Saskatoon Students Take Action for a Sustainable Future

Youth in Saskatoon are taking action to improve our environment. Approximately 300 grade 5-8 students, and 50 grade 11 students, from across the city have spent the last four months working on sustainability-focused projects in the areas of waste, water, food, transportation, biodiversity and energy.

“I am very proud of this partnership between the City, Schools Divisions, Environmental Society and the University,” says Mayor Charlie Clark. “Building the next generation of students who are informed and engaged on issues of sustainability is so important for the future. I have been very impressed at the quality of the student work in previous showcases and their passion in sharing them. I can’t think of a better way to build knowledge and citizenship than challenging these teams of students to take on real local problems with the support of community experts.”

School board trustees, superintendents, government representatives, family members, community organizations, and other stakeholders were invited to view over 40 projects at the Student Action for a Sustainable Future year-end student showcase, held at the Western Development Museum today.

“Congratulations to the participants of the Student Action for a Sustainable Future program on another successful year,” says Amber Weckworth, Manager of Education and Environmental Performance. “The year-end showcase provided an opportunity for students to tell their environmental success stories and demonstrate what’s possible in terms of taking action in our schools, homes, and community to improve our environment.”

In 2017, the program received international recognition as a feature case study by the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP), a global partnership committed to advancing environmental literacy to create a more just and sustainable future through the power of education.  The program has also been locally recognized through three awards: a Regional Centre for Expertise Award for Education for Sustainable Development; the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council’s 2013 Waste Minimization Award for Youth/Schools; and St. Anne School (SASF 2015/16) received the Rob Dumont Youth Award. 

First developed in 2013, the Student Action for a Sustainable Future program is a partnership between the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Public School Division, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, the Sustainability Education Research Institute, and a number of educational consultants and community organizations. Over the last four years the program has involved 50 Saskatoon teachers, 36 schools, and approximately 1250 students. Awareness initiatives have reached over 17,000 students via school displays, assemblies, and newsletters.

The City of Saskatoon’s commitment to community environmental programs supports City’s Strategic Goal of “Environmental Leadership”, where Saskatoon strives to thrive in harmony with our natural environment, conserve resources, reduce our impacts, and promote environmental stewardship.

For more information, visit Saskatoon.ca/StudentAction.