We’re Eco-Centric

The P.A.C.E. Invaders are truly committed to lessening our impact on the environment. Whenever we can, we incorporate the environment into our fundraisers and activism. We’re always looking for ways to reduce waste flows both at our school and in the homes of our students. We’re also trying to increase awareness of small things that people can do to reduce their energy consumption. We have begun to reach these goals through a variety of programs.

Green Bins

We are currently working with the Town of Richmond Hill to implement a Green Bin program for food waste within the school. The Green Bin program is an organic waste collection program used in households across the Greater Toronto Area. In Toronto, the program has diverted 100,000 tonnes of organic material from landfills and up to 60% in parts of the GTA. This clearly successful program would be especially successful in a school environment. We want to take part in it and we hope we aren’t alone.

Reduce, Reuse

Recycling is a simple and easy way to keep the earth clean and healthy. We are providing students and their families with a place to recycle printer cartridges, cell phones and alkaline batteries. We also have plans to implement incandescent light bulb recycling. By properly recycling these we divert them from landfills where they can take thousands of years to decompose while leaching harmful chemicals into the environment. We are working with Think Recycle on some of these programs so that our recycling can also be a fundraiser for the team. To make it easier for people make an impact at home, we are selling paper yard waste bags and florescent light bulbs from the school. They provide funds for the team and help families save money and the environment.

In With A Splash

This summer, we have been invited to partner with the local Mill Pond Splash Festival - an event sponsored by Toronto and Region Conservation, the Town of Richmond Hill and the Don Watershed Regeneration Council promoting eco-awareness with environmental displays, public tree planting, children’s nature activities, music, entertainment, refreshments and much more. With our participation in the festival, we hope to further environmental awareness within the town, and offer our recycling services to a broader community, all the while expanding awareness of FIRST in the Richmond Hill Community.

Keep On Green-ing

Being the green team is not something we want to do only once - we hope to continue being eco-friendly in all our future years. In the years to come we hope to perform a detailed audit of energy use within the school and make changes to move towards a “carbon neutral” footprint. We also plan to provide hints to school parents on how they can make their daily drives and daily lives much more eco-friendly. Being green in our lives isn’t our only goal, we also plan to bring our ideas to the arena one day. Being the green team is not something we want to do only once - we hope to continue being eco-friendly in all our future years. In the years to come we hope to perform a detailed audit of energy use within the school and make changes to move towards a “carbon neutral” footprint. We also plan to provide hints to school parents on how they can make their daily drives and daily lives much more eco-friendly. Being green in our lives isn’t our only goal, we also plan to bring our ideas to the arena one day. We already have plans for using alternative energy sources to charge our robot’s battery and to power our school. We’re lowering our school’s and students’ impact on the environment and we will continue to year after year as there is still a long way to go.