Sustainability

ENVIRONMENT CAPTAINS’ REPORT

2020 was quite a strange year and although it didn’t turn out the way we had envisioned, we really tried to give as many opportunities as possible for students to engage in sustainability and better understand different sustainable methods and behaviours that they could introduce into their own lifestyle.

Environment Committee

This year we reintroduced the Environment Committee, being able to bring it back in a short time during COVID-19 restrictions. It was sometimes a challenge to have meetings, not being able to have face-to-face interaction, but we were able to persevere through Microsoft Teams. Girls joined from all schools, from as young as Year 3 up to Year 12. Our meetings helped highlight different environmental issues, sustainable tips and also different initiatives we could implement.

Trees for Bees

There was also the possibility of a Trees for Bees project this year, but due to restrictions we weren’t able to complete it. The goal was to plant 300 native trees in order to support the population of native bee species. We hope to encourage girls to take on this opportunity if it ever arises in the future, as well as any other sustainable prospects and challenges thrown their way.

Paper for Orangutans

Christine Kong and Elizabeth Backhouse, Year 12

Environment Week

One outcome from the Environment Committee was the co-ordination of Environment Week, held in late June, in Term 2, Week 8. This was a fun-filled week where a different activity took place each day as well as an art competition. Activities included a two-day raffle to raise funds for our Trees for Bees project and making hand warmers out of scrap fabric and rice. We also helped out the school community by finding a sustainable way to recycle and reuse the Magazine. We did this by contacting Taronga Zoo and collaborating with them by offering shredded magazine paper for their animals, such as for their orangutan enclosure.

Climate Strike

On 25 September we had the School Strike for Climate. We wanted to encourage girls to support the cause and keep up-to-date with the news and understand the overall potential for us to promote change and how big our voices actually are. Massive thanks go to Mr Hume, our supervisor and co-ordinator, Mrs Shaw, for helping us approve our initiatives and guiding us throughout out prefectship, and Ms Eisner, for her constant support and offering us an interesting range of initiatives we could start this year, as well as organising the massive project of Trees for Bees.

Christine Kong and Elizabeth Backhouse, Captains of Environment