Keppel Kids Take Action

In March 2023, ten students from Keppel Sarawak Elementary School attended the first Youth Climate Action Conference at the Harmony Centre in Owen Sound and came away with three different projects – a roadside clean up, advocating for a sidewalk extension to make walking to school safer, and a composting program.

As part of the compost program, they conducted research – finding out how much compost an average classroom makes a day, fundraised to buy materials, and presented to the Georgian Bluffs Council asking for one green cone composter, two Earth Machine composters and two FoodCycler countertop composting units.

At the second Youth Climate Action Conference in fall 2023, the youth and adult champions shared the following key takeaways:

• Make the ask - “We, as municipalities, can’t guess what people want, so one of the most important first steps is going and asking,” said former Georgian Bluffs CAO and current Grey County Deputy CAO Niall Lobley at the 2023 Youth Climate Action Conference. “They asked for something that was easy for Council to say yes to."

• Take the project slow and don’t try to do it all at once.

Through these projects, their group expanded to 14 students, and they kept the momentum going after the second conference with a radio ad and an interview on Mix 106 in March 2024.  

• Connect with your local school to see how you can support youth climate action and sustainability initiatives at the school.
• Contact The Sustainability Project to learn more about becoming a YCAC community mentor!
• Check out our locally created Youth Climate Action Teacher Toolkit for tips!