Today, on Earth Day, the Louis Riel School Division proudly recognizes the many ways students, staff, and schools are bringing our shared commitments to life through learning, action, and care for the land.
This work is rooted in Strategic Action 4.5 of LRSD’s Multi‑Year Strategic Plan (2023–2027), which calls on the division to involve the whole school in learning and teaching about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), with an emphasis on Indigenous worldviews and land‑based education.
Across LRSD, Earth Day is not a single moment, but part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability, reconciliation, and shared responsibility—one that is visible in classrooms, school communities, and divisional initiatives throughout the year.
Schools Taking Action: Learning That Is Meaningful, Collective, and Grounded
At Collège Jeanne‑Sauvé, Earth Day is being marked through a week of student‑led initiatives that connect environmental action, social responsibility, and global awareness.
Students and staff organized a thrift shop in the school library, encouraging clothing reuse and waste reduction. Donations poured in all week, with more than 20 garbage bags of gently used clothing collected and prepared for a lunchtime sale. The school also held a school‑wide blackout today for 22 minutes, paired with learning focused on the lived experiences of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, whose community faced severe hardship this winter due to ongoing power outages and infrastructure challenges.
Additional activities included a bake sale supporting Save Our Seine, participation in the Manitoba Envirothon, and a playful but meaningful re‑imagining of the school’s identity for the week as “Collège J’aime Sauvé la Terre”—“Collège I Love the Earth.”
Together, these activities reflect how students are connecting local action to global frameworks like the SDGs and UNDRIP, while centring Indigenous realities and responsibilities to one another.
At École St. Germain, sustainability is embedded year‑round. The school is both a Learning for a Sustainable Future Sustainable Future School and a UNESCO School, with school‑wide initiatives aligned to the SDGs and global citizenship.
For several years, students have led a school‑wide composting program with Compost Winnipeg, diverting an impressive 1,455 kilograms of organic waste since February 2024. Over the past decade, students have also created a pollinator garden, developed a school garden supporting Harvest Manitoba, participated in Bike Bus events, and organized regular school‑wide clean‑ups.
The school’s Environment Club—recognized in a Member’s Statement at the Manitoba Legislature—continues to amplify student voice. This year, members created a video for a Climate Change Connection film contest, sharing solutions for a warming planet.
“It is really cool to share our video. It feels awesome and is a really cool opportunity,” says Lilja, a member of the Environment Club.
As part of a UNESCO Kinship Audit, students identified water protection as a priority and are now working with Save Our Seine to explore the creation of a rain garden. Collaboration is also extending beyond the school, with students partnering alongside their Family of Schools UNESCO partners at Collège Jeanne‑Sauvé on a shared gardening project.
“It is amazing sharing ideas with people who can put these ideas to action. It makes me actually see the result of our actions and ideas,” says Aurélia.
Lucy adds, “It’s really great because not everyone cares about the environment, so we can help.”
École Howden is also opening their doors to the broader community in support of sustainable choices. On Thursday, May 7, LRSD will host a free Bike Repair Night from 4–7 p.m. at École Howden. All LRSD families and staff are invited to bring their bikes for minor repairs and tune‑ups, or to connect with community vendors focused on climate action, pedestrian safety, and active transportation. A door prize from Take Me Outside will also be available.
Learning With the Land: A Divisional Gathering
This Earth Day also points ahead to a major divisional milestone.
On May 21, LRSD will host its 2nd Annual Learning with the Land: A Gathering to Celebrate and Dream at The Forks. Planned by a divisional committee that has been working throughout the year, the gathering will bring together student groups from across LRSD to share their learning, voices, and visions related to Indigenous worldviews, land‑based education, the UN SDGs, and UNDRIP.
Dozens of community partner organizations will join students on site, offering teachings, activities, and learning opportunities that strengthen relationships between schools, community, and land.
As organizers note, this event reflects the division’s ongoing work toward permanence in its commitments under Strategic Action 4.5—and a belief that the future is being shaped by the leadership, creativity, and care of young people across LRSD.
A Living Commitment
Earth Day 2026 offers an opportunity to reflect on how learning, teaching, and action come together across the Louis Riel School Division. From classrooms to community spaces, from gardens to gatherings, this work reflects a shared understanding that caring for the land—and for one another—is both a responsibility and a gift.
Through Strategic Action 4.5, LRSD continues to support learning that is collective, land‑based, and grounded in Indigenous worldviews—ensuring students are not only learning about the future but actively shaping it.