Agent X Project
The Agent X Project invites students to take action against climate change and air pollution.
Summary
Project Description
How to Participate
The Missions
Frequently asked Questions
Participants
Contact
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Guided by an adult, young participants are invited to become real environmental detectives! Wearing sunglasses and armed with their Agent X identity cards, they explore various aspects of their daily lives and carry out different missions to:
- learn about the green house effect that regulates the Earth’s climate
- understand the impact that human activities have on climate change and air pollution
- take concrete steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
X is… the multiplier
Once they have more information, young Agent Xs “infiltrate” their environment and “detect” energy-gobbling 
habits. Their mission: to increase awareness among family and friends in order to encourage them to get involved by changing their behaviour so that they too become eco-aware citizens. In this way, the young Agent Xs take on their roles as multiplier agents.
Who can participate?
The Agent X Project is for students from 9 to 13 years of age, guided by an adult.
At school, the topic’s complexity lends itself quite well to developing the skills targeted by primary and secondary school teaching programs, in particular in the context of education reform. The activities are designed to encourage learning through projects and interdisciplinarity while exploiting several skill areas:French, Science and Technology, Mathematics and Art. Students must also draw on all their resources to carry out their missions.Ideally suited for a classroom setting, the Agent X Project also is an excellent educational tool for motivating students in extracurricular or other settings (daycare, Guides and Scouts, 4-H Clubs, etc.).
Ready for action
The Agent X educational kit contains all the supplies necessary for carrying out the project, including Agent X identity cards! It offers more than 50 classroom, at-home or community activities (investigations, experiments, research, games). These can be easily adapted to the needs of the group and require minimal preparation. Explore a topic in-depth or choose several missions, complete the project in a few weeks or over the course of a year: the possibilities are endless! The Agent X Project is versatile and lends itself easily to the creation of tailor-made programs.
Results that count
While completing their missions in the field, the young Agents X are called on to modify their environmental behaviour and to calculate the effects that these changes have on the environment. Their results are recorded in the group’s mission report that is then sent to Environment Canada.More than 10 000 young Quebeckers have already taken action. These combined efforts produce concrete results!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Registration
Interested teachers and other group leaders should contact the Biosphère at the beginning of the school year in order to receive a registration form. Newly registered participants will be invited to attend a brief training session to learn more about the project and to familiarize themselves with the kit materials which will be handed out at that time. The training sessions are offered free of charge and take place at Environment Canada’s Biosphère in Montreal or in your area. The choice is up to participants.
Upon renewing their registration, former participants receive updated pedagogical material directly.
Support
Over the course of the year, the Biosphère offers scientific and technical support to group leaders participating in the project. They will receive the following:
- training session, at the beginning of the year, to learn about the kit and how to use it;
- clear, simple instructions to guide them through each mission;
- personalized assistance over the course of the project.
THE MISSIONS
The number of missions and the order in which they are to be carried out are not imposed, with the exception of Mission 1, which must be completed first in order to acquire basic knowledge.
Mission1: climate change
Students study the issues related to climate change and take on their roles as multiplier agents. They become dedicated journalists in the debate on climate change, carry out research on aspects of climate change and create their own quiz game.
Mission2: transportation
Agent Xs learn about “green” travel and ways of getting around that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They participate in a CO2 emissions investigation, a carpool study, and an engine idling awareness campaign that will appeal to their artistic side.
Mission3: food
Students analyze the impact that their eating habits have on the environment. Lunch boxes, transportation and food packaging will be studied during this mission.
Mission4: responsible consumption
The young multiplier agents must encourage people in their environment to reduce their consumption of natural resources. They become responsible consumption experts, are aware of the trash that they generate, and use their 4 R (Reduce/Reuse/Recycle/Recover) expertise.
Mission5: energy efficiency
Agent Xs become experts in energy efficiency. At home they look for wasted energy, while at school they improve their knowledge of energy waste.
Mission6: renewable energy
Students explore different renewable energy sources from the past, present and future. They discover little-known aspects of heating with wood and experience the albedo effect (the amount of light particles reflected by a surface) linked to climate change.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How can I participate in the Agent X Project?
To register, you just need to contact the Biosphère:
- by phone: 514 496-8282,
- by fax: 514 283-5021 or
- by email at AgentX@ec.gc.ca.
In order to make your participation official, you need to fill out the registration form; you will then be eligible for a training session. This free training session will take place at Environment Canada’s Biosphère in Montreal or in your area, depending on your availability.
Why do I have to attend a training session?
This session, led by a professional, will allow you to familiarize yourself with the contents of the kit and its many possible uses. You’ll also learn how to make the best use of the educational material over the course of the year. If you have already taken part in the Agent X Project, it is not necessary to attend the session again.
