Grade by Grade
B. People and Environments: The Role of Government and Responsible Citizenship · Government and Citizenship

Making a Plan of Action: An Environmental Issue

B1.3 B3.4 B2.6About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can create a plan of action to address an environmental issue.
  • I can include the roles of different levels of government, Indigenous governments and citizens.
  • I can use data to measure whether a plan is working.
  • I can explain how First Nations, Métis and Inuit knowledge can help care for the environment.

Words to know

environmental issue
A problem about the natural world, like pollution, waste, or harm to land, water, plants or animals.
storm drain
A grate in the street that carries rainwater and melted snow, usually straight to a creek, river or lake, without cleaning it.
pollution
Harmful things added to air, water or land.
conservation authority
An Ontario agency, organized by watershed, that municipalities run together to protect rivers, wetlands and people from flooding.
stewardship
Taking care of the land, water and living things for the future.

Only rain down the drain

Look at the grate at the edge of your street. That's a storm drain. In most places, whatever goes into it, like rainwater, melted snow, litter, dog waste, car soap or oil, flows straight into a creek, river or lake, without being cleaned.

In this lesson, you will build a plan of action for an environmental issue, step by step. You'll use the same eight steps you used for a social issue.

Rainwater flows into a metal storm drain grate at the edge of a street, carrying fallen leaves and a piece of litter.
Whatever washes into a storm drain, like this litter, usually flows straight into a creek, river or lake without being cleaned. AI-generated image
STORM DRAINstreetstormdrainpipecreeklakeNOT cleaned: litter, oil and soap go straight to the creek!HOME DRAINsink ortoiletsewerpipewastewaterplantcleanedlake
Water in a storm drain goes straight to the creek without being cleaned. Water from your sink or toilet goes through the sewer to a wastewater plant first.

The issue: a polluted creek

Pretend situation: Maple Creek (the creek that gives the pretend town its name) flows through town to a lake. Every spring when the snow melts, the creek is full of litter, and the water is cloudy. A nearby First Nation, whose traditional territory includes the creek, has noticed fewer fish over many years. Students at Oak Street School want to help.

WhoPossible role in protecting the creek
Municipal governmentGarbage cans and litter pickup; street sweeping; storm drains and sewers; by-laws against dumping; planting trees along the creek
Conservation authorityStudies the creek's health; protects wetlands; plants trees along the banks; runs education programs
Provincial governmentWater quality rules; permits for factories that release water; the Clean Water Act
Federal governmentLaws protecting fish and fish habitat (the Fisheries Act)
First NationShares knowledge of how the creek and fish have changed; may have treaty rights to fish there; can lead or partner on monitoring and restoration
CitizensClean-ups; not littering; picking up after pets; washing cars at car washes instead of on driveways; storm-drain awareness; contacting representatives
Who can help protect a creek.

Learning from the land's first stewards

First Nations, Métis and Inuit have cared for and watched lands and waters for many generations. Their knowledge can show long-term changes, like fewer fish over 50 years, that a single study might miss. Many communities have guardian or monitoring programs. A good environmental plan asks the local Indigenous community to be a partner, and respects their rights and knowledge.

Worked example

Let's make a plan: Clean Up Maple Creek

Use the eight steps to plan action for the polluted creek.

  1. 1. Issue: Litter and pollution are entering Maple Creek, mostly through storm drains and from people littering. Fish numbers are dropping.
  2. 2. Responsible: municipal (storm drains, garbage, by-laws), conservation authority, provincial (water rules), federal (fish), the First Nation (rights, knowledge), citizens.
  3. 3. Perspectives: residents (want a clean creek, may not know about storm drains), the First Nation (fish and rights), businesses (costs of new rules), council (budget).
  4. 4. Goal: By next fall, reduce the litter collected at the creek's spring clean-up by half.
  5. 5. Actions. Government: town adds 5 garbage cans near the creek and sweeps streets in early spring; conservation authority and the First Nation plant trees and shrubs along the banks. Citizens: students paint "Only rain down the drain" messages beside storm drains (with town permission); families join a clean-up; class writes to council.
  6. 6. Timeline: Fall: letters to council and tree planting. Winter: awareness posters. Spring: clean-up and street sweeping. Next fall: measure again.
  7. 7. Measure: count bags of litter at each spring clean-up; the conservation authority and First Nation monitor water and fish.
  8. 8. Share: present results to council and the school; thank partners.

