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Environmental Initiatives

Everyone has a role to play in reducing environmental impact, from individual student action to Division‑wide initiatives. Here are some of the big-scale actions that will help us minimize our carbon footprint.

EcoSchools

EcoSchools helps schools participate in climate action by offering guides, tracking progress and measuring impact. Edmonton Public Schools is proud to have more than 55 schools (and growing!) that have registered for the program to date.

Schools can develop plans and actively participate in environmental and sustainability initiatives. They can also earn an EcoSchools certification of bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS

All new schools in the Division maintain high environmental standards by:

  • using low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) paints and green cleaning products to reduce air pollution and toxic effects
  • following LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver criteria, which helps create resilient buildings that reduce carbon emissions, conserve energy and reduce waste

SOLAR ENERGY GENERATION

Currently, 26 schools have solar energy installations that offset about 6.5 per cent of the Division’s total energy consumption.

Many new schools feature solar modules mounted on the roofs and exterior walls. Older schools have also had solar modules added as part of plans to increase the amount of green energy used across the Division.

Each solar installation is monitored for its energy production. Schools will have access to this information through an internal Environmental Dashboard.

ENERGY-USE REDUCTION

We’re also reducing energy consumption through:

  • infrastructure upgrades like modernizing old boilers and heat-recovery systems 
  • upgrading to energy-efficient lighting and automatic light controls
  • analyzing utility usage to find other efficiency opportunities

WASTE DIVERSION

Starting in 2024, we expanded waste sorting stations to include green organics bins in some schools and Division buildings. The green bins are for organic food waste, and other items, like paper bags and towels. Organics collection is expanding to more schools every year through a phased approach.

We also helped students and staff better understand how to sort waste, organics and recycling. Because of the new green bins, we are diverting more waste from the landfill!

Monitoring

By monitoring our carbon footprint, we can reduce and improve it over time. Some things we look at include:

  • our use of electricity, natural gas and water
  • student bus transportation, mileage and fleet vehicle fuel consumption
  • how much waste we send to landfill

We monitor quarterly and annually, using internationally accepted standards. Students and staff are able to view this information on an internal Environmental Dashboard.