Integral Ecology Leaders

At the end of 2022, Kylie Patterson-Zigouras and Ross Hunter were appointed as Integral Ecological Leaders at St Bede’s College in a cross-campus role for the 2023-24 academic year. This multifaceted position involves creating a climate for change amongst staff, students and members of the school community. Our efforts are guided by the wisdom of Pope Francis’ 2015 Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si’. Integral Ecology sees the interconnectedness of environmental, economic, social and cultural issues. Part of our role is to release students to show leadership in these areas. To this end, we are pleased to appoint Sam Harris (left) and Jacob Brown as the Ecological Leaders for St Bede’s Mentone, in 2023.

"Going to St Bede’s since 2018 I've always been aware of how we as a school treat the environment around the school. As environmental leader of St  Bede’s with my Co-Captain Jacob Brown it will be our mission to implement new ideas to become a more sustainable school."

Sam Harris

"I am extremely passionate about the environment and I aim to pursue this passion by making a change in our local community. As a St Bede’s boy, I know how lucky we are to be situated in such a beautiful and highly biodiverse environment. As an environmental leader my goal is to make students aware of the dangers our environment faces and to introduce pathways that can be followed to protect our environment and make a change."

Jacob Brown

We also wanted to acknowledge how many students we have ‘caught’ this year approaching their food with a more sustainable mindset. The less individual packaging students can bring to school, the less litter we will have to deal with in the school ground as well as the impact of the biodegradability of the packaging around us. 

Year 7, 8 and 9 – the planet thanks you. Keep up your vigilance.

Finally, we would like to thank the environmentally conscious staff at St Bede’s who have made helpful suggestions about ways to improve our move towards a more sustainable college community. We are on this journey together, and will be seeking wider consultation with the school community as the year progresses. 

Kylie Patterson-Zigouras and Ross Hunter 

Integral Ecology Leaders