Dianna Porter and Mary Cox:  We are now in the Comox Valley.  So far we have visited two fantastic schools: Brooklyn Elementary and Valley View Elementary. We've also visited Project Watershed, a local Comox Valley environmental organization that has partnered up with the Sierra Club BC for program delivery in the Comox Valley. The staff at Project Watershed were great and provided us with some interesting background information and maps on the Comox Valley's watershed. We really appreciated the local knowledge; it integrates well with the Sierra Club's programs.

We were also excited to learn that Valley View Elementary has a composting program in place.  Every class has a metal compost bin outside their door that is collected and emptied at the end of each day into the school’s compost bin.  Fantastic! Then they use the healthy soil they make to help their flowers grow and even to grow vegetables in their school garden - right on Valley View!

Erika Spearman and Rachael Black: We have just finished delivering programs in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. We have been truly inspired by the students and educators we encountered there who are taking action and engaging in creative environmental stewardship projects.

At Blundell School in Richmond the students in Mrs Gebie’s class produced wonderful global warming commercials. Mrs Gebie will encourage the class to do their skits for the entire school at an assembly.

At Norquay School, students in Mrs Lau’s class are writing letters to their school board aimed at improving the district recycling program. In Mrs Goodtrack’s class, students created beautiful handmade puppets from recycled materials to be used in an Earth Day fundraising event.

At Uplands School, students in the Montessori program are working on creating a garden to be maintained and harvested over the coming years while in Mrs Jay’s class at Osler Elementary they are starting their own compost bin in the classroom. In Mrs Cunningham’s class at Langley Meadows, we were even offered free kittens by one student wishing to thank us for the fun outdoor scavenger hunt!

We are amazed at how enthusiastic these classes have been and thank them for their great initiative! We are now back at the office in Victoria, preparing and getting excited for the Northern Tour to the Okanagan, Terrace, Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii.