Sustainability
🌎Earth Day Today!🌏
Earth Day is on 22nd of April. Itwas first celebrated on US collegecampuses in 1970, months afteran oil spill in Santa Barbara. The celebration motivated more than a billion people in 192 countries. The 2024 theme is PLANET VS.PLASTIC. We want to reduce plastic by 60% by 2040.
As a planet, together we are aiming to commit to the UN Global PlasticTreaty. Stated by un.org: “175 nations agree to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by 2024, prompting a major step towards reducinggreenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, use and disposal.”
If we want to be an environmental school, students should startthinking about their uses of plastic and how they travel from place to place, and if they can reduce their cars emitting greenhouse gas.
So far, our school has had many events, including; Ride to school day, Clean up Australia Day, and an upcoming Walk to School Safely Day. We have also gotten beehives asthe bees pollinate the schoolgrounds and give us honey.
And that’s why Earth Day is celebrated; to raise awareness to nature and make sure our actions are sustainable for future life!
🚮ZERO WASTE DAY🗑️
Zero Waste Day was on the 30th of March. This day is about how to stop wasting things. Humans waste about 2.12 billion tons of garbage every year. According to un.org; “2.7 billion people lack access to solid waste collection and only 61–62 per cent of municipal solid waste is managed in controlled facilities.”
As an environmental school, we should reduce our waste and aim for zero waste in the school. If we bring our rubbish home, (including canteen rubbish), the school would produce zero waste.
But bringing waste home would still result in it going to landfill. One of the best solutions to this is to reduce our use - then we don't have to deal with it.
Waste should be treated as a resource and if we use it then we need to find solutions. We need to design out waste.
Another way to reuse the resource is that it could be used in furniture structures. Stated by un.org; “But to solve the waste crisis, humanity must treat waste as a resource. This entails reducing waste generation and following the lifecycle approach. Resources should be reused or recovered as much as possible, and products should be designed to be durable and require fewer and low-impact materials. Upstream solutions like these can minimise pollution of air, land, and water and decrease the extraction of precious and limited natural resources.”
Right now park benches are getting made out of plastic, but to stop pollution, schools can recycle and use plastic materials to make the seats (like the one in our front playground) and bigger items such as playground materials.
That’s why zero easte is very important, every day.
Adrien Wong, 6B, Sustainability Rep/Green Team Leader
Join the Green Team
Have an idea or passionate about animals, the environment and sustainability? Come join the Green Team! We meet every Monday lunch in 5C's classroom - Mrs Sztrajt and Mrs Simula's room. See you there!
Mr Chan, Mrs Sztrajt and Ms Hui
Sustainability Events & Resources
(Our school is not affiliated with any of these)
Blister Pack Recycling
Did you know that you can recycle your blister packs? Drop them off at the local Chemist Warehouse.
Pickling Winter Veggies, Guided City Walks and more.
Check out Boroondara's Sustainability Events for more information.
Have suggestions for this page? Contact Ms Emily Hui.