Students at a Richmond elementary school are taking action this week to learn about and help the environment.
All 650 students and staff at Henry Anderson elementary spent Tuesday and Wednesday exploring Richmond's Garden City Park.
The event was led by Anne-Marie Fenn, the school's outdoor classroom and school gardening teacher.
Both days were filled with activities offered in English and French, from morning to afternoon.
Students took part in removing English ivy, an invasive species, learning about Miyawaki pocket forests, joining Indigenous plant walks, creating stories with nature and picking up garbage.
Fenn was joined by teacher consultants who specialize in topics such as Indigenous uses of cedar and how to make cards with it, as well as Sharon MacGougan, president of the Garden City Conservation Society who explained about Miyawaki pocket forests.
"The event is to help students understand the impact of our actions on the natural environment and actions we can take to reduce negative impacts," said Fenn.
"This is also an opportunity for teachers, maybe those who aren't as comfortable or unsure of what it means to take their class outside, to also learn and experience it themselves, so they know how to approach the topic next time."
Fenn told the Richmond News the idea of a school-wide event came came from a conversation last year with MacGougan.
They had been talking about Richmond's neighbourhood grants that could help students learn more about their environments.
"That was the seed, and then we decided Earth Day would be the perfect time for students and staff alike to learn and connect more with nature," said Fenn.
As part of the project, the city's parks department provided tarps, tongs and gloves through its beautification program.
"It's wonderful to see the kids learn and the city and organizations come together for educational purposes."
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