Iqaluit school wants you to drop the pop … can

This story was updated on Friday, May 15, at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Bring your cans, get a hot dog.

That’s the promise Aqsarniit middle school’s Green Club is making to those who visit its recycling and barbecue event in Iqaluit on Saturday.

Last month the group placed a wooden bin outside the school for residents to drop off recyclable cans from non-alcoholic drinks. The club has partnered with the Government of Nunavut’s Environment Department, and it will receive $1,500 if the members fill a sealift container.

The club has collected about a dozen bags of cans, which they store in a sea can that Arctic Ventures provided. The students want to thank the community for its support — and bring in more recyclables, of course — which is how the barbecue idea was born.

“We were thinking of events and stuff to do to raise more cans for our project,” said 12-year-old Ava Boudreau. “I was hungry, and so I mentioned hot dogs, and we thought that was a good idea.”

Sophia Boschin, from Windsor, Ont., is enjoying her second year teaching and helping run the Green Club. Previously, she worked for a non-profit recycling program in the south. She said she was happy to bring her experience to Aqsarniit.

“I wanted to find a way for students to connect with sustainability,” Boschin said in an interview. “I also wanted to find a way to get them out into the community as leaders.”

The program has offered an opportunity for the group to give presentations to classes at the middle school as well.

“The students shared their ideas on how we can host this at the school, how we can make the community more aware about aluminum can waste and what can be done about it,” Boschin said. “All our projects are student-led.”

The community recycling initiative is just the club’s latest undertaking. Members are quick to show off their work, which includes a worm compost bin, a hydroponic tower that grows lettuce, small indoor vegetable beds and potted plants.

Asked what piqued her interest in the Green Club, Ava said, “The plants! I knew we’d be planting all the plants, and I wanted to learn more about that.”

Thirteen-year-old Logan Wells also joined with an interest in plants, namely to learn how to keep his own at home alive. He named the club’s logo, Gummy the Worm, and said he is excited to share his and his peers’ work with the community on Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to see how many people are actually willing to come,” he said. “It’s a huge success, hopefully.”

The event is planned for this Saturday at the school’s parking lot, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Correction: This story was update to clarify who drew Gummy the Worm.