A team of 25 students at L.V. Rogers Secondary School has been recognized for their actions and leadership to improve the environment, their school and their community.
The LVR Green Team earned a 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award and an honorarium of $1,150 from the City of Nelson on December 10. The award honours organizations or individuals contributing to the five pillars of sustainability—cultural strength, healthy neighborhoods, robust ecosystems, prosperity, resiliency—as set out in the City’s Path to 2040 Sustainability Strategy.
“This award and the money that comes with it will give us so many opportunities to create an impact on our school and in our community. As a club we don’t have a lot of funding,” said green team member Jacqueline Willard.
Last year we had to basically pinch our pennies just to get some [equipment] for recycling and this award will allow us to make an impact on our school,” agreed fellow green team member Anje Turner.
The green team is a non-credit, voluntary student club and relies on the passion and ideas of its members to tackle the challenge of making the high school more environmentally sustainable. And what a difference they have made.
In the last three years, the green team has run a weekly recycling drive to collect and recycle paper and cardboard throughout the school. They have collected returnable cans, cartons and bottles and used those funds for other green team projects while contributing to recycling education for their fellow students. They’ve also held climate action summits and symposiums at the high school with invited speakers and guests. In addition, they’ve fundraised for and implemented a wildlife and bear resistant garbage can system at LVR with the assistance of The Ursa Project, a Nelson-based non-profit organization focused on reducing the number of bears killed in Nelson annually due to attractants like garbage.
Their reach has also extended across the globe. In 2023, students helped to raise funds for a sister school in Malawi, Africa that focuses on environmentally sustainable education. In 2025, they will focus again on their immediate locale as they complete a courtyard greening project at LVR with plants and trees added so students can relax in a natural space at school during lunch hour and between classes.
“I am proud of my contributions and all the projects we were able to put in place at LVR. If we come back in 10 years, we’ll get to see how the projects we’ve put in place have been carried on by other students and what new projects are happening,” said Willard.
The group understands that sustainability and mental health are connected and acknowledges that the Green Team can help address student anxiety about changes to the climate, environmental degradation and their collective future as young people.
“While it’s different on an individual level—each person is different—we’re obviously an example to some degree of how to address [climate anxiety]. Just doing what you can to make an impact helps. Because if you’re active, then maybe it doesn’t make you stop worrying but maybe it’s, ‘I’ve made a small change for the future and for others,’ and that can help,” said Turner.
She believes it’s not only important to be active on a school green team but to maintain perspective on how long it takes for change to happen. The team’s goals are long-term and will rely on the next wave of LVR students to continue the work the group has begun in the past three years.
“Yes, sustainability is an important issue, but you need to try not to let it consume you. There is still so much work that needs to be done for us to be sustainable. It’s not going to get better overnight. If it’s really something that you’re truly worried about, try to get involved. Because like I said, it’s not going to happen overnight.”
The Green Team credits their recent award and their accomplishments in part to the adults who have supported them, including community volunteer Terry Lund, whose experience and connections have helped the students reach out to the broader community and secure grants to fund their work.
“Terry has been a major support network for all our projects. He’s put us in contact with a lot of people who helped us get a lot of stuff,” said Turner.
Willard is quick to add that Tim Wooldridge has been pivotal to everything the green team has done to date.
“Without Mr. Tim as our teacher-sponsor we would not be able to do anything.”
The team also thanked Principal Dan Rude and Vice-Principal Roman Wyllie, the SD8 operations team and the City of Nelson for recognizing their work.
And to anyone who is feeling anxious about the climate or environment in 2025, Willard has some simple advice.
“Appreciate the nature that we have around us. If you feel bad, go outside. We live in a beautiful place. Go out and enjoy what we have now.”
Photo (l to r): Green Team members Linnea Wagner, Monique Chica; City of Nelson Mayor Janice Morrison (who presented the award); Green Team members Jacqueline Willard, Anje Turner, Cheyenne Levesque (also a member of the Wild Rose Dance troupe that performed at the awards); Teacher-Sponsor Tim Wooldridge.