Peel school students ‘don’t want to wait, they want to advocate’: How PDSB is leading the fight against climate change

For today’s children, climate change isn’t just a distant threat—it’s the world they’re growing up in.

Flooded streets cancelling school days, smog-filled skies, and scorching heat waves that make outdoor play impossible, they’re experiencing its effects firsthand.

Yet, only five of the 380 school boards across Canada have a climate action plan in place.

In Peel Region, which is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), change is underway with a green revolution taking root in its schools.

While electricity emissions in the GTHA spiked by 28 percent and 26 percent in 2022 and 2023 due to greater reliance on natural gas for baseload power, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) bucked the trend with a modest 5.5 percent reduction in energy consumption between 2019 and 2023, as per a new report.

In September 2024, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) introduced a multi-year strategic plan, making environmental stewardship one of the four core values guiding the education system.

PDSB’s Director of Education Rashmi Swarup told The Pointer in an interview that it was important to ask questions like: “How do you instill a sense of responsibility for our planet, and how do we empower our students to work towards a sustainable future?”

The answer? A Climate Emergency declaration, a climate action plan in the works to help Canada reach its ambitious net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050, and a comprehensive review of the Board’s Environmental Policy—last updated in 2018.

One of the standout moves was slashing carbon emissions through smart facility management by building retrofits, switching to LED lights, embracing cutting-edge green building standards for new construction, welcoming innovative technologies for decarbonization and electrification, and keeping up with sustainability regulations like the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program.

Buildings are the largest emissions contributors, making up 45 percent of all GTHA emissions.

(The Atmospheric Fund)

The report states: “Since the first ECDM (Energy Conservation and Demand Management) plan was drafted in 2014, energy management initiatives have resulted in

annual reductions of at least 25 million kWh of electricity, almost 4 million m3 of natural gas, over 100,000 litres of fuel oil #2, and almost 180 million L of water. These measures have also led to a decrease in annual carbon emissions of over 24 thousand T CO2e.”

PDSB schools reduced carbon emissions by 4,165,263 kg CO2e over the past five years.

(PDSB/Multi-Year Strategic Plan Progress Report)

In addition to promoting environmental stewardship, these strategies have also resulted in significant financial savings, avoiding utility costs of more than $5 million annually at the time the plan was developed.

“As we look ahead, we have set an even more ambitious target of 12.5 percent reduction in energy consumption for the next four years, and we are projecting energy cost savings of $5.4 million,” Swarup added.

Between 2019 and 2023, the PDSB achieved significant sustainability milestones with 143.7 million ekWh in energy savings and $1.3 million in energy cost containment.

(PDSB/Multi-Year Strategic Plan Progress Report)

Many schools within the PDSB now display real-time energy usage data, carefully monitored by the district’s dedicated Energy and Sustainability department. This transparency empowers students to take action and make a difference.

“There are schools where students are so keen that they'll come and look at the energy usage, and think where can we turn off the lights? What can we do? It's very inspiring to see students taking ownership like that.” Swarup added.

Seeing this enthusiasm, she realized that students at PDSB “don’t want to wait, they want to advocate,” which led to climate change education becoming embedded in the curriculum through the EcoSchools Canada program, one of the country’s largest environmental education certification programs, run by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

As of June 10, 2024, 93 schools in the PDSB joined the EcoSchools Canada program, representing about 35 percent of all the board’s schools.

(PDSB/Multi-Year Strategic Plan Progress Report)

While EcoSchools is not mandatory for PDSB schools currently, a board-wide initiative is underway to achieve 100 percent EcoSchools certification by 2028.

Castlebrooke Secondary School entrance proudly displays its EcoSchool designation.

(Anushka Yadav/The Pointer)

Castlebrooke Secondary School in Brampton, a leading participant in EcoSchools Canada, is one such school championing this initiative and was awarded a bronze award for its efforts.

“We started small, revamping our gardens with plants that regrow year-round, and the enthusiasm grew from there,” Shivani Gandhi, DDR-Special Education, Physics & Family Studies teacher at Castlebrooke Secondary School, told The Pointer.

Plants being grown in a green space at Castlebrooke Secondary School.

(Shivani Gandhi)

Today, the school has a vegetable garden benefitting the hospitality program, a greenhouse for cross-curricular projects, a growing focus on integrating sustainability into various courses, and a growing participation for students and staff alike.

Many teachers at the school, including those commuting from Orangeville, regularly carpool to work, and for potlucks, they make a conscious effort to use only their own mugs, reusable dishes, and silverware.

For Gandhi, who doesn’t exactly see herself as a "green thumb," the challenge was to make environmental sustainability both accessible and appealing.

“The goal is when I try to set up, like the EcoSchools activities, it's more like what can the average person do without massive disruptions to their daily routine?,” she said.

As someone with asthma, she’s personally experienced how extreme temperatures and weather patterns have worsened her symptoms, further motivating her to make sustainability practical for everyone.

As part of the EcoSchools curriculum, Gandhi will be teaching students in April about flooding, a growing concern in the Peel Region. “It’s about understanding why floods happen, which areas are at higher risk, what are the precipitation levels and what can be done to prevent them,” she said.

To kick off 2025, she introduced her school to National Sweater Day, a yearly event founded by WWF-Canada in 2010, where Canadians are encouraged to lower their heat and wear sweaters to raise awareness about climate change and energy conservation on February 6.
 

Shivani Gandhi dons her favorite sweater in anticipation of National Sweater Day, sitting with her back to what is typically the school garden—maintained by students throughout the summer and spring.

(Anushka Yadav/The Pointer)

After sharing the initiative with her colleagues, she was pleasantly surprised when a teacher stopped her in the parking lot the next day, saying, “Hey, Miss Gandhi, I wore a sweater today!” It was a simple but powerful moment, sparking the kind of dialogue she hoped to start.

“Like, why do we wear a sweater? If you decrease the temperature, you use less electricity, and there’s less use of fossil fuels,” she explained.

In 2023, Ontario’s electricity sector emitted 3.8 megatonnes of carbon dioxide, accounting for eight percent of Canada’s total emissions from power generation. While 87 percent of Ontario’s electricity is produced from carbon-free sources like hydro, nuclear, wind, and solar, the remainder is generated from natural gas plants, particularly during peak demand.

The Brampton school will extend the initiative into Earth Week, where a 'Lights Out' campaign will encourage classes to switch off their lights, make the most of natural daylight, and lower their carbon footprint.

As a DDR-special educator, Gandhi incorporates teaching students how to use public transit, a cost-effective and eco-friendly choice, with many local field trips on Brampton Transit helping reduce environmental impact while fostering life skills.

She seamlessly combined her role as EcoSchools coordinator with her responsibilities as prom organizer, using both platforms to promote sustainability. By integrating eco-friendly practices into the prom planning process, she created a prom suit and dress drive, encouraging staff and students to donate formal attire for those who might not be able to afford it. 

“I even got a dress myself and wore it to prom last year, just to raise awareness about the event,” she said excitedly.

“For the most part, students are becoming more aware…it not only provided an opportunity for everyone to participate, but also raised awareness about textile waste and the harmful effects of fast fashion,” Gandhi, who also created a quiz to help students understand how their fashion choices contribute to their carbon footprints, observed.

Gandhi reflected on her role. 

“Honestly, I don’t feel any pressure at all. I feel inspired, and that motivates me to do more. My principal is so supportive, she used to do EcoSchools herself when she was a teacher…and I do feel like we're doing what we can.”

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