Riverside Public School making biodegradable poppies for Remembrance Day
A London, Ont. elementary school is trying to make Remembrance Day ceremonies more sustainable, swapping out traditional plastic poppies for homemade biodegradable ones.
Every student at Riverside Public School is making one as part of a Fanshawe College Initiative.
The college provides the school with construction paper, which is blended with hot water and psyllium powder to help the eventual pulp congeal.
Finally, before molding it into a poppy shape, actual poppy seeds are added.
"Sustainability and environmental projects are really near and dear to my heart," says Amy McCallum-Harris, a teacher and librarian at Riverside.
"It's a great opportunity to talk to kids about the poppy and why we wear them, but also talk about wasting plastic every year,” she says.A Riverside Public School student works on making their own biodegradable poppy on Nov. 1, 2022. (Carlyle Fiset/CTV News London)
The homemade poppies are meant to decompose, spreading their seeds. After Riverside's Remembrance Day ceremony, all of the students will bring their poppies to a nearby garden and plant them, hoping for a big poppy bloom next spring.
"It's really neat," says grade seven student, Lila Thompson. "It's like a double use. You can wear it for Remembrance Day, and then once you're done with them you've got beautiful poppies."
*The Poppy Design is a registered trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion, Dominion Command and is used under license
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978503.1721990327!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics
Outgoing French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that sabotage and arson that hit key parts of France's high speed rail network on the eve of the Olympics had 'a clear objective: blocking the high speed train network.'
Canadian Olympic Committee CEO says soccer coach Bev Priestman likely aware of spying
Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive officer David Shoemaker says the head coach of the national women's soccer team was likely aware drones were used to spy on an opposing country's practices in France.
'She led it the whole way': 18-year-old B.C. woman leads hikers to safety in Jasper National Park
As fire threatened people in Jasper National Park, Colleen Knull sprung into action.
Recent rain, cooler weather limiting spread of wildfires in Jasper National Park
Cool and wet weather is making a difference in Jasper National Park.
Search for missing vulnerable 3-year-old child in Mississauga, Ont. continues
Police say the search for a vulnerable child who went missing in Mississauga, Ont. Thursday evening continues. Three-year-old Zaid, who is described as possibly non-verbal, was last seen at 6:20 p.m. in Mississauga’s Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road. He was not wearing shoes or socks at the time.
opinion 'Deadpool and Wolverine' review: A love letter to a bygone era
'Deadpool and Wolverine' is a showcase for the bromance stylings of its stars, who pull out all the stops to cap Fox's Marvel movies.
Stay inside, filter indoor air amid wildfire smoke, respirologist says
A Calgary respirologist is advising people to regularly check the outdoor air quality and stay inside as smoke from the Jasper wildfires blows into other parts of Alberta and possibly beyond.
Canada to bring home fewest Olympic medals since 2012, according to forecaster
Fewer Canadians are expected to reach the Paris podium than in the previous two Olympic Summer Games, a global data analytics company predicts.
Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond likely has Indigenous DNA: report
The Law Society of British Columbia says a DNA test shows a former judge and Order of Canada recipient accused of falsely claiming to be Cree "most likely" has Indigenous heritage.