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Students creating pollinator garden at Orillia school

Orillia Secondary School's Environmental Action Club transforming garden to attract pollinators

Environmentally conscious students in Orillia are trying to create a buzz at their school.

Members of Orillia Secondary School’s Environmental Action Club were out in the cold drizzle Friday afternoon, weeding one of the school’s gardens, preparing it for its future as a pollinator garden.

The effort is being led by Grade 12 student Adam Storey, who has been with the club since he was in Grade 9.

“We wanted to start up a pollinator initiative because I know (pollinating insects) have been on the decline over the past while,” explained Storey, 17.

In the spring, the garden will be home to plants such as echinacea, black-eyed Susans and sunflowers, popular with bees and other pollinators.

“One in three bites of food we eat is the result of pollinators,” Storey said. “They’re really important and we should care for them.”

The project earned Storey the Rotary Club of Orillia’s “student of the month” title after a teacher nominated him. He doesn’t do it for the recognition, though. To Storey, it comes naturally.

“I’ve always been raised to think of the environment as something we should live with rather than be separate from,” said Storey, who wants to eventually work in conservation and environmental restoration.

The school’s Environmental Action Club has made its presence known. Previous projects have included a reusable water bottle program and bringing a hydroponic tower garden to the school.

Up to 15 students meet up weekly as part of the club.

“We talk about ways to improve our school through collaboration with each other and teaching each other,” Storey said. “It’s good to be able to give back.”


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Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
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