Knowledge is power. Across the BFI Canada and 
IESI service region, our environmental education programs empower people to live greener lives. In our local schools, we teach children about protecting the environment, proper waste management, recycling, alternative energy and taking responsibility for the waste that each of us creates. Through our site tours, open houses and lectures, we teach the same concepts to the adults in our communities.
When we understand the importance of protecting our environment, and are given the tools to accomplish that, we move from wanting to do something good, to doing it. That is our hope and goal with all of the environmental education programs offered by BFI Canada and IESI.
Empowering People with Knowledge
The environmental education programs provided by our various facilities include: in-school programs, school field day programs, school literature distribution, student and adult site tours, open houses, and guest lectures. At two of our landfill operations, we have made an even deeper commitment to environmental education by establishing community education centers.
The first community education center opened its doors in 1992. Located at the Lachenaie Landfill in Montreal, Quebec, this facility has reached more than 175,000 students, with the message of sustainable development. The center teaches students and other community members about reducing, reusing, recovering, and recycling waste, as well as the proper management of waste that cannot be diverted from landfills. Many people also tour our Lachenaie Landfill, where they learn about the site's landfill gas-powered electricity plant and composting.
In 2005, plans for a second community education center, at our Seneca Meadows Landfill in New York, began to form. The Seneca Meadows Community Education Center, scheduled to open in 2008, will include a fully equipped science laboratory and an educational exhibit room that will educate students and other members of the community about wetlands (in association to a wetlands creation and restoration project the landfill is undertaking), recycling, waste management, alternative energy, environmental protection and environmental monitoring.
The initial objective of the Center will be to enhance the curriculums of local high school science classes, (with particular attention to biology, chemistry and environmental science), by giving students hands-on field and laboratory experience as they study a brook and wetlands that surround the Center. In future years, we look forward to broadening the educational programs at Seneca Meadows to reach other grade levels and community groups as well.
Furthering Education
BFI Canada and IESI believe that today’s science students will invent tomorrow’s technological breakthroughs, and we want to be part of it. Throughout our service region, our facilities stand beside the bright young minds of our communities with college scholarships that will assist these students to reach their full potential. We also regularly contribute to educational programs in our local schools that benefit all students.