Ontario EcoSchools was created in 2002 by a consortium of education stakeholders to address environmental issues in the formal education system.  Seven school boards, York University, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority collaborated to adapt and expand on the work of the Toronto District School Board, developing an environmental education program that can be used province-wide. The Ontario EcoSchools Steering Committee meets regularly to provide oversight and overall direction for the program.

Ontario EcoSchool's resources offer an environmental perspective to the choices we make in operating our schools and in planning classroom programs based on the Ontario Curriculum. It consists of four components:

ecological literacy

waste minimization

energy conservation

school ground greening

The leaf within each figure symbolizes thinking and acting with the environment in mind. It also visually connects the four areas, a reminder that – as ecology teaches us – everything is connected to everything else.