When most people think of tires and school the first thought is drivers ed class! But for one school in Kingston, tires have taken on a whole new meaning.
Last October, Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) and CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) partnered to host its second annual RecycleDrive event. The week-long event encouraged Ontarians to responsibly recycle tires, motor oil, and dead household, car, and marine batteries at one of 19 participating CAA garages across Ontario.
To promote a little friendly competition between communities, the participating garage that collected the most tires won the opportunity to award a Sustainable Revitalization package to a local school. The package featured $20,000 worth of innovative recycled tire products and landscaping greenery to help transform a designated school area into a greener, safer space for students and teachers.
Car Medics in Kingston rallied up their community members and won the prize for John Graves Simcoe Public School. Finally, students can have what they’ve been asking teachers for on sunny days – class outside! The school got creative and chose to build a sustainable outdoor classroom where students and teachers can gather to learn and explore in their outdoor surroundings.
On October 3rd, J.G. Simcoe P.S. officially unveiled its new space to students, parents, staff members, and program partners such as CAA SCO, OTS, Sheridan Nurseries, and Car Medics. The new space was also welcomed by City of Kingston Mayor Mark Gerretson, and marked one of the many possibilities to create beautiful, functional and environmentally friendly spaces in our neighbourhoods.
This is what Darren Seymour, Principal of J.G. Simcoe Public School had to say about the revitalized space:
Consistently, we strive to increase and improve student achievement – that is our daily focus. What we know is that student and community engagement in school will serve to assist us in working toward our achievement goals. One of our plans was to create an outdoor learning environment.
To say that the JG Simcoe Greenspace has transformed a part of our school yard would be an understatement… The results are truly better than we ever could have imagined.
The previous unused space, from the first day of school, became a gathering spot for our community as they arrived to drop off or pick up their children. The energy around the Greenspace is positive and vibrant – one that connects our families to each other and to the school in a deeper fashion. While we didn’t anticipate this impact, we have embraced it as a positive outcome, as have our families
It’s wonderful to see community members, companies, and organizations working together to improve our community and demonstrate a commitment to our environment. While RecycleDrive only lasted a week, we hope the collective efforts to raise awareness around tire recycling and keeping our communities clean, safe and sustainable continue to be an important consideration for Ontarians as they go about their day-to-day lives.
As a result of the tremendous support for our program, OTS’s partnership with CAA SCO will also be continuing for its third annual RecycleDrive event. This year, the event has extended to a two-week community collection event from October 15-31, 2013, where Ontarians can drop off their used tires, motor oil, and dead household, car, and marine batteries at one of 29 participating CAA garages across Ontario. For more details and participating locations, please visit www.RethinkTires.ca/RecycleDrive.
Special thanks to: The members of Upper Canada Chapter of Landscape Ontario, Sheridan Nurseries, Rideauview Contracts, Limestone District School Board, Car Medics, and J.G. Simcoe Public School for bringing this space to life.
