Students at Kelowna Secondary School are working towards a sustainable future.
The members of the KSS Sustainability Club run a lunchtime thrift store and donate all profits to local charities. This month, the student-run initiative will be supporting the Kelowna Women’s shelter.
Thrifty Thursdays began as a part of the Sustainable Development Challenge by Global Citizen Events. The challenge encourages youth, activists and members of the community to create innovative solutions that impact the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals.
At the grand finale of the challenge on Feb. 23, KSS students hope to win a grant of up to $5,000. With the funds, the sustainability club has a goal of hiring a sustainability coach for School District 23. They say that a coach will help identify deficits in education and will work with teachers to create a learning plan that accommodates both the curriculum and relevant ‘Green Heart Education’ topics. They say that other school districts in Vancouver have implemented Green Heart Education and think that it should be brought to Kelowna.
The club has started an online petition urging the school district to have a more succinct focus on pertinent topics like sustainability and climate change.
The club has focused on educating its peers about unnecessary consumerism and the importance of limiting unnecessary waste. Students making a donation of gently used clothing are given a store credit that can be used to purchase clothing, instead of cash. They hope to expand their reach outside the walls of KSS to other schools and into the community.
The student-run Instagram account @kss.thrift provides more information about their lunchtime thrift store and other initiatives that they support.
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@Rangers_mom
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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