1 6 - The Oakville Beaver, Frid a y M a y 12, 2006 T. A. Blakelock attempts to go green By Julie Harm gardt Weli, everything. If we don't take they th in k our environm ent is care of our environm ent now, the n o t in a great state of danger. ecological legacy we leave for our They m u st align th e ir G randchildren? W hat do grand- grandchildren will be bleak. lifestyle w ith an environm enchildren have to do w ith th e environTeens live vary m uch for the pres- tally -co rrect social conm ent? en t and may be som ew hat naive if science. A good place to begin im plem enting this change is in the school system. Becom ing eco-friendly is n o t about m aking a plan, it's creating a m indset. T.A. Blakelock High School is helping to sustain our envi ro n m e n t th ro u g h a new provincial-w ide pro g ram called EcoSchools. its utilities by an o th er six per N ot only does th is pro- cent this year, gram focus on reducing enviSounds like a lot, however ronm ental harm , it also cen- com pletely m anageable for tres on creating an ecologi- this ambitious, group of stucally-literate fu tu re genera- dents, tion. The Flora and Fauna Club The first step of th e at Blakelock fits hand in hand EcoSchools plan is to estab- w ith th e objectives of th e /month for the *3 r $ a e u * $ 2 0 first 2 months' lish an `Eco Team' to co-ordi- EcoSchools program , L G8 1 0 0 S am su n gA 8 4 0 L& 20 0 M u sic/T y/C am era! C am erap h o n e C am erap h o n e nate cam paigns, leadership The m ain idea of th e plan is V id e op h o n e activities, weekly announceto get teens to care and be $79.99' $29.99'" $ 0 ' · unlim ited;o o a!night §&w eekendcallin g O year conrracS (3 y iw oss'-tracti m ents, and encourage stu- involved w ith a school's (n ig h tcallin gstartingat 6pmfo rihefirst -$99.99 no contract mU nlim itedlocal T E L U StoT E L U Scallin g * ' LG 1000 dents and staff to be environ- attem p t to reach the ultim ate 1 year contract $49.99 «U pto 100local anytim em in u tes* * m entally friendly. ecb-status. $ 0 00 2 year contract $0.00 *C aller ID ,V oiceM a i!3, call w aiting o n a 3 y e a r con tract Environm entally friendly. EcoSchools are also strong K e e pc o n n e c te dloy o u rc h ildw ilhM ig oIn tro d u c in go u rk id -frie n d ly w ire le s sp h o n e ,M ig o ,a llo w in gp a re n tsa n dk id slok e e pinto u c h .I t's W hat do these w ords m ean advocates for school ground lu nfo rk id sa n dp e a c eo fm in dlo rp a re n ts .W ithitss im p lifie dk e y p a d 100text, pictureor videom essages d e sig n ,p a re n ts c a np ro g ra mto u rn u m b e rs p lu sad e d ic a te d exactly? How do we carry o u t greening, e m e rg e n c yn u m b e r. Y o uh a v ec o m p le tec o n tro lo v e rw h oy o u rk id s U nilm ited.chat, instant m essagingandem ail ta lktoa n dth es e c u rityo fb e in ga b letoc o n ta c tth e m w h e ny o un e e d . this plan? The Flora and Fauna Club U nlim itedW ebb ro w sin g * * Family Plan - Buy One, G et One Handset After form ing an eco-com- is planning a renovation of the O ffer now includes the LG 1000 W ith new activation. Buy 2 accessories, get 1 free *S ee store for details. m ittee, they conduct an eco- o u td o o r cou rty ard at review th ro u g h o u t th e Blakelock, w h ich in tu rn Brantford Hamilton Oakville Burlington school, to see w hat improve- encourages th e stu d en ts to 415 Fairview Dr. 667 Parkdale Ave. N. 210 North Service Rd. W . 3480 Fairview St. m ents can be made. spend tim e outdoors. Twelve m onths later, after B lakelock also plans to 519.758.0422 905.549.0003 905.469.1155 905.333.1135 announcing to th e students lig h te n ^ th e en v iro n m en tal th a t Blakelock needed to cu t load by encouraging staff and down on energy waste, we students to use recycled paper, j^ T T E ' L U S M E L IN E TM have decreased w ater use by e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y - f r i e n d l y 'I - 8 8 8 - P H O N E - 8 8 13 per cent and electricity products, and walk or ride to the future is friendly4 `h elp in g yo u co m m u n ica te ' usage has decreased by 12 per · school, C elebrating 10 Years · 1996 - 2006 Otter available only on new activations In Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec until May 14,2006. Phone availability and prices may vary. Not all services are available on all phones or in all areas. Ask tor details. cent. We're definitely on th e ·Effective net price based on a 3 year contract alter in-store discount or invoice credit on your future TELUS monlhly bill. tTaxes, long distance, addilional airtime, roaming, pay-per-use charges, monthly system access lee and monthly enhanced 911 service access charges are extra. "N ight and weekend calling includes local calls weeknighls Monday lo Thursday Irom 9pm lo 7am and weekends Friday Irom 9pm lo Monday 7am. Night calling startup, at 6pm lor the first year available lo new clients who sign up on a 3 year contract, f t Available on new activations tor olients signing on a 1,2 or 3 year contract. # On sites listed on the TELUS portal, not including selected Blakelock plans to reduce rig h t path. A lthough som e premium sites. ©2006 TELUS. GRADE 10, T A BLAKELOCK The "mother of all sales" ends May 14. Talk & SPARK 30 Bn students religiously em brace environm ental issues, others need a big dose of reality. The tru th is th a t if teens a re n 't m ade aware of the harm they are doing to the environ m en t and its effect directly on them ; they will n o t take posi tive action. W ithout a significant push, m o st people w ould act as bystanders in th e fight against a healthier, cleaner environ m ent. T h a t's why, Mr. Miller, B lakelock's principal, holds firm to his belief that, "Our en v iro n m e n t is extrem ely im portant, and w e're w reck ing it. We have to stop this for the present and future gener ations. We m u st fully educate th e students on environm en tal issues." It's one thing to acknowl edge the need for m ore envi ronm ental action and the eco logical benefits therein, how ever, it's another to im plem ent the plan and take charge. Obviously enforcem ent of eco-friendly policies and pro gram s w on't provide a quickfix so lu tio n to a perpetual problem . Radical change will n o t occur overnight. We m u st be diligent and proactive in o u r approach. We're obligated to future gen erations to be com m itted to raising environm ental aware ness and giving people a `g reen er' social conscience. A lth o u g h we m ust ap p lau d th e efforts and re s u lts of th e E coS chools program , we m u st be vigilant in o u r co n tin u ed plan to be eco-friendly. · , - Cancer Surgery I Cardiac Procedures I Cataract Surgery I Hip or Knee Replacement ! MRI or C T Scan I t' s w o r th k n o w in g If you or someone you know is waiting for one of the above procedures, it's worth knowing there' s something you can do right now. Go to our new website for information on hospital wait times right across the province. You'll also find many helpful facts you and your doctor can use to make better decisions about your health care. For more information call 1-888-779-7767 (TTY 1-800-387-5559) or please visit www.ontariowaittimes.com Paid fo r b y th e G overnm ent o f Ontario.