Today, in Nova Scotia, we use terms like blue bags, green bins, and Enviro-Depots all the time. But what if you had just arrived from another country to study at a Nova Scotian university - a country in which these concepts didn't exist in action, or even in language? This was the problem in Wolfville where many of the international students living in apartment buildings, would just throw their unsorted garbage away, like we all used to do 15 years ago.

Along came the Wong International Centre which helps international students at Acadia University, with their academic, personal and professional skill development. And a key part of that education is helping these students learn why going "green" is good for the environment - and that it's actually the law in our province.

Staff at the Wong International Centre talked to students, and to their landlords. More importantly, they listened. And when they discovered a huge cultural disconnect, they set up a mini-conference to get everyone together on the same "environmental page." Today, thanks to the Centre, you can read the Valley Waste Resource Management's 'Easy to Be Green' Guide in English...or in Mandarin!

Bayview Community School was recognized for co-creating and piloting a 50-page resource workbook aimed at Middle School students. This sustainability workbook helps the school community calculate and monitor their "Household Ecological Footprint". It is a creative, scientific and educational tool and was piloted this term with students in grades 7-9. The objective is to help students gain the scientific skills to measure their environmental impact, and to help reduce their Household Ecological Footprint through a working "Action Plan". Principal Connie Murray accepted the Honourable Mention plaque for Waste Reduction Education on behalf of Bayview Community School.