Rooting4Trees campaign! Forest are essential to our future and tree planning is one of the most effective, efficient and affordable ways to mitigate #climatechange earthday.ca 2. Your future, your Earth. For #EarthDay this year we are #Rooting4Trees and grow the global forest! Visit earthday.ca to learn how you can help. 3. Start #Rooting4Trees to and schools across Canada in an effort to plant 25,000 trees for #EarthDay this year! Help grow the global forest and mitigate #climate change. 8

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10 Tips for engaging your school community Inform the wider school community about the campaign through newsletters, social media, your school s website, the parent community and local media. Share your goals with the people you hope to engage. How is your school community contributing Earth Day Canada s goal of planting 25,000 trees and celebrating our forests? Try to be as clear and specific as possible. Seek out community partners such as local businesses or environmental organizations that might help you spread the word and increase support. Provide clear guidance on how to participate by providing the staff, students and the wider community with all of the details they need. Try to provide multiple opportunities to participate in campaign actions. Be specific about what people need to do and where they need to be in order to participate. Incorporate friendly challenges throughout the campaign. Track participation, donations and signatures so that you can encourage a light competitive atmosphere between classes, grades or staff teams. Communicate your progress with the whole school community. Provide regular feedback to let everyone know how their actions are contributing to the collective goals of the campaign. Celebrate! Recognize and celebrate your school s success! Take time to highlight specific individuals or groups that were champions during the campaign and contributed to your success. Applaud them during an assembly, treat them with a small token (such as a gift card or school supplies), or present them with a certificate. Check out tips for successful campaigns like those found in Ontario EcoSchools Designing a Campaign: 6 Steps to an Effective School-wide Campaign at 10