What are the target age groups?
The Agent X Project was developed for pupils from the third grade to secondary one. However, the large variety of activities makes it possible for children in grade two and students from 9 to 13 years of age, in extracurricular or other settings, to participate.
Does the project require a lot of preparation?
Not at all. The kit was specially designed to reduce the workload of group leaders. Very user-friendly, its use requires a minimal amount of preparation and allows for better adaptation to your work methods and the interests of your students.In order to make things easy for you, almost all the supplies necessary for carrying out the activities are included. The rest of the supplies are easily found at school or at home.
May I send you pictures of my group involved in the project?
We would be delighted to receive your visual documentation. However, you must attach, for each student appearing in the photos, a parental consent form which allows us to use the pictures and to integrate them into our database. A standard form is included in the kit for this purpose; you can make as many copies as you need. Don’t forget to send the completed and signed forms with the photos.
CONTACT
Environment Canada’s Biosphère
E-mail: AgentX@ec.gc.ca
Phone: 514 496-8282
Fax: 514 283-5021
160 Chemin Tour-de-l'Isle
Île Sainte-Hélène, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 4G8
PARTICIPANTS
Elementry Schools
École Ahuntsic
École Alternative Atelier
École Alternative l'Envol
École Arc-En-Ciel
École Barthélemy Vimont
École Bedford
École Bernèche
École Bienville
École de l'odyssée
École de Maricourt
École De Normandie
École de Sutton
École des Grandes Marées
École des Mousserons
École Dominique Savio
École Dubois
École Émmelie-Caron
École Face
École Georges-Étienne Cartier
École La Vérendrye
École La Visitation
École Lambert Closse
École Lanaudière
École Le Plateau
École Les Trois Soleils
École Louis H Lafontaine
École Louis-Colin
École Marie-Rivier Pav. Legendre
École Marie-Soleil Tougas
École Mont De LaSalle
École Montcalm
École Notre Dame du Sourire
École Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire
École Paul Bruchesi
École Saint Damase
École Saint Fabien
École Saint Jacques
École St-Joseph
École St-Justin
École St-René
École Wilfrid-Pelletier
High Schools
Collège Beaubois, Pierrefonds
Collège Letendre, Laval
Collège Notre-Dame, Montréal
Collège Sacré-Cœur, Sherbrooke
Collège Saint-Paul, Varennes
Collège Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, La Pocatière
École Chomedey de Maisonneuve, Montréal
École internationale de Montréal, Montréal
École Jacques-Cartier, Sept-Iles
École Louis-Joseph Papineau, Montréal
École Marcel-Mallet, Lévis
École Montée St-François, Sherbrooke
École Pierre-Dupuy, Montréal
École Sacré-Cœur, Granby
École Secondaire Cardinal-Roy, Québec
École Secondaire Chanoine-Beaudet, Saint-Pascal
École secondaire de l'Achigan, St-Roch-de-l'Achigan
École secondaire De l'Île, Gatineau
École Secondaire Du Phare, Sherbrooke
École secondaire Félix Leclerc, Pointe-Claire
École secondaire Fernand-Lefebvre, Sorel-Tracy
École secondaire Frénette, St-Jérome
École secondaire Jean-du-Nord, Sept-Iles
École secondaire l'Envolée, Granby
École Secondaire l'Odyssée, Val-Bélair
École secondaire Louis Joseph Papineau, Gatineau
École Secondaire Marie-Victorin, Montréal-Nord
École Secondaire Mgr. Richard-Édifice Galt, Verdun
École Secondaire Père-Marquette, Montréal
École secondaire Roger-Comtois, St-Rédempteur
École Secondaire Sacré-Cœur, Granby
École secondaire Saint-Laurent, Montréal
École Secondaire St-Charles, Pont-Rouge
École Secondaire St-Henri, Montréal
École Secondaire Symmes, Gatineau
École Secondairede la Montée St-François, Sherbrooke
Institut d'Enseignement de Sept-Iles, Sept-Iles
Lower Canada College, Montréal
Polyvalente de Disraéli, Disraéli
Polyvalente de l'Ancienne-Lorette, L'Ancienne-Lorette
Polyvalente de l'Érablière, Gatineau
Polyvalente Jean-du-Nord, Sept-Iles
Polyvalente Montignac, Lac Mégantic
Polyvalente Nicolas-Gatineau, Gatineau
Polyvalente Wilbrod Dufour, Jonquière
Riverview School, Port-Cartier
Séminaire Marie-Reine-du-Clergé, Métabetcouan
Symmes Junior High School, Gatineau
Other Groups
Les clubs 4H du Québec, Laval
Service de Garde l'Entre-Amis (École Notre-Dame), Otterburn Park
Service de Garde Panorama (École de Sutton), Sutton
