Lower Canada College is embracing the environment by involving its students in an ecological project that is reaching far beyond the classroom walls. @R:Starting in spring 2008, the children have been actively designing, planning and executing the plan for this small urban forest, known as the LCC Tree Garden, which will be located on the school campus at 4090 avenue Royal, NDG.

The LCC Tree Garden will replace two Norwegian Maples, a tree that causes extensive environmental damage due to its shallow root system and heavy tree canopy, with over 2,000 native plants made up of 50 native species, to create a native plant community. Vilma Scattolin, teacher-advisor to the LCC Green Team, says, “this is but one of many projects that we envisage at LCC to obtain student involvement and commitment towards the environment. Ultimately this project had the essential elements that we seek in all our initiatives, that is, learning, thinking, caring, and doing.”

Overall, the LCC Tree Garden is an incredible hands-on educational and environmental initiative for students. It is a prototype for further campus greening, an environmental laboratory and a public showcase of ecological possibilities for the Montreal area and beyond. The project has sparked debate and thought on the importance of environmental design and sustainability and has demonstrated to the students how they can positively impact their environmental community.