Imagine a Garden in Every School: Policy Subcommittee

Imagine a Garden in Every School: Policy Subcommittee

Objective: Conduct an environmental scan of Ontario School Boards to identify presence of greening policies.

Methodology: With 72 school boards across the province of Ontario, the scope of this environmental scan was focused on 13 schools boards, all part of the Ontario EcoSchools program. Ontario EcoSchools is an “environmental education and certification program for grades K – 12 that helps school communities develop both ecological literacy and environmental practices to become environmentally responsible citizens and reduce the ecological footprint of schools.” ( As the values and principles of Ontario EcoSchools align very closely with those of Imagine a Garden in Every School (IGES), 13 school boards, named by Ontario EcoSchools was our starting point. This came from an assumption that if a school board supports Ontario EcoSchools, those same school boards may have policies and procedures in place to also support the values of the IGES Campaign.

The 13 school boards included in this environmental scan are:

Eastern Ontario French Public School Board (CEPEO)

Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boreales

Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB)

Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB)

Halton District School Board (HDSB)

Lakehead District School Board (LDSB)

Peel District School Board (PDSB)

Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB)

Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board (TBCDSB)

Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB)

Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB)

Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB)

York Region District School Board (YRDSB)

Results:

Policies

While not all of the 13 School Boards examined have explicit school greening or school garden policies, they all have policies/procedures that support the development of green spaces on school grounds. Thus these policies/procedures have the potential to enable the development of school gardens.

School Board / Policy to Support School Greening / Link to Policy
CEPEO
Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales / The creation of school food gardens fit within the community engagement pillar of the board’s strategic plan. To start a school food garden, interested groups and/or individuals are asked to complete the board’s planning tool “Grille d’analyse pouractivités communautaires”(Analytical Framework for Community Activities). / Grille d’analyze pour activités communautaires:
**This tool ensures those wishing to undertake school related projects have: 1) planned out the project; 2) reflected on the intention of the activity; 3) evaluated the success and sustainability of the project
DCDSB / Environmental Education Policy / PO 433
GECDSB / While the Board does not financially contribute to the initial cost of the naturalized space, it will assist, approve and assume insurance liability and responsibility for inspections, minor maintenance and normal upkeep. / Regulations for Naturalized Playspace (R-PL-02)
HDSB / The policy focuses on the development and maintenance of physical alterations to the outdoor spaces of school grounds. There is a specific procedure for approval provided and the focus seems to be on safety and ensuring that the responsibility for maintenance is clearly outlined. /
LDSB / The 3 School Boards in Thunder Bay have been asked (and agree to!) to develop a Statement of Support for school food gardens within board policies and a process for schools to follow when starting school food gardens. The Lakehead Public School Board has developed a committee that hopes to meet to look including a statement and supporting process for school food gardens in its board policy. / Not available
PDSB / Environment Policy / Policy 74
TVDSM / Environmental Education and Management Program Policy and Procedure / Policy 5002

TBCDSB / The TBCDSB has drafted a school garden policy which includes both a support statement and process for school food gardens. It has been reviewed by the Board’s Environmental Stewardship Team (BEST), and is currently being circulated to principals for further feedback. Some BEST members have recommended that this new policy be incorporated into a larger school greening policy to include school grounds, food gardens and outdoor classrooms. /
TCDSB / TCDBS has Greening Guidelines, developed by Evergreen. / Planning & Designing Green School Grounds
Guidelines for School Ground Greening

WCDSB / Sustainable Development Policy, in recognition of the "interdependence of the environment, the economy and society and the challenge of balancing all three in building a healthy, sustainable future." ( / "The Board will…ensure that an environmental education component is incorporated into school planning processes."( The school board specifically mentions food gardens in their discussion of school ground greening ( page 109)
WRDSB
YRDSB / School Grounds Enhancement Projects
Environment Policy / Policy #460

Policy #235

Funding to Support Policies

While the 13 School Boards examined acknowledge the value and importance of environmental literacy and green spaces in schools, with the exception of WCDSB, in all cases, financial resources to support policies or specific school gardens are not explicitly noted. Consequently school gardens are generally financed with external funding from organizations such as Evergreen (

In the case of WCDSB, the school board has committed to providing funding to green projects that relate to the board’s Sustainability Plan(

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