Concrete Initiatives at PSNM to Improve the Plight of the Planet

Several projects have been put forward in recent years by the Uni-Vert Committee at Pensionnat Saint-Nom-de-Marie (PSNM).                                                                                                                                                                                  

The most recent is the “Pact for Transition”, initiated by Dominic Champagne in November of 2018. Mathilde Galipeau-Bitsch and Olivia Ruge, members of the Uni-Vert Committee, were among the many student and staff signatories of the pact. These two students spoke live, in French on RDI Matin, about their commitments and those of the school in regard to environmental issues.

The Uni-Vert Committee, composed of a teacher and approximately ten students, has the mission of raising awareness and mobilizing students for a greener environment. It organizes activities throughout the year in order to encourage students to commit themselves personally to the future of the planet.

Tree planting and participation in the city’s “Mont-Royal clean-up bee” are part of the annual activities of the committee which, with the support of the staff, has also been responsible for several other ecological initiatives at the school. Composting and waste reduction, as well as a ban on disposable plastic water bottles and straws in the school cafeteria, are good examples of the actions taken.

Lastly, it should be noted that a biological roof garden project has been operating since 2014 and has been enriched with the addition of beehives. This PSNM project promotes the production of local foods, education in gardening, urban greening and the reduction of urban heat islands.  It is a fascinating subject which will be developed more fully in the context of networking with a community food organization.

A study on the presence of heavy metals    

The members of the Uni-Vert Committee at PSNM are not the only ones to be concerned about the environment.

Another project, a study on the presence of heavy metals along highways, was initiated by another group of PSNM students, who visited the Canadian Light Source facility in Saskatoon. Their research enabled them to discover the presence of a high concentration of heavy metals in their samples taken near highways around Montreal. To learn more about this specific project, follow the two following links that refer to an article in La Presse + (Text in French) and an interview on Radio-Canada. (Interview in French)

Source: Manon Lanoue, PSNM Assistant Director

 These two students spoke live, in French on RDI Matin,               https://www.facebook.com/rdimatin/videos/714351108939322/

 an article in La Presse + (Text in French)          https://www.lapresse.ca/sciences/en-vrac/201902/01/01-5213161-des-eleves-montrealaises-a-saskatoon-pour-leurs-recherches-sur-les-metaux-lourds.php

an interview on Radio-Canada.              https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/pour-faire-un-monde/segments/entrevue/104788/etudiantes-montrealaises-synchrotron-saskatoon