Sustainability
Only three weeks into the school year and already there is much to report on and even more to look forward to around Sustainability at the College. With several activities already on offer and many more exciting initiatives planned throughout the year, students from across all year levels are encouraged to join the ‘Green Revolution’ and play their part in making a difference at the College and in our world.
Sustainability Club
The Sustainability Club meets for the first time in 2019 at lunchtime on Tuesday 26 February. Students can join our new Sustainability Captain Harry Sapsworth at the science block gardens and mix with peers from across year groups. They will be able to engage in fun sustainability focused activities and join the strong student movement working to promote positive attitudes towards the environment at the College.
Greenbatch Plastic Recycling Launch
Yesterday Darren Lomman and Rachