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THE TEACHER MOTIONS to a man standing at the back of the classroom. He steps forward, holding a cage covered with a blue towel, and is introduced to the grade 6 students as Mark Nash, a former private investigator who gave up his day job for his true passion, peregrine falcons. Looking at the young faces staring up at him, Nash, a founder of the Canadian Peregrine Falcon Foundation, says in a near whisper, "In order for you to learn this important lesson, I will need complete silence."
He places the cage gently on a table, puts a thick leather glove on his left hand, and lays a piece of raw chicken on it. He opens the cage, and with a magnificent flap of its wings, a peregrine falcon flies out and sinks its talons into the raw meat.
In the 1970s, peregrine falcons became an endangered species as a result of the extensive use of the pesticide DDT. Once used widely in North America to control insect infestations, DDT made its way into the food chain, with animals at the top of the chain (including birds of prey like the peregrine falcon) having the highest concentrations. The "bioaccumulation" of DDT in peregrine falcons prevented them from producing eggs with strong shells. As a result, few chicks were hatched and the peregrine falcon nearly became extinct. While these majestic birds still aren't plentiful, says Nash, they are "in recovery" in Canada, where their national status has been upgraded from endangered to threatened.
The children learn how the food chain works and about the interrelationships within the ecosystem and the need to consider the ecosystem when undertaking almost any activity. "This knowledge is fundamental to children's understanding of the environment," says Barbara Hejduk, president of the Imperial Oil Foundation, which supports the Canadian Peregrine Foundation's School Visits Program and a range of other initiatives across the country aimed at increasing the environmental understanding of young Canadians. "We believe that we can contribute a great deal to the well-being of the planet by helping children learn how to act in an environmentally responsible manner, which is why we focus much of our environmental giving on education."
The Imperial Oil Foundation's environmental giving ranges from a $250,000 contribution made over five years to the Vancouver Aquarium to support its Discovery project to $1,000 donations made through Imperial's Volunteer Involvement Program to environmental groups with which employees, annuitants or their spouses or common-law partners volunteer. For example, this past summer, a $1,000 grant was made on behalf of one employee to support a program that saw urban youth from Toronto learning about the land from First Nations youth while spending a week living together in the bush near Red Lake, Ont.
ALTHOUGH THE ENVIRONMENT didn't become a key public issue until the 1960s, Imperial has been supporting environmentally related initiatives since the 1920s. It was then that the company developed a program to encourage better maintenance of farmland and equipment. In 1946, it began publishing Farm News, which provided information and advice on eliminating farm waste, caring for animals, implementing good land-use practices, maintaining proper drainage, and preventing soil erosion. By the 1950s, Imperial had begun sponsoring programs for rural youth aimed at teaching aspiring farmers about caring for the land and animals.
In the 1960s, the company broadened its support of environmental initiatives, helping to establish the Canadian Wildlife Federation and to set up the National-Provincial Parks Association of Canada (now the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society). By the 1970s, Imperial was providing support to numerous environmental groups, among them the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Canadian Forestry Association, the Bruce Trail Association and the Manitoba Wildlife Federation. "It's amazing to go back through the company records and see how many environmental initiatives Imperial has supported over the years and to understand the value of that support from today's perspective," says Jim Levins, Imperial's safety, health and environment director. "More than 30 years ago, the company was supporting the Arctic International Wildlife Range Society, which worked to protect the caribou range in the northern Yukon. Today, we can see a positive impact from that support."
Sandra McEwan applauds Imperial's current focus on supporting initiatives that help young people learn about the environment. "It is more important than ever for corporations to fund the development of environmental education programs," says McEwan, a former science, environmental science and outdoor education teacher who is now a faculty member at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Such support, she notes, is critical because less class time is devoted to environmental and earth science education today than it was a decade ago. "You used to be able to take a high school course dedicated to environmental science. Today, that topic is only units within broader science and geography programs. Without a good basic understanding of environmental science, students are less likely to be informed of the issues."
McEwan, a past president and director of the Ontario Society for Environmental Education, says that environmental programs aimed at children not only raise their awareness but help to make young people stewards of the environment. "Environmental education helps children acquire environmental social values," she says, "and if the topic speaks to them personally, it can motivate future generations to become involved in protecting the environment."
As Barbara Hejduk says, "Our future is in the hands of our children."
| Earth Rangers |
 AN ENVIRONMENTAL education and wildlife rehabilitation organization, Earth Rangers was formed in 1999 to help connect students with nature and wildlife. Located at the Kortright Centre in Woodbridge, Ont., it operates a state-of-the-art facility that includes interactive educational displays, an animal hospital dedicated to treating and rehabilitating wildlife, and a theatre where environmentally focused presentations take place (a $100,000 contribution given over five years by Imperial is helping to run the theatre program).
Earth Rangers educators use the stories of how animals at the facility came to be there to illustrate to young people the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems, taking responsibility for the environment, and having respect for all living things. These "ambassador animals" – permanent residents at the centre, having suffered injuries that make it unlikely they could survive if released back into the wild – provide a focal point for discussions about conservation issues such as illegal hunting, making pets of wild animals, responsible disposal of waste, pesticide usage and habitat loss.
"Earth Rangers teaches students about the importance of protecting wildlife," says Mark Vigna, director of development for the organization, whose programs are designed to support the Ontario elementary school curriculum. "Our goal is to teach kids that they can make a positive difference in the environment and to inspire them to take action."
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Ducks Unlimited
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IMPERIAL Oil was the first company to contribute to a Ducks Unlimited project near Fort St. John, B.C. In 2003, the company contributed $25,000 to the wetlands conservation organization to help it develop a community education centre as part of a project demonstrating how farming, oil and gas extraction, and a wetland ecosystem can coexist in a way that preserves the natural wetland habitat for waterfowl. British Columbia's northernmost city, Fort St. John is located in one of the province's largest farming regions and is the transfer point for the oil and gas industry in the area.
The education centre, which is scheduled to open in 2005, is located on a 65-hectare property in an area where farming and gas wells coexist. "The project provides people with an opportunity to learn about conservation, the sustainable use of natural resources and wildlife-friendly farming practices," says Gordon Stewart, development manager for Ducks Unlimited's Pacific region. "People, especially children, need to experience wetlands and other natural habitats firsthand in order to want to conserve them. They need to get wet, catch tadpoles, watch insects and see wildlife species in their natural habitat. They will have a chance to do that at the education centre."
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SEEDS Foundation
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THE CALGARY-BASED SEEDS (Society, Energy and Environmental Development Studies) Foundation provides educational programs on energy and the environment to elementary and high school students across the country.
Imperial made its first contribution to SEEDS in 1976, and this year provided $25,000 to support the organization's Green School, Creating a Climate of Change and Energy Literacy programs.
Designed to encourage elementary and junior high school students to be environmentally responsible, the Green School program rewards schools for undertaking projects to enhance the environment. Schools work their way toward recognition as a Green School (100 projects), a Jade School (250 projects), an Emerald School (500 projects) and, finally, an Earth School (1,000 projects). "There are currently 234 Earth Schools in Canada," notes Margo Helper, executive director of SEEDS. "More than 563,650 projects have been completed under this program at more than 8,000 schools."
Creating a Climate of Change is a multimedia program designed to help high school students understand the issue of climate change. Since 2002, the program has been provided to more than 1,800 Canadian high schools.
The Energy Literacy series examines 10 energy sources in a bias-balanced way and encourages discussion of their social and environmental context. First launched in 1982, the program is currently being revamped to include leading-edge interactive teaching materials. Says Helper: "It will be a multimedia program about energy like no other in North America."
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| Nature Conservancy of Canada |
FOR MORE THAN 30 years, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has been working to acquire land in order to protect sensitive ecosystems. Imperial first became involved with the organization in 1969, when the company helped it acquire the Cavan swamp and bog, a wetland of significant importance near Peterborough, Ont.
This year, the Imperial Oil Foundation made a commitment to contribute $140,000 over four years to the educational component of a Nature Conservancy project called Un Fleuve, Un Parc (one river, one park), which aims to conserve 200 islands in the St. Lawrence River between Cornwall, Ont., and Sorel, Que. The Nature Conservancy has been working to preserve the islands since the 1970s and, through donations, land easements and purchases, has now protected more than 2,000 hectares.
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The Nature Conservancy of Canada has been working to protect sensitive ecosystems for more than 30 years.
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The Nature Conservancy works to protect not only land but also water. "It became evident that if we wanted to preserve what is one of Canada's best remaining natural wildlife habitats, we needed to protect the water as well as the land," says Pierre Renaud, the Nature Conservancy's regional director for Quebec. "If a great blue heron nests on an island, it eats fish from the river to survive. So, in order to protect the birds, we need to protect the fish and therefore the water."
This year, to help ensure the conservation of the St. Lawrence River ecosystem, the Nature Conservancy launched an ambitious educational program for an expected 30,000 students annually at Environment Canada's Biosphere (a museum dedicated to the environment) in Montreal. The focus of the program will be to demonstrate the impact the students themselves have on the river and what they can do to conserve it. |
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