The Glashan Schoolyard Greening Project
Intro
Grey today, green tomorrow! We're transforming the schoolyard of Ottawa's Glashan Public School and need your help.
Our schoolyard in the Centretown neighbourhood of Ottawa has been described as bleak, grey and uninspiring.
The Glashan Schoolyard Greening Project is about positive transformations: from grey to green; from passive to active; from ordinary to extraordinary.
What We Need
The $9,000 we hope to raise through this Indiegogo campaign will go directly to the critical first phase of our greening plan:
- breaking up the asphalt in our schoolyard (a huge undertaking);
- preparing the ground for tree planting; and
- with any funds left, purchasing more trees!
Additional fundraising efforts are happening right now to finance other important components of our project. We have received and continue to seek grants from a range of funders. We enjoy help from the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. And generous support from organizations, businesses, sponsor, and individual contributors continues to grow.
How You Can Help
- Make a generous contribution right here on this page and join our Tree of Thanks (for contributions of $100 and up)!
- Spread the word about our campaign using Indiegogo's handy sharing tools!
- Like our Facebook page to engage with other project supporters and stay in the loop!
For the past year, consultations have been on-going with students, the school community, the school board, the city and others to develop a site concept plan, detailed budget and timelines.
We are fundraising through events big and small, grants from a wide variety of organizations and sponsors. Money raised will go towards the different project components.
Money from this Indiegogo campaign - we're hoping to raise $9,000CAD - will go towards the breaking up of the asphalt and preparing the ground for planting trees. If we make more than we have requested, the money will go towards more trees!
Glashan Greening: Who, What & Why
One of Ottawa's oldest schools, Glashan is situated in the inner-city, next to the city's main bus terminal and a gas station, surrounded by busy streets and the city's main highway. Glashan's 400 grade 7 and 8 students come from economically, socially and culturally diverse backgrounds.
An initiative of the Glashan School Council "Green Team", the Glashan Schoolyard Greening Project has developed through consultations with students, the school community, the school board, the City and others.
Proposed outcomes of our greening plan include:
- re-definition of active and quiet areas;
- depaving a number of sections of the yard;
- creation of naturalized spaces with rocks and logs for seating;
- small, raised stage for performances;
- three semi-circular seating areas for use as social spaces and outdoor teaching;
- newly planted trees on the street allowances part of the space;
- rehabilitation of the octagon space.
Learn more about what we're doing at:
Why Schoolyard Greening is Important
Lack of green in schoolyards is not just an aesthetic problem. Research shows significant correlations between children's outdoor play and green schoolyards and positive educational and health outcomes. "Nature deficit," as some call it, is linked to attention deficit disorder (ADD)/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioural problems, aggression and poor mental health. What's more, there are obvious physical and health benefits of active play outdoors.
Learn more at: http://glashangreening.ca/schoolyard-greening/