Green Matters Event Calendar

Earth Hour 2010

March 27 - 8:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Show your support! Turn out the lights for Earth Hour!

 At 8:30p.m., on March 27^th, the world will turn off its lights for just one hour to demonstrate solidarity against the effects of climate change. Switching off your lights is just one simple action that you can take to help make a difference and it sends a powerful message that we care about our planet.

 Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  Their mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.

In 2007 Sydney, Australia championed the Earth Hour cause, and 2.2 million residents, including more than 2,000 businesses took part. The result was an astounding 10 per cent reduction on the grid and a total savings of 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Last year, people in 4,000 communities across 88 countries saw hundreds of millions of individuals vote “Earth” and band together against climate change.

Fredericton has been participating since 2008, and once again, this year, joins many other Canadian cities in the effort to reduce our impact on the environment. Participating in Earth Hour shows that you want to be part of our quest to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and create awareness about climate change and encourage a more sustainable way of life.

New this year, Fredericton has been chosen a Flagship City by WWF Canada!

Green Matters is proud to be involved in sharing the message of the severity of climate change, and the many simple steps that people can take to reduce their impact and save our earth!

We are asking people to turn-off only non-essential lights for Earth Hour, and no lights that affect public safety will or should be turned off. Earth Hour will be celebrated in a safe and secure environment, and streetlights or lights in public spaces, hospitals and emergency services will remain on.

Sign up for Earth Hour and commit to turning off your lights on March 27^th at 8:30 p.m. Also, share this information with your family, friends, and colleagues! The more people that participate, the more successful Earth hour will be!

And, go one step further, and consider other options for reducing your electrical consumption that evening. Here are some suggestions on how to spend Earth Hour:

• Read a book, or play a board game by candlelight
• Go for a walk with family or friends
• Participate in one of the events going on around town
• Listen to a battery-powered radio

Green Matters wants to know what you are doing! Email us and let us know how you are celebrating Earth Hour at home or at work. We want to hear from you!

• For Canadian Earth Hour events, check out the WWF Canada website
• For information about International Earth Hour events, click here.

Here is a list of businesses and organizations who have pledged to participate in Earth Hour:

• What on Earth
• U Wash Dog Wash
• Delta Fredericton
• Gallery 78
• Picaroons
• Room 2 Remember/Room 2 Remember Kidz
• All About Animals

2010 Green Matters Essay Contest

Deadline - April 1, 2010

The City of Fredericton is committed to being an environmental leader.  Our City is already green, but we want to be greener!  That is why we are dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint, and making this community the most sustainable it can be! We are continuing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but there is still a lot to accomplish!. Achieving our sustainability goals will be challenging, that is why everyone in the community must help!  Even small environmentally friendly changes in your life can have a big impact as we try to reduce our Cityâ??s carbon footprint.

 The topic of the essay contest is:

MAKE THE CHANGE: @Home, @School, and @Play!

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
- Mohandas K. Gandhi

That famous quote by Gandhi has inspired generations to go out and change the world around them. Children and youth are eager to learn, and to convey to others the knowledge they acquire.  They have great ideas and are excited when those ideas evolve into action.

In 2008 we asked essay writers to tell us why green really matters in our community, and why being environmentally conscious is so important. Last year, we followed up, by asking students to draft a letter to the Prime Minister, encouraging him to make changes that will make our country a more sustainable place to live.

This year, we are giving students the opportunity to encourage change themselves, by telling us what they would do to make changes in their homes, at school, and at play. This yearâ??s contest focuses on how children and youth would change their home, school, or community, if they were given the opportunity. We want to know what projects, events or activities they would set into motion to create the greatest positive, long-term change for our environment. 

So students, what would you do?  Put solar panels on the roof of your school to generate energy?  Plant more trees to suck in carbon dioxide?  Have mandatory anti-idling zones in your school and neighborhood?  Start a litterless lunch program at your school?  There are no boundaries so dream your green dream and tell us about it!

For inspiration and ideas, check out these useful websites:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/kids/

http://www.greenlearning.ca/

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

http://www.ecokids.ca

We encourage educators to use this opportunity to talk to your students about the environment. If you are looking for more information or resources that include discussion topics that align with curriculum, please email greenmatters@fredericton.ca. This is an excellent chance to get your students writing about their hopes and dreams for a greener future. 

There are four categories: Elementary school (K-2); Elementary school (3-5); Middle school; and, High school. Eligible students must currently be attending Fredericton area schools (refer to the list below) in Districts 1 and 18.

Winning essays will be posted on the Green Matters website at www.greenmattersfredericton.com.  The winner in each category will receive a cash prize and a certificate. The breakdown is as follows:

Elementary Grades K-2           Max. 150 words          First Prize                    $200

Elementary Grades 3-5           Max. 250 words          First Prize                    $200

Middle School                         Max. 750 words          First Prize                    $300

                                                                                    Second Prize                $100

High School                             Max. 1000 words        First Prize                    $500

                                                                                    Second Prize                $200   

Eligible schools are:

Elementary schools: Barker's Point, Connaught Street, Forest Hill, Garden Creek, Liverpool Street, Marysville, McAdam Avenue, Montgomery Street, Nashwaaksis Memorial, New Maryland, Park Street, Priestman Street, Royal Road, South Devon, and Douglas School

Middle schools: Albert Street, George Street, Devon, and Nashwaaksis

High schools: Leo Hayes High School, Fredericton High School

Francophone schools: �cole Sainte-Anne and �cole des Bâtisseurs

Once again, there will be a will be a collection of environment-themed books for the school that submits the most essays, as a percentage of their school population.

So, get writing and have fun!

Deadline for all submissions is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 1, 2010.

Entries will be judged for quality of the response.

Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2010.  Time and location is yet to be determined.

Submissions will be accepted in both official languages.

All entries, except in the Elementary K-2 and 3-5 categories, must be typed, and double-spaced. Entries in the K-2 and 3-5 categories, can either be typed or printed/written legibly, and may include a picture.

Please include on the cover page: your name, school, teacherâ??s name, and teacherâ??s email address. Your teacher will be contacted in the event your essay is selected.

Class sets of submissions can be made in hard copy to:

Green Matters

PO Box 130, 397 Queen Street
Fredericton, NB

E3B 4Y7

We do prefer, however, that you submit essays electronically to greenmatters@fredericton.ca. Electronic submissions must be sent as file attachments in Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF format