2016
BC Green Games
FINAL REPORT
3
Districts
Projects
Schools
Votes
Community Coaches consulted
Province-wide field trips
Students to receive free field trip
Schools to celebrate with
Science World’s On The Road team
Students reached through
the On The Road team
Students to celebrate BCGG with
Science World’s On The Road team
23
100
52
166,976
50
33
1,400
132
22,649
949
FINAL REPORT 2016
2016 at a glance
2016
at a glance
4
BCGG
program
5
Program Overview
6 Contest Summary
6 Action Plan
6Projects
7 Community Coaches
9Voting
10Winners
11 Field Trips
12 2015–16 Metrics
15 Curriculum Connections
18 Teacher Profile
20 Thank You
BCGG program
20 Project Management
21Sponsors
22 Teacher and Team Leader Survey
FINAL REPORT 2016
5
Program overview
BC Green Games began in 2008, as a collaborative project between Science
World British Columbia and the BC Ministry of Education. Since then, this
digital, eco-action, sustainability, storytelling contest has enjoyed eight great
years of participation from students in K–12, from across the province.
Each year, we encourage school green teams, eco-clubs and environmental
leadership groups to find a mentor, take action and tell their teams’ stories either
as photo essays or 3-minute videos. With approximately 100 projects a year,
we have accrued over 800 environmental action stories in the last eight years.
These projects showcase the inspiration, ingenuity and creativity of students
from Zeballos to Fort Nelson and from Prince Rupert to Kimberley. Teachers
and students are sharing how important environmental action is, by telling their
stories through BC Green Games.
BCGG Y8 - Action Plans
Untitled layer
Untitled layer
Smithers Secondary, Smithers
Fraser Heights Secondary,
Surrey
Tamanawis Secondary, Surrey
Reynolds Secondary, Victoria
T'lisalagi'lakw School, Alert
Bay
Nestor Elementary, Coquitlam
BCGG program
Promontory Heights
Community Elementary,
Chilliwack
Marysville Elementary,
Kimberley
Dr Annie B Jamieson
Elementary, Vancouver
Always ahead of the curve, BC Green Games supports teachers and students
with free field trips, project/place-based education opportunities and a
cross-curricular approach to environmental education. With the changing
curriculum in BC, BC Green Games offers a unique 21st century learning
opportunity.
As we get close to a decade of inspiring BC Green Games projects, we have
archived over 800 creative and inspiring projects and have collaborated with
dozens of high profile and grassroots environmental organizations. With the
support of our like-minded sponsors, we are supporting the voices of our
students and let them know that their projects are not only important, but that
their stories are heard and will continue to inspire action, far into the future.
FINAL REPORT 2016
6
Contest summary
BC Green Games launched October 1, 2015. In this, our 8th year, our
reputation preceded us somewhat and we found ourselves being sought after
by teachers who wished to participate in the program.
This year, we offered 20 top prizes of $1,000 in green team grants, a $3,000
travel subsidy award from Encorp Pacific Return-It School Program and 4 X
$500 Call2Recycle Viewer’s Choice prizes. We also offered two early-bird
prizes for teams who registered by November 30 and January 15.
Action plan
October 1 to January 15
Upon the success of last year’s Action Plan, we decided to use it again, but this
time as registration. We found that the removal of registration coinciding with
the introduction of the Action Plan created a little confusion last year, so this
year we made them one and the same. This seemed to quell the confusion.
By November 30, we had 42 registered Action Plans, which is double last year’s
number. The Sony Prize was drawn and teams at Saturna Island School, Dr.
Annie B. Jamieson and T’lisalagi’lakw School were awarded Sony Action Cams.
By January 15, we had 65 registered Action Plans. The team T-shirt prize was
drawn and we sent BC Green Games shirts to Nechako Valley Secondary and
Taylor Park Elementary.
BCGG program
To encourage teams to plan out their projects, we kept registration of Action
Plans open until the end of February, which resulted in 80 Action Plans.
Nechaka Valley Secondary School Winners — Celebrate at The Exploration Place in Prince George
FINAL REPORT 2016
7
Projects
January 15 to March 1
This year we received 100 project submissions. There were 70 project
submissions from elementary schools and 30 projects from secondary schools.
Of the projects submitted, 66% of the teams indicated that they received
mentorship of some kind. We had a strong showing from previously participating
schools, with 60% of teams from previous years returning—40% of whom
have been around since the beginning! We also had impressive participation
from new rural elementary schools. Returning team, Abbotsford Middle, really
brought their A game, with 25 submissions.
Community coaches
BCGG program
Community Coaches are individuals or organizations in the community who
were identified by either a school team or by Science World. Community
Coaches identified by Science World were chosen based on past involvement
with BC Green Games or a history of environmental leadership in the
community. There were 79 Community Coaches contacted by Science World
via phone or email to solicit their participation in the 2016 BC Green Games.
There are over 100 BC organizations listed as potential resources for coaches.
Katherine Harding from ‘Foragers of Wild Edibles Unite’ visits Reynolds Secondary School
FINAL REPORT 2016
8
Abbotsford Nissan Dealership
Jane Goodall Institute of Canada
BC Hydro
Juniper Environmental Services
BC Sustainable Energy Association
Kevin Lyseng
BC Wilderness Committee
M.C. Wright and Associates
Call2Recycle
Merritt Secondary School Garden Club
Canadian Geographic Classroom
Energy Diet Challenge
Nechako White Sturgeon Conservation Centre
Capital Regional District
Northwest Waste Solutions
Chilliwack Museum and Archives
Plan International Canada Inc. (Gifts of Hope)
City of Abbotsford
(Parks, Recreation and Culture)
Recycling Council of BC
City of Abbotsford
(Waste Management Program)
Richmond Animal Protection Society
City of Chilliwack
(Parks, Recreation, and Culture)
Science World British Columbia
City of Kimberly
SD33 (Maintenance and Energy Departments)
City of Richmond
Shop-Rite Department Stores (Recycling
Program)
City of Surrey (Rethink Waste Organics
Collection Program)
Simon Fraser University (Mentorship Program)
City of Surrey
(Salmon Marshal Public Programs)
Staples (Recycling Program)
Cowichan Biodiesel Co-op
Sto:lō Nation
Cowichan Energy Alternatives
Surrey School District
Destination Conservation
Teck Resources Ltd (Zinc Saves Lives campaign)
Douglas College Institute of Urban Ecology
The Lions Club
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
The Wild Foods Experience
Encorp Pacific—Return-it School Program
UNICEF Canada
Fort Langley National Historic Site
Vancouver Archives
Green Bricks
Vancouver Art Gallery
Green Chair Recycling
Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association
Hub for Active School Travel
Village Surrey
BCGG program
2016 Green Games Community Coaches
FINAL REPORT 2016
9
Voting
Call2Recycle Viewer’s
ChoiceAward
This year, the winners of the Call2Recycle Viewer’s Choice
Award are:
• Nicola Canford Elementary 41,349 votes
• Annie B. Jamieson Elementary 25,103 votes
• Port Moody Secondary 16,679 votes
• Lyndsay Park Elementary 11,963 votes
During the first few days of voting, we had over 5,000 visitors
to bcgreengames.ca on each of those days.
BCGG program
Nicola Canford Elementary
collects most votes for the win.
March 1 to March 30
We blew the top off of the voting portion of our contest this
year! Allowing voters the option to vote hourly offered more
than one opportunity to vote, which was a benefit to schools
who typically share an IP address. In fact, it promoted active
engagement with the content and made it possible for BC
Green Games projects to stay front-of-mind for many weeks.
The final tally of votes cast came to 166,967 for 2015–16, up
from 77,000 in 2014–15.
FINAL REPORT 2016
10
Winners
April 4
Grand Prize Winners
Each of the 100 projects submitted went through a rigorous judging process,
by at least three of our volunteer judges. Our judges are an esteemed group
of retired teachers, teacher consultants, members of the media, scientists and
science educators. Once a project has been viewed three times, the highest
ranking 30 projects are taken to a final judging meeting, where prizes are
awarded.
Winners of the contest included 10 teams from grades K–7 and 10 teams from
grades 8–12. Each team will receive $1,000 for their school’s environmental
initiatives.
BC Hydro Energy Prize
In addition to the main prize, we also award two BC Hydro
Energy Prizes of $1,000 to teams who demonstrated a strong
commitment to energy conservation. This year, 15 teams
identified themselves as Energy Prize contenders and the
teams from Lindsay Park Elementary in Kimberly and Earl
Marriot Secondary in Surrey each took home the coveted
prize.
Return-It Trip Prize
Winners
Thanks to the continued support from the folks at Encorp
Pacific, we were once again able to offer the Return-It Trip
prize. The $3,000 prize was shared between two teams from
outside Metro Vancouver, who each received $1,500 for field
trip related travel costs to Science World at TELUS World of
Science. This year, we welcomed teams from Alert Bay and
Zeballos, BC. These teams came to us from such a distance
that without this prize, a field trip to Science World would not
have been feasible.
FINAL REPORT 2016
11
Field trips
April 22 to May 21
In addition to in-class programs, BC Green Games also offers teams the
opportunity to participate in hands-on, informal education with a free Science
World field trip, for all participating teams. However, BC Green Games is a
provincial program and, for some communities, a trip to Vancouver isn’t always
in the cards. With the recent addition of the Return-It Trip prize, a travel subsidy
prize aimed at teams from the farthest reaches of the province, we’ve been able
to welcome teams from more remote communities. This year, since our teams
came from such a distance, we were able to open up the option of a Science
World sleepover for our Return-It winners.
Winners
For 2015–16, we were also able to partner with other science centres in BC,
to provide free field trips and green celebrations at BIG Little Science Centre,
Okanagan Science Centre, NS3 and The Exploration Place. For teams who
cannot attend field trips at any participating centres, we brought science to
them, with a very special visit from Science World’s On The Road team.
Return-it Trip winners: T’lisalagi’lakw School and Zeballos School celebrated with a Science World
field trip and sleep over.
FINAL REPORT 2016
12
2015–16 Metrics
Potential Reach /
Impression
BCGG Campaign
# of people
(# of benefit x
# of people)
Events at Science World
BCGG Celebration Month
46,956
46,956
2,187
2,187
75
75
Teachers’ Night Out, fall
260
260
Teachers’ Night Out, winter
101
101
Earth Day
Global Rewind
Subtotal—onsite impressions
49,579
Events offsite
BC Field Trip Fair
450
450
Handsworth BeAware Fair
150
150
Local Celebrations
949
949
22,649
22,649
1,000
1,000
40
40
SSTA PD Day 2016
100
100
STA Conference, Surrey
150
150
On The Road Shows
Ready Summit
Starfish Canada
FINAL REPORT 2016
Winners
logo recognition
13
Potential Reach /
Impression
BCGG Campaign
# of people
(# of benefit x
# of people)
Promotional logo recognition
logo recognition
Book Your Trip E-Blast
339
339
E-Blast 1–8
570
570
Facebook (BC Green Games)
500
1,500
1,775
1,775
Registration E-Blast #1
500
500
Teachers’ Newsletters (5 features)
600
600
Twitter (bcgreengames)
250
1,000
Twitter (scienceworldtr)
4,167
10,000
Voting Period E-Blast
570
570
Winners E-Blast
568
568
40
40
400
400
Oliver Elementary, Oliver
40
40
SEEC, Saturna Island
20
20
100
100
BCGG Postcard—three to each school
5,000
5,000
BCGG Poster—all BC schools
1,500
1,500
10,000
5,000
Letter to K–12 Principals
Meadowbrook Elementary, Coquitlam
Nanaimo IB Sustainability Summit, Nanaimo
Collateral logo recognition
BCGG Certificates
BCGG Stickers
FINAL REPORT 2016
Winners
School Visits
14
Potential Reach /
Impression
BCGG Campaign
(# of benefit x
# of people)
# of people
Community Coaches
North
5
50
Okanagan-Kootenay
7
50
Provincial
45
100
Vancouver
21
100
Vancouver Island
15
100
Subtotal—Community Coaches
93
400
Judges
57
100
555,837
555,837
40,895
40,895
167,000
167,000
99,036
99,036
BC Green Games website
Page Views
Users
Voting Period (votes)
Website Sessions, Sept–May
Kimberly Bulletin: kimberleybulletin.com/ourtown/371983371.html
500,000
Kimberly Bulletin: kimberleybulletin.com/ourtown/375261391.html
500,000
North Island Gazette: issuu.com/blackpress/
docs i20160420100741591
500,000
Subtotal—offsite impressions
2,418,678
Grand Total
2,517,836
FINAL REPORT 2016
Winners
News Coverage
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Curriculum Connections
The BC Green Games eco-storytelling contest connects with Learning
Standards of the Draft Curriculum in addition to promoting place-based learning
and supporting BC teachers and students. Take a look at how your students’
projects could connect to this curriculum:
Communication
Acquire, interpret, collaborate, connect &
engage, reflect, present
Creative thinking
Novelty & values, generating & developing
ideas
Critical thinking
Develop & design, question & investigate,
analyze & critique
Positive Personal &
Cultural Identify
Personal values & choices, personal
strengths & abilities
Social Responsibility
Contributing to community & caring for the
environment, building relationships
Curriculum Connections
Core Competencies
Science K-9 Curricular Competencies
• Questioning and predicting
• Planning and conducting
• Processing and analyzing data and information
•Evaluating
• Applying and innovating
•Communicating
FINAL REPORT 2016
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Science K-9 Big Ideas
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
• Plants and animals have observable features
• Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things
• Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment
• Observable patterns and cycles occur in the local sky and landscape
• All living things have a lifecycle.
• Water is essential to all life and cycles through the environment
• All life is diverse, can be grouped, and interacts in
its ecosystem
• Thermal energy can be produced and transferred
Curriculum Connections
Kindergarten
• Wind, water and ice change the shape of the land
Grade 4
• All life is interdependent on its environment
• Energy comes in a variety of forms that can be transferred from one object to another
Grade 5
• Humans use earth materials as natural resources
Grade 7
• The theory of evolution by natural selection provides an explanation for the diversity and survival of
living things
Grade 8
• Cells are a basic unit of life
Grade 9
• The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are interconnected and matter cycles
and energy flows through them
• The Earth and its climate have changed over
geologic time
FINAL REPORT 2016
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Social studies K-9 Big Ideas
• We shape the local environment, and the local environment shapes who we are and how we live
Grade 1
• Our rights, roles, and responsibilities are important
for building strong communities
• Healthy communities recognize and respect the diversity of individuals and care for the local environment
• Local actions have global consequences, and global actions have local consequences.
Grade 5
• Natural resources continue to shape the economy and identity of different regions of Canada.
Curriculum Connections
Grade 2
FINAL REPORT 2016
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Teacher Profile
Day 6: Heather Coey sees a green
future ahead
BC Green Games is an eco­storytelling contest that gives students a chance
to amplify their green initiatives. Today, our On The Road team is out visiting
schools that participated in the program to reward them with hands­on science
fun and a certificate ceremony.
HC: Human beings are pretty amazing creatures! The power of our brain is
phenomenal. Not too long ago, I visited the Boeing Everett Center in Washington.
It’s the world’s largest building by volume; if I remember correctly, the floor space of
one building, where I was able to observe various Boeing aircraft being constructed,
was equivalent to twenty­six football fields! The assembly line was incredible; across
multiple levels, creating all manner of aircraft parts and operating systems, building
massive hunks of metal that can fly through the air!
When I took a look at that and marveled at what humans could accomplish through
science, I knew our brains were capable of pretty much everything and anything
including finding a way to live sustainably on our planet and having an excellent
quality of life, as well. In fact, we have all the technology and knowledge we
need—it all exists. We just need the will and the organization through individuals,
communities and all levels of government to make it happen. That is the innovation
we need today.
Einstein is quoted as saying that the definition of insanity is something to the
effect of, “doing what you have always done and expecting different results.”
Thus, we need students who can think outside the box more than ever. One of the
reasons Reynolds participates in the BC Green Games every year is to push us to
continuously think of new ideas to apply to the challenge of living sustainably on our
planet. It is a motivator and inspires us by giving schools the opportunity to share
what they are doing—maybe someone else can piggy­back on an idea of ours and
come up with something evenbetter or we can do that with someone else’s idea.
Our involvement every year, including involving our wider community by sharing
what we are doing has helped build a culture at our school where “green initiatives”
are becoming common­place and are expected. Part of that is because we maintain
almost all our green initiatives, they are seldom one­offs. We maintain our recycling
FINAL REPORT 2016
Curriculum Connections
Heather Coey of Reynolds Secondary has been involved in BC Green Games from
its inception eight years ago. Her work developing eco­leaders has seen Reynolds
Secondary develop a reputation for outstanding sustainability education. Today, she
shares what science and innovation means to her, why she loves teaching and how
BC Green Games has helped to promote lasting change in her community.
19
program, salad bar program, courtyard garden, hydroponics and chicken fostering
program to name our most significant projects and continue to work to make
them stronger and district­wide. That makes projects like Green It Forward this
year particularly important because we are at the point where we really need to
find ways to replicate ourselves and support others along their journey in order to
reach a tipping point.
It is exciting—like the Boeing Center, what we have accomplished hints at what is
possible. It also shows us that one individual does not make a Boeing 747 on their
own, it is a collective endeavor, a synergistic process utilizing the talents of the
many. Who knows what seeds have been fertilized in the minds of our students as
they graduate and move forward with their lives, and what further connections they
will make knowing the value of community in making things happen. That is what
makes being a teacher so awesome. We know the future is full of hope!
Heather Coey and the Reynold’s Secondary Green Team have won BC Green Games 8 years running.
FINAL REPORT 2016
Curriculum Connections
We can also push projects deeper now and engage in creating infrastructure that
will make a lasting difference. We are working on a project now that will create
food and garden policy within the Victoria School District, allowing partnerships
with farmer co­ops to actually grow food on school grounds and supply our salad
bar programs. Community connections are significant for schools on this “green
journey” as they can be the key to sustainable practices in schools—so they
can be long lasting and not just end when certain students graduate or certain
teachers retire.
20
Thank You
The 2015–16 BC Green Games program was not only a success, but an
inspiration and a pleasure for the BC Green Games team. We’ve received
outpourings of appreciation for our mentors, field trips and our special brand
of green-team motivation and we are so grateful to each and every participant
and partner for making this a great year.
The BC Green Games team would love to thank our wonderful colleagues
at Science World, as well as our green-hearted sponsors for helping to make
this school year a little greener.
We’ll see you again in the fall of 2016 for year 9!
With gratitude,
Elizabeth Hand
Curriculum Connections
BC Green Games Program Manager
Program Management
Science World British Columbia is a charitable organization that engages British
Columbians in science and inspires future science and technology leadership
throughout our province.
“With BC Green Games, I truly see kids thinking about
their environment and trying to make a difference.
Just today, I saw students in the hallway educating
their peers about the bins and getting a bit upset,
because one seaweed wrapper and a lunch container
were in the wrong bin. They were even talking about
the consequences, if everyone is careless about waste.
This green momentum you have built is just amazing!
Thank you.”
— Carol Hsu, Teacher
FINAL REPORT 2016
21
Sponsors
Presenting Sponsors
By working with corporate sponsors, the scope of BC Green Games has been
able to grow to more fully meet the needs of participants. Encorp Pacific’s Return-It
School Program
Return-It School is a free beverage container recycling
program open to all elementary, middle and secondary schools
in British Columbia. Since the start of the program in the
2000–2001 school year, participating schools have recycled
over 45 million containers and generated over $2.8 million
in deposit refunds that they have used to purchase supplies,
install playgrounds, support athletic events and fund field trips.
BC Hydro
BC Hydro supports, educates and strengthens individuals and
communities who share an interest in building a bright and
sustainable future for British Columbia through donations,
sponsorships, scholarships, community outreach and youth
campaigns.
Viewer’s Choice Award
Sponsor
Sponsors
Recharging the Planet. Recycling Your Batteries.
TM
Call2Recycle is North America’s first and largest battery
stewardship program. It is a non-profit organization that
collects and recycles batteries at no cost for municipalities,
businesses and consumers. Call2Recycle has established
over 34,000 collection sites throughout Canada and the US.
It is the first program of its kind to receive the Responsible
Recycling Practices Standard (R2) certification.
FINAL REPORT 2016
22
Supporting Sponsor
We are the Electronic Products Recycling Association—an
industry-led, not-for-profit organization that operates regulated
recycling programs across Canada. We ensure that end-of-life
electronics are handled in a safe, secure and environmentally-sound manner. Through our programs, we keep 100,000
metric tonnes of old electronics out of landfills each year.
End-of-life electronics are dropped off at EPRA authorized
collection sites in over 2,000 locations across the country.
Prize Sponsor
Established in 1955, Sony of Canada Ltd. is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Sony Corporation, of Tokyo, Japan, a world
leader in technology and entertainment. Sony Canada Ltd.
is devoted to the betterment of children, the environment
and the community.
“I love this program and wish more schools would get
involved. The kids are looking forward to their field trip!
Thanks for doing that for them!”
Sponsors
– Sheri Kasper, Parent
FINAL REPORT 2016
23
Survey Results
Are you new to BC Green Games this year?
Count
Percent
16
44%
10
28%
6
17%
4
11%
I was new this year
I am a returning teacher/team leader
I have been involved with BC Green Games for 3+ years
2015/16 was my second year
02
Are you a teacher or a Youth Team Leader?
Count
Percent
27
75%
9
25%
Teacher
Team leader
FINAL REPORT 2016
Curriculum Connections
01
24
Please rank, in order of importance, these aspects
of the BCGG program
Rank
Choice
Weighted
Rank
1
Action-based
Environmental
Program
1.53
2
Student/team
motivation
3.03
3
New
curriculum
connections
3.94
4
Field trip
opportunities
4.28
5
Access to
mentorship
6.33
6
Cash/Prizes
6.78
7
Certificate
Celebrations
7.03
8
Science World
affiliation
7.06
9
Permanent
archival of
projects
7.17
10
Provincial
reach
7.86
Curriculum Connections
03
FINAL REPORT 2016
25
Tell us about your experience with the BC Green
Games program
Somewhat
disagree
Neutral
Somewhat
agree
Agree
3
3
14
17
Staff was helful
and courteous
1
4
31
My field trip
experience was
positive
7
3
25
3
9
22
3
2
31
Disagree
I was able to
navigate the
website easily
I was able to
upload my project
easily
3
I would participate
again next year
05
Curriculum Connections
04
If I could change one thing about BC Green Games,
I would change this...
“That the month of Free Science World admission is longer. If I start my
Green project early in the school year, wait till April or May to celebrate.
Students do not care as much.”
“Possibly adding a page where you can see rankings for the public voting
session in real time.”
“Have the winners be judged solely based on content instead of popularity.”
“The community mentor - we didn’t use one but I had to ‘pick one’.”
“Nothing, it is a great program with impact.”
“The voting.”
FINAL REPORT 2016
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How did you hear about the BC Green Games?
• Science World Professional Days for Teachers
• Co workers
• Through SWEET
• BC Hydro
• Science World field trip and the radio
• Google search or Newspaper ad
Curriculum Connections
06
FINAL REPORT 2016