My kids’ school has a “green team“. Parents, teachers, and students working together to plant trees, plant a school garden, and present environmental education to the kids. Living in an urban centre – I know how lucky my kids are to have access to a green team. If you are an educator, parent, or simply an eco-admirer (like me)…you’ll want to bookmark this post about Friends of The Environment Foundation…
Green Your Community
Founded by TD Bank Group in 1990, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) is a national charity that funds environmental projects across Canada.
Organizations eligible for these environmental grants include:
- Registered Canadian charities with a Charitable Registration Number (CRN)
- Educational institutions (primary/secondary/post-secondary)
- Municipalities
- Aboriginal groups
That means your school! This is a great change to transform the concrete jungle of your schoolyard into a learning garden. Or to help teach your students about conservation, composting, and community. Our school has an outdoor classroom which I think is a great environment to teach kids about the world around them.
A green project in your school not only teaches about nature…I have seen, first hand, my kids relationship with science, math, vocabulary, and geography change through learning in the school garden. It’s hands-on learning at its best.
And I know how tapped school budgets and parent-teacher-association-fundraisers can be this time of year. Knowing that there are grants available can be a lifeline to funds you might not otherwise get. And what does it cost to apply to a environmental grant? The amount of time it takes to do the paperwork. That’s it. Sounds easy right?
I know through the winter many parent-teacher associations are making plans for spring (and even next school year)…perhaps doing some research into grants like this one from TD Bank Friends Of The Environment Foundation may be of interest. Even bookmark worthy.
Perhaps it’s time to turn your team green…
Disclosure: #Spon. And yes, our school does have an outdoor class and a community garden – and they are both well-used. As always, the opinions in this post are my own.
I think this is a really good idea and well done TD Bank Group for starting and supporting this initiative. I think it is very important that children learn about gardening and the green world around us. It makes them appreciate why we compost and it’s a joy for them to see their hard work ripen into fruit, veggies, flowers etc. They will be taught that you don’t get anything for free, that you have to work hard to achieve anything – a good lesson for life in general.
I agree Elizabeth. It’s especially great for urban kids who don’t have a “nature” experience in their lives. And what a great way to help schools raise funds for eco-learning!
I have contributed to the TD Bank Friends Of The Environment Foundation for several years now since that is where we bank. They just automatically take money out each month and it makes me feel good to contribute to such a good cause!