Environment Group News

Ms Kathryn Badini

Last Friday was the Environment Group’s Free Dress Day. Students were encouraged to wear green and pledge a way that they could help the environment. Below is a list of the most common pledges shared during Pastoral Group; many small actions, which together will help to reduce MCA’s impact on the environment –

“See rubbish, pick it up”
Ensure that rubbish makes it to the correct bin
Turn of lights during PG
Turn off lights and fans when leaving classrooms
Look after our pastoral plant
Stop littering
Plant a tree at home
Riding a bike to school/ walk instead of driving
Reduce rubbish
Ensure windows are closed when air conditions are on
Plastic-free lunches/ use biodegradable or reusable plastics
Use https://www.ecosia.org/, a search engine which plants trees
Have 3-minute showers
To be thoughtful consumers and shop second-hand
Bring own water bottles
Recycling bottles, cans etc. are home
Sit in the CLE during PG to be outside
Planting project in the school
Use the paper recycling bins

The highlight of the day was the distribution of a plant to every pastoral class. This program was organised by Year 10 students Archie Bathe, Archie Ryan and Eamonn Frawley as a part of the Lord Mayor’s Youth Environmental Leadership Network and mentored by Ms Elizabeth Kenny. The boys will give a complete wrap-up of their initiative next week.

We also had Year 11 and 12s organise and judge a No Plastics Lunchbox competition in the Primary school where they encouraged students to not have any soft plastics (like Ziploc bags, gladwrap), alfoil or excess packaging. Congratulations to 6 White for having no single-use plastics in their lunchboxes and to 5 Blue, 6 Blue and 6 Red, who each had one only piece in the entire class.

To push the environmental message further, we also ran an eWaste drive in the morning and encouraged teachers to teach outside if they could.

Overall, it was a very positive day and the students are again thanked for their support of the Environment Group.