The plan shares the work among the town, the conservation authority, the province, the federal government, the First Nation and citizens, and uses data to measure success.

Worked example

Let's use data to check the plan

Spring clean-up results: Year 1: 40 bags of litter. Year 2 (after the plan): 22 bags. Did the plan meet its goal of cutting litter by half?

  1. Half of 40 is 20.
  2. To meet the goal, Year 2 needed 20 bags or fewer.
  3. Year 2 had 22 bags, which is 2 more than 20.
  4. The litter went down by 40 − 22 = 18 bags, which is a lot, but not quite half.

Not quite. Litter fell by 18 bags, close to the goal. Keep going, and look for where the remaining litter comes from.

01020304040 bags22 bagsgoal: 20Year 1Year 2
The clean-up data as a bar graph. Year 2 (22 bags) is close to the goal line (20 bags), but just above it.
Just for fun

What did the storm drain say to the candy wrapper?

"Sorry, only rain down the drain!"

Hands-on activity

Energy or waste plan at home

Make a mini plan of action for an environmental issue at home: too much garbage, wasted electricity, or wasted water.

  1. Measure first: for one week, count something, like bags of garbage, or how many times lights are left on in empty rooms (make a tally chart on the fridge).
  2. Write a goal, like "Next week, we will leave lights on in empty rooms fewer than 5 times."
  3. List actions for each family member and one thing your municipality does to help (check the garbage and recycling rules on its website).
  4. Measure again the next week and compare.
  5. Report to your family: Did you meet your goal? What will you change?

What to look for: a before count, a specific goal, actions, an after count, and a conclusion.

Your turn

1

What is an environmental issue? Give an example.

2

Where does water in a storm drain usually go?

3

Which level of government looks after storm drains and local garbage cans?

4

Which federal law protects fish and fish habitat?

5

How can a First Nation help a creek plan?

6

Name two things citizens can do to keep storm drains clean.

More practice: warm-up

1

What is stewardship?

2

What is pollution?

3

What does a conservation authority do?

4

Which Ontario law protects sources of drinking water?

5

What is the first thing to do in a home energy plan?

More practice: on your own

1

A clean-up collected 30 bags of litter in Year 1. The goal is to cut it by one third. What is the target for Year 2?

2

Why is planting trees and shrubs along a creek a good action?

3

Why should a creek plan include more than one level of government?

4

Write a specific, measurable goal for reducing garbage at your school.

5

Why do students need permission from the town before painting messages by storm drains?

Challenge

1

Fish in the creek keep declining even after the litter goes down. What might the plan be missing, and how could you find out?

2

Road salt in winter keeps people safe but can harm creeks. How could a plan balance safety and the environment?

3

Compare your social-issue plan with your environmental-issue plan. What is the same? What is different?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Where does most water from a street storm drain go?

2.

Which government looks after local garbage cans and storm drains?

3.

Year 1: 40 bags of litter. Goal: cut it in half. What is the Year 2 target?

4.

Which action best helps keep a creek clean?

5.

Why invite the local First Nation to be a partner in a creek plan?

6.

Which is an environmental issue?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: An environmental plan of action uses the same steps as a social one, sharing responsibility among municipal, provincial and federal governments, Indigenous governments, agencies like conservation authorities, and citizens. Data before and after shows whether it works.

How to help at home:

  • Walk your street and find the storm drains. Talk about where they lead (your municipality's website often has a map).
  • Do the home energy/waste plan together; let your child keep the tally.
  • Many conservation authorities run family events and tree plantings; check yours.

Safety: Stay away from creek edges during spring melt and high water. Clean-ups need gloves and an adult; never touch sharp objects or needles.

Common difficulties:

  • Thinking storm drains are cleaned like sewers. In most places they go straight to water.
  • Forgetting to measure before starting, so there's nothing to compare.
  • Fractions of amounts (half, one third). Practise with small numbers first.