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2- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 14, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Students urged to act green By Hiba Kesebi SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Despite high winds and cool temperatures, students from seven Oakville high schools were all smiles when they met with José Etcheverry, last Friday, at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. He was there to speak to the students about renewable energy and its ability to give the world a greener future, as part of the Green Up! conference hosted by Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn. Etcheverry, a research and policy analyst with the David Suzuki Foundation, told students that the only way to make the world more environmentally sensitive is through persistence and devotion. "People that tell you `No, you can't have a green school,' need to rethink that, because it's never been easier than today, in Ontario, to do solar," he said. Etcheverry encouraged the 70 students, who attended the conference as members of their schools' LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER DIG IN: A tree planting ceremony was held at the end of Green Up! a student environment forum at Bronte Creek Provincial Park last Friday. On hand for the ceremony were (l-r) Madhur Anand, University of Guelph; Jose Etcheverry, David Suzuki Foundation and Faculty of Environmental Studies; Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn; Dave Boddington, park superintendent; Loyola student Andrew Verissimo; and, John Cary, of Maple Leafs Forever. environmental clubs, to hold parties and fundraisers, in order to gather money for solar energy systems. "Every $10 that you make, gives you one watt of solar energy for your school. If you run into trouble along the way, then get him for support," said Etcheverry, pointing to Flynn, who sat on the park bench along with some 25 other students. He also told the students they should follow a backcasting, instead of forecasting strategy, when pursuing environmental goals. That is, instead of setting a goal and working towards achieving this goal without a deadline, they should set a goal, make a deadline for it, and work back from that deadline. According to Etcheverry, Ontario could one day become a world energy provider because it has the Mount Vernon "Barbados" by Durham Furniture SOLID MAPLE e · exotic · urban · classic · contemporary *FREE INSTALLATIONS people who know how, or can be trained to, manufacture and produce solar energy resources. "Having a solar energy option is important because it will solve a lot of issues in climate change and air pollution," he said. This would create more job openings in places like Oakville, where manufacturing is an important component in the community, he added. Etcheverry believes that students are going to be the ones who will help Ontario become a world energy leader. The actions put together by the students attending the conference do not place Etcheverry's vision in doubt. For example, Maha Mansoor, from White Oaks Secondary School, explained how she, along with the rest of the school's environmental club, helped improve the recycling system at White Oaks. "We had two big recycling bins in each classroom, and then put smaller ones in the hallways," the grade 10 student said. "I learned a lot from the other students at the conference. It was good because we got to see what other students were doing at their schools, and then, now when we go back, we can decide and see what things we can implement in our school that other schools have already implemented." The conference was an all-day event that brought together environmental clubs from seven different high schools, to discuss green initiatives, listen to guest speakers -- like Etcheverry -- and to plant 200 trees in the park. Is it real or phony? ENTIRE BARBADOS COLLECTION Limited Time Only 30% OFF REGULAR PRICES High Poster Rope Twist Bed Now Only $1689 Police host counterfeit forum May 26 With an increase in the surfacing of counterfeit bills across the GTA Halton police are teaming up with the Bank of Canada to offer a workshop to instruct residents on how to spot the fakes. Scheduled for Monday, May 26, the free training session is open to the public, but store owners, managers and anyone else who handles cash on a regular basis are especially encouraged to attend so they can learn just how quick and easy it is to spot, and stop, counterfeit money. The course will be held at the Halton Regional Police Service Headquarters (Atrium), located at 1151 Bronte Rd., from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments and snacks will be supplied. 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