School visits will consist of a dynamic, interactive presentation (for any age group) focusing on endangered species, specifically chimpanzees. The presentations will place emphasis on the connectedness between people, animals, and the environment. Further, through the presentation we endeavour to foster compassion toward all living things, inspire students to take positive action and share their knowledge on both humanitarian and environmental issues. The Roots & Shoots team will then provide support for your group to plan and carry out a project that will make a difference in your community.

So, the students decided to shed a little of their own dignity to demonstrate their disbelief at the unfortunate blow to the dignity of the Canadian Parliament. As music blared, they stood on cafeteria tables, shed their clothes, and held signs to protest the government`s decision.

Watch the video

Read the article in the Globe and Mail

Dr. Goodall took the time to visit Canada this October. Her schedule in Vancouver and Calgary was filled with speaking engagements, interviews, press conferences, and for her first time ever, guest editing a newspaper. 

Jane's visit to Vancouver was short but sweet. She met with media and had the chance to speak with students at Science World’s Omnimax Theatre. The students had just finished watching Wild Chimpanzees, but their questions for Jane covered much more than chimpanzees. They also wondered about her thoughts on the importance of women in the conservation movement - her answer was simple, "Of course women play an important role but men do as well." She pointed to Simon Jackson, founder of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition, who has been working hard to conserve the habitat of this rare bear since he was in high school.  Simon Jackson also addressed the crowd, noting that each of them has the opportunity to have a positive impact on the world and that they can become heroes.

In Calgary, Dr. Jane spoke with youth at West Island College, where she is an honorary patron. During her lecture, we learnt that she would have studied any animal in Africa, and if Louis Leakey had asked her to observe hyenas she would have. Luckily, Dr. Leakey asked her to go to Lake Tanganyika and study chimpanzees. Fifty years later, the study of chimpanzees at Gombe Reserve represent the longest continuous study of any wild animal in the world. 

Jane Goodall sharing stories about chimpanzees and her early years in Gombe.

Update: October 21, 2010

The first week of meetings at COP10 is almost over and our YLC members have been very busy!

Read all about Shailyn and Brook's adventures so far in Nagoya!

Read this article for more information about the conference, and stay tuned for more updates from Japan!

YLC members, Brooke and Shailyn, set out for Nagoya, Japan today, on their way to the Convention on Biological Diversity's tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10).

They will be part of a Canadian delegation of youth who will participate in the conference meetings and bring a youth voice to the negotiations. They will help make it clear to world leaders that conserving the Earth's biodiversity is a major concern for youth, and that immediate steps need to be taken to ensure that the loss of biodiversity decreases significantly.

Check out this article in the North Shore News, about the positive change that the Canadian delegation intend to make at COP10. Good luck ladies!

YLC member Olivia, took off to Churchill, Manitoba on October 10th, and will spend a week in the tundra at a Teen Leadership Camp sponsored by Polar Bears International (PBI). Jane Goodall`s Roots & Shoots, which is part of PBI’s network of Arctic Ambassador Center Zoos, selected Olivia based on her past accomplishments as an environmental leader. She is joined by 17 other top students from the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

“The teens who take part in our Leadership Camp are extraordinary individuals,” said Robert Buchanan, PBI president. “They spend a week on the tundra during the fall polar bear migration on the shores of Hudson Bay. They stay at the Tundra Buggy® Lodge — with polar bears just outside – to learn about polar bears, climate change, and how each of us can help. From this remote location, they stay connected to the rest of the world through their blog at polarbearsinternational.org. Before returning home, each Ambassador creates an individual action plan to help reduce CO2 in their community.”

Churchill’s polar bears, part of the Western Hudson Bay population, draw visitors from around the world during their fall migration. Every summer, these bears are driven ashore when the ice on the bay melts, taking away their seal-hunting grounds. They spend the next few months resting and fasting. As cold weather returns, they begin to gather on the shore near Churchill to wait for the ice to form.

On October 1st, 2010 our third Speak for the Trees Workshop took place in Montreal.

The morning was grey and rainy, but the afternoon cleared up just in time for participants to head outside and walk among the trees and plant raspberry bushes. Students also learned a lot about invasive species and helped to remove many invasive buck thorns growing on Mont-Royal.

Read more about the workshop - how students shared their ideas and how they plan to take action this year!

Check out the photos.

The Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center is located in the middle of a natural reserve, in the Republic of Congo, and does not have a supply of electricity. It is for that reason that the Jane Goodall Institute opts for the use of energy alternatives, so that the Rehabilitation Center can continue to operate.

The lantern "STAR EcoWorks Solar Powered LED Lantern" donated by JGI Canada, and built by Roots & Shoots members in Canada, is part of the solution.

Jean Maboto explained how important these lanterns are:

It is important for me to know what is happening in the central bedroom at night, since that is when chimpanzees can be easily attacked at night and seriously injured.

Peace Week 2010

Updated: September 23, 2010

Last week Roots & Shoots Canada celebrated a week of peace, to commemorate Dr. Jane's appointment as a UN Messenger of Peace, and to spread her vision of hope and peace.

Read details of our events and check out our photos!

Share your stories about how you celebrated Peace Day, by contacting us at roots_shoots@janegoodall.ca

Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots will host the first annual North American Training Summit for Roots & Shoots group leaders and service-learning professionals, in Danbury, Connnecticut. The Training Summit is an opportunity to learn more about the Roots & Shoots method of service learning, to get the resources to start and lead a Roots & Shoots group and to interact with the global environmentalist and humanitarian, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE.

Summit attendees will attend fun, interactive workshops and network with leaders from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The program also features the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with Dr. Jane and other Roots & Shoots experts, as well as attend her evening lecture, Gombe and Beyond: the Next Fifty Years.

The EcoMentors Conference is a free, exciting, interactive
day of youth-oriented environmental workshops and
training activities that will inspire and equip you as a young eco-leader.

The conference features Keynote Speaker, Simon Jackson, founder of the Sprit Bear Youth Coalition and the inspiration behind an upcoming animated feature film ‘The Spirit Bear’. 

You will also have the chance to meet members of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots staff here in Canada, as they will be presenting two workshops in the afternoon.  Get all the details and register to attend at on the EcoMentors Webpage.

Date: Saturday, August 28, 2010
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: George Brown College*
(St. James Campus)
200 King Street East
Toronto, Ontario
M5A 3W8

*Check out their webpage to learn how you can receive free return train tickets. 

60 years ago, when the Universal Declaration of Human rights was adopted, it did not include the right to water explicitly, and as such it has allowed for some governments to deny that this right exists.  Today over 800 million people lack access to clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion do not have basic sanitation. 

Tomorrow July 28th is the deadline for countries to become co-sponsers of the UN resolution: The Human Right to Water and Sanitation.

Act Now to help secure the Human Right to Water and Sanitation:  

Happy Gombe 50!

Posted: July 16, 2010

This week we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Dr. Jane's research at Gombe Stream, in Tanzania.

To commemorate the day, the JGI Canada office celebrated with a Gombe 50 cake and did our best to honour Dr. Jane with chimpanzee pant-hoots. The ripples of laughter were much more audible than any of the hoots, so we think we'll leave the chimpanzee calls to Dr. Goodall! 

182 hectares of forested land north of Beaver Pond Park, just outside of Ottawa, is scheduled for development. Clear-cutting is scheduled to begin in the middle of July. 

This land is home to many wildlife species, including  the blanding's turtle, which is considered a threatened species provincially and nationally. Also, according to a 1997 regional report these woods are a "significant area for maintaining biodiversity."

Join the Facebook group dedicated to saving this land

Read more about the Issue in the Ottawa Citizen

Learn how you can help Canada's forests

If so, send us your nomination for the 2010 Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Award!

The Jane Goodall Global Leadership Awards honour organizations and individuals who share Dr. Jane's values, vision and commitment to making a positive difference in the world for all living things.

The awards are given in the categories of Youth Leadership, Excellence in Public Policy, Global Leadership, Corporate Social Responsibility and Responsible Activism in Media and Entertainment.

The Youth Leadership Award recognizes an individual (14 to 24 years of age) who exhibits leadership and excellence through his or her work to help preserve our natural world, protect animals or benefit our human community. Learn More

all over the world are coming to Canada to be a part of youth summits. The G(irls)20 Summit and My Summit are being held prior and alongside the meetings of the World leaders. Youth chosen to attend these summits will discuss many of the same issues as the G20 leaders, and come up with their own solutions.  Beyond the youth summits there are many opportunities for youth to take part in the G8 and G20. There are lectures, workshops, and marches, where you can learn about and speak out on the issues that matter most to you.  Learn More

• Attend the UN Climate Change Meeting in Cancun (Deadline: Friday, June 11)
• Become a member of Canadian Parks Council Youth Advisory Panel (Deadline: Monday, June 14)
• Attend a Me to We Take Action Academy (10% discount for Roots & Shoots members)
• Take on environmental leadership at FUN Camps

Our second Speak for the Trees workshop took place on May 28th, 2010 in Vancouver.

Roots & Shoots members learnt about forest issues in Canada and around the world, and took action by clearing invasive species and planting cedar saplings in Renfrew Ravine.

Read all the details!

On May 26th and 27th, six high schools from the Ottawa area came together to take part in Camp Makwa, a gathering where students were immersed in Aboriginal culture and land-based teachings.

Students and instructors alike, had the opportunity to learn about Hand Drum and Sweatlodge teachings, to play co-operative games, and witness wonderful Inuit throat singing. Roots & Shoots held a forest workshop that integrated Planet Releaf and our Aboriginal program. There was also a special visit from Grandfather William Commanda, a 96 year old Elder who spoke about the Ottawa River and its traditional role in Algonquin life.

Read all the details.

Roots &  Shootsers from Ci Yuan CC Youth Group in Singapore visited Toronto last week.

Five members from the group came to Toronto for the chance to learn about environmental initiatives in North America, to explore southern Ontario, and to meet some Roots & Shootsers from our side of the globe.

They had a busy schedule in Ontario, starting with a trip to Niagara Falls, and ending with a day at the Metro Toronto Zoo. At the zoo they planted trees for the International Day of Biodiversity,  before their tour with YLC members Kaylee and Izzy, who taught them all about orangutans (a great ape exclusive to Asia). 

Read more

Dr. Bekoff has authored or edited almost two dozen books related to animal behavior, animal welfare and animal rights, including The Ten Trusts with Dr. Goodall.  The two are also co-founders of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (EETA).

The renowned animal expert, Marc Bekoff, will challenge stimulate and forever change the way you look at animals, during this Q&A and book-signing.

Don't miss your chance to have the author of The Animal Manifesto and The Emotional Lives of Animals answer your questions. 

See the Poster

Don't miss the next Speak for the Trees workshop in Vancouver, BC!

The workshop will have even more hands-on activities to get you educated and ready to take action for forests.

Space is limited, so register now!

When: Friday, May 28th, 2010

Where: Science World, 1455 Quebec Street

Download registration form

Contact Abner Lico

Members of the Council met for the March Retreat to get to know each other, hone their leadership skills, and to develop action for the coming months.

They also solidified their relationship with the US National YLC, and have plans to collaborate on cross-border campaigns that will increase their impact.

Learn more about our US-Canada collaboration.

Check out photos from the Retreat here.

On April 8th, YLC members took part in the first Planet Releaf Youth Action Workshop: Speak for the Trees, in Toronto. They provided leadership for other groups and individuals who attended the workshop, and created inspiring ideas to spread the word about forest issues and take immediate action!

Speak for the Trees Workshop update coming soon!

Check out this article about Olivia, our dedicated YLC member from Trinity College School.

Finally, the YLC gathered once more this past week to meet Dr. Jane Goodall. It was a special day for all members, to meet the inspiration behind their hope, compassion and action.

Earth Day and Beyond

Posted: April 14, 2010

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is quickly approaching, and there are lots of opportunities to give back to the planet. The events and programs don't stop on Earth Day, and Roots & Shoots won't stop either. 

Learn more about the events and programs that we're attending and promoting. 

Share your Earth Day/Week projects with other members, in our project database.

Roots stores across Canada are now stocked with Roots & Shoots merchandise. Check out their endangered animal t-shirts for men, women and children. There is a large selection of tees that identify endangered species, their remaining numbers in Canada, and descriptions of their ecological significance in their territory range.

There is also a tote bag with the image and information about the burrowing owl.

Thank you to Roots for their continued support.

Proceeds from these products will support Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots. 

To shop online visit the Roots website.

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold and came out to celebrate the launch of the Roots & Shoots national forest campaign: Planet Releaf!

The event was held on February 26th, and featured films, special guests, Youth Council presentations, information booths and a light reception.

We also announced our Planet Releaf project initiative,

6 Degrees to Gombe! Read the details here to get involved and learn how you could win a walk in the woods with Jane Goodall!

Learn more about the event here and check out the event photos on this page.

If you were unable to come to the event, learn how you can celebrate the campaign with a satellite launch.

Go here to check out our new Planet Releaf website!

2010 is the UN International Year of Biodiversity. This year will also mark the tenth meeting of the Convention of the Parties (COP 10), who govern and implement the Convention on Biodiversity.

Visit biodiversitymatters.org to learn more about the Youth Accord on Biodiversity. Then, get involved! Read the Accord, and then join youth all around the world in signing the Accord.

The Youth Accord on Biodiversity will be presented at the COP 10 in Japan, in October 2010.

Your messages of Hope for Haiti have made a big impact and your efforts are being recognized all over the world! A sample of the messages that have been sent in can be seen on Time.com. Check it out!

See how the Stand Up, Stand Out group in Montreal, QC have raised funds for earthquake relief in Haiti. Read their story and get inspired!

Thank you for your compassion and action!

Roots & Shoots Team

"The tragedy that has occurred in Haiti is so monumental. Roots & Shoots members from around the globe have been writing in asking how to help. At this point, reports out of Haiti all advise that the best way to help is to give to organizations that are on the ground, and are able to provide the basics to the people of Haiti—food, water, medical care and safe shelter. We can only trust that the world's generosity will make it possible for the victims of this disaster to survive the aftermath safely. The crisis there is immense, and with hundreds of thousands affected, the people of Haiti are no doubt lacking in hope as much as in financial resources."

The Roots & Shoots U.S. National Youth Leadership Council ask you to join them in sending messages of hope to the children and youth of Haiti. Everyone can participate.

We will accept Canadian contributions of letters, emails, photos, artwork, etc. at our national office in Toronto, and then pass them along to the US NYLC office. If you would like your message to be translated into Creole, please let us know.

If you are sending email messages, send them directly to messagesofhope@janegoodall.org.

"It is our hope that with these messages from youth around the world, those affected by this calamity, will make it through another day a little easier. Consider sending a note, letter, poem, inspirational quote, song or artwork that shows your support and thoughts for the people of Haiti."                         

                                                                                            ~ U.S. National Youth Leadership Council

With funding from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Roots & Shoots has now hired Megan Schellenberg, our Aboriginal Program Coordinator, to run a Roots & Shoots pilot project in a select group of Aboriginal communities across Canada. She will assess their needs and then support the development and implementation of hands-on service projects in their communities, which will be designed to benefit their people, animals and environment.

We are excited to announce that the new YLC has been recruited and is ready to get started!

We have expanded our reach this year to become a national Council. This year's Council is comprised of 11 passionate youth who span from British Columbia to the East Coast. The YLC members have wide ranging interests and talents, and are already active stewards in their communities, for issues concerning animals, people and the environment.

Meet the new YLC and don't be shy, get in touch!

The Stand Up, Stand Out Roots & Shoots group at Vanguard Intercultural High in Montreal, QC is the winner of a Roots & Shoots prize pack!

The group just joined Roots & Shoots after the recent Youth 4 Action workshop in Montreal with Apathy is Boring, and they've already come up with the name for next year's forest campaign..... Planet Releaf!

Look out for the new Planet Releaf website, launching in January 2010.

The Toronto Zoo welcomed a new baby gorilla to the the African Rainforest Pavilion on September 2, 2009!

Help Mom, Ngozi, and Dad, Charles, choose a name for their new baby by entering the Toronto Zoo's "Name the Baby Gorilla Contest".

Enter by October 27, 2009 and you'll be eligible to win great prizes!

UPDATE: baby Nasser has been named!

This year's TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup took place September 19-27.

As part of Project Blue, the 2009 water campaign, Roots & Shoots organized a succesful cleanup in Toronto. A big thanks goes out, not only to those who came out to the cleanup, but also to everyone who got involved all over the country!

On September 25, over 80 people came to the Humber Bay Shoreline. Together we collected 495 pounds of litter! Dr. Jane Goodall was also there to witness and speak of how our collective efforts can and are contributing to positive change.

Thank you to our partners and friends for all their support!

Visit this page for details of the event!

You can find our photos here.

Did you organize a cleanup in your community? Please don't forget to tell us about it by sharing your story in the online Project Database.

Thank you to all our friends who came from all over southern Ontario to celebrate a wonderful Peace Day!

The Roots & Shoots celebration took place Sunday, September 20 at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland.

Throughout the day we were privileged to meet many of the sanctuary primates and learn from our speakers and guests.

Read more about our celebrations here!

Check out our photos on Facebook!

Visit this page for more info about Peace Day.

Did you organize an event for Peace Day? Tell us about it!

In collaboration with Apathy is Boring and Concordia University, Roots & Shoots hosted a Youth 4 Action workshop in Montreal, September 11.

The workshop took place at the School of Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University.

The workshop featured a performance by Nantali a.k.a Iam BlackGirl of Nomadic Massive, and workshops by Rights and Democracy Network, Apathy is Boring, HipHopNoPop, Katimavik, and Equal Voices.

The event was a great success! Thanks to everyone who participated!

Roots & Shoots groups are invited to compete in the at-large category of Polar Bears International's Project Polar Bear Contest, a way for small groups of teens to make a big difference.

The contest challenges teens to find ways to cut carbon emissions in their communities.

Last year's winners tried remarkable ideas like goat-mowing patrols along with why-didn't-I-think-of-that gems like a website that collects carbon-reduction pledges.

Together they reduced the annual carbon footprint in their communities by over 17 million pounds!

Create your team and sign up soon: contest registration runs through July 31, 2009. (And don't forget to identify yourselves as Roots & Shoots members!)

The Grand Prize winners will be rewarded with a trip to Western Hudson Bay to see polar bears in the wild, as well as a trip to San Diego for the Awards Ceremony and other prizes, including VIP tours of the San Diego Zoo and Sea World San Diego.

Finalist teams will win a trip to San Diego for the Awards Ceremony and other prizes, including VIP tours of the San Diego Zoo and Sea World San Diego.

Prizes also include green cash (and, yes, it's recyclable but we mean the color).

Photo: The Oregon Zoo's Green Teens show off their “Don't Be Idle Campaign,” a school-district-wide effort that motivated parents to turn engines off while waiting in carpool lines.

Free The Children’s We Day is right around the corner, taking place in Vancouver (Sept 29) and Toronto (Oct 5).

We Day features inspirational and motivational speeches and performances by leading activists, speakers and entertainers, including Jane Goodall and His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Vancouver, and Natalie Portman and Robert Kennedy Jr. in Toronto.

We Day is an annual celebration of the power of young people to change the world. After the event, students return to their schools to take action on important local and global issues they care about. Visit We Day for details.

ALREADY A ROOTS & SHOOTS MEMBER

Send us an email with your group details, including:

• names of group members (up to 30)
• group members' e-mail addresses
• group members' ages (open to grades 7-12)

Then submit your latest water project in the online Project Database by December 31st

 NOT YET A ROOTS & SHOOTS MEMBER

Register online for Roots & Shoots

Send us an email with your group details, including:

• names of group members (up to 30)
• group members' e-mail addresses
• group members' ages (open to grades 7-12)

Then submit your latest water project in the online Project Database by December 31st

JGI Canada has sent a letter to Kraft Canada and we're calling on Roots & Shoots members to do the same.

Use our letter template to write to Kim McMiller at Kraft, asking to remove Kraft's television ad for Kraft Dinner crackers, featuring a very young chimpanzee dressed in clothing and “grinning”.

Did you know that the “chimpanzee grin,” which we so often see on TV, is actually a fear-response?

Live chimps and other great apes are frequently used in the entertainment industry because they are so like us. But this practice is inappropriate and often cruel.

Tragically, chimps in entertainment are separated from their mothers as infants, which is psychologically and socially damaging to both mother and infant. These infants never learn to interact with members of the same species and are often mistreated in training.

From April 24-26 Roots & Shoots and JGI hosted a booth at the Green Living Show at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.

The show featured the latest green products and services from hundreds of exhibitors and a huge Natural Playground in the Kids Zone.

Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Council members performed skits in the Kids Zone several times each day, educating viewers about water conservation.

We'd like to thank the volunteers and Council members who made our second year at the Green Living Show a success!

Roots & Shoots hosted two "Youth 4 Action" workshops in April.

Approximately 150 high-school-aged youth participated in each event, along with a team of amazing facilitators and volunteers.

After a keynote speech by Jane Goodall, students took part in two interactive workshops.

The morning focused on learning about issues, while the afternoon involved turning knowledge into action.

A big thanks goes out to everyone who made these two events such a huge success!

Visit the event pages for photos and more:

Ottawa

April 15 at Algonquin College

Toronto

April 18 at the University of Toronto

Roots & Shoots Launches Partnership with Roots Canada

Posted: April 17, 2009

"Roots Cares" was officially launched Friday April 17 at the flagship Roots store on Bloor st. in Toronto.

Designed by a committee of Roots staff from across Canada, the Roots Cares program will see employees raising funds and providing volunteer time to help support Roots & Shoots throughout the country.

Roots employees will also be directly engaged in initiating and contributing to projects that address issues in their own communities.

To connect with a Roots store in your area, send your group name to naomi@janegoodall.ca

Roots & Shoots Partners with Assembly of First Nations

Posted: April 15, 2009

Jane Goodall and Phil Fontaine, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief, came together for a press conference in Ottawa today to announce the new partnership between Roots & Shoots and First Nations.

The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Over the coming years, AFN and JGI will work closely to start Roots & Shoots groups among First Nations youth. 

April 3, 2009 is Jane Goodall's 75th Birthday!

Jane will be celebrating at a party in Toronto on April 17th and we're compiling a giant birthday scrapbook to present to her.

Roots & Shootsers and Rotarians in Toronto and Vancouver came together on World Water Day (March 22) to watch the film Blue Gold: World Water Wars and learn about the global water crisis.

The film is based on the book Blue Gold by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke.

Tony was at the Toronto screening to give a short talk and take questions from the audience after the film.

Visit the Project Blue website for more details!

From February - April, 2009, Shannon Trebilcock is volunteering for JGI Uganda! Shannon is a member of the first Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Council, and plans to attend graduate school for primate conservation. Read Shannon's bio.

Shannon is working on a variety of projects. During the month of February, she'll help to expand and promote JGI Uganda's "No Plastic Bags" campaign, traveling to schools and supermarkets to raise awareness about the negative impact of plastic bags on the environment.

