A draft environmental stewardship action plan for Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools is out for public consultation following a motion from the board of trustees on July 6.
The actions laid out in the draft plan extend to all areas of district operations, including teaching, learning, reconciliation and infrastructure.
Development of the plan was led by the environmental stewardship and sustainability advisory committee (ESSAC), chaired by Trustee Jessica Stanley, and included input from students at the district’s high schools through in-person consultation and online surveys.
It is the game plan for the district to follow through on its strategic plan goal “to be a leader in environmental stewardship and sustainability.” Shaped around four values, relationality, responsibility, restoration and respect, 81 actions have been broken down into five pathways: climate mitigation and adaptation, sustainability, responsibility to the land, learning and culture and leadership. Some of the actions included are already in progress, such as electrifying the district’s bus fleet and initiating source-separation of waste into organics, recycling and garbage, the latter of which has begun at select schools.
The draft indicates the board will receive a yearly status update and the ESSAC will review the plan every two years.
The draft plan is available on NLPS’s website. The deadline to send feedback is Aug. 31.
Rachelle Stein-Wotten, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter/Gabriola Sounder/The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press
