How can you help your students turn over a new leaf when it comes to living more sustainably on the earth? I asked my pre-service students to do just that this year, and not surprisingly they gave a range of responses, from recycling to upcycling, to doing more with less, to hatching new ideas. This inspired their latest eco-art project, which has just been installed at OISE. I introduced them to the field of eco-art in a workshop, and then together we created over a hundred clay leaves that capture their ideas in both text and image, which were glazed and fired. Working with artist/student Angela Johnson, we created a large metal branch on which to hang the vibrant leaves. As this work hangs in our stairwell as part of the Take the Stairs energy conservation campaign, we hope that Turning over a new Leaf will help others think about how they can take positive change towards sustainability in their lives and those of their students, one step at a time!