Roots & Shoots Conference

November 18-19, 2008

The 9th Annual Roots & Shoots Conference took place November 18th and 19th at Science North.

Elementary and secondary school students and teachers from Sudbury and the surrounding areas took part in interactive workshops and created action plans.

Participants heard two brilliant keynote speakers: Marc Kielburger (English) and Jerry Clout (French).

Visit the Science North website for more details.

Thank you to Franco and the entire Science North staff for making this such a great event!

Pictures from the conference are now available on Facebook!

From October 29 - 30 Jane Goodall kept busy in Vancouver, BC!

Wednesday morning she was a panelist alongside three others at a panel discussion at York House School.

Thursday evening, she gave a lecture at the Centre for Performing Arts, inspiring the audience with her reasons for hope. Visit this link to pick up your photos with Jane.

Thursday morning she attended a Roots & Shoots gathering at Science World. Fifteen groups from the Vancouver area attended, ranging widely in age, size and the types of projects they're undertaking.

Each group had the chance to present their work to Jane and connect with other groups.

Jane was clearly impressed, and we're so proud that Canadian groups are doing such incredible work for the human, animal, and ecological communities!

A big THANK YOU goes out to all the Roots & Shoots groups who attended and to the Science World staff for hosting such a great event!

Check out photos from the event on Flickr and Facebook, taken by our awesome volunteers - Catalin and Michelle.

On Sunday September 21st, There were peace day celebrations taking place all over the world! Roots & Shoots Canada organized a peace day celebration at Hart House Circle at the University of Toronto.

Roots & Shoots members and friends came out to build giant peace doves, listen to speeches, and march to Queen's Park, to raise awareness about peace.

Visit this page for more information about Peace Day.

The Children’s Museum in Waterloo was alive with energy when Dr. Jane Goodall arrived to deliver a press  conference.

Dr. Goodall came specifically to speak to local Roots & Shoots groups, educate the audience about the Roots & Shoots Program and experience the unique CHIMPS exhibit about her life’s work.

She explained to the audience how Roots & Shoots has spread to over 90 countries in the world and how their projects are creating real change. She informed them of her Reasons for Hope, one of them being the power of youth – the future leaders of our human community.

To her surprise, at the end of the conference, a number of Roots & Shoots youth surprised Dr. Goodall by putting together and flying a peace dove in her honour. The Peace Dove is the symbol of hope and international peace. Around the globe, Roots & Shoots groups are known for flying them on UN International Peace Day and Roots & Shoots International Peace Day (Sept 21/08).

 -Izzy Hirji, R&S Member-

A big congratulations goes out to Colleen Carter, Heritage Regional High School, and the Heritage Roots & Shoots Environmental Club for garnering Earth School Status!

The award was presented by the SEEDS Foundation to recognize the club's completion of over 1,000 environmental projects. Heritage High School is the first school in Quebec to achieve Earth School Status! Well done!

For more information about the Heritage Roots & Shoots Environmental Club and its projects, check out their website.

Vendors at the show were selling everything from eco-friendly clothing and food to the most energy efficient home upgrades.

JGI’s booth was located in the Kids Zone where the Toronto Heschel School Roots & Shoots group helped demonstrate what Roots & Shoots is all about!

Our other Roots & Shoots volunteers engaged kids in games and activities to promote conservation awareness, and encouraged kids to tell us what they plan to do to for the environment!

The show was a great success, and JGI Canada would like to thank our volunteers for their hard work!

We would also like to thank Deborah Powell for creating airbrush tattoos of the chimpanzees in our Chimp Guardian program and Carol Mair for donating biodegradable balloons.

For a copy of the green cleaning sheet that was distributed at the show, click here.

Read an article published in the Guelph Mercury by Canadian participant, Anna Bishop.

Read a report by Canadian participant, Julia Coburn.

For more information about the Summit go to the website.

Check out the awesome Public Service Announcements (PSAs) created by delegates for Earth Day 2008. The videos created by Canadian delegates are featured on our Ideas & Inspiration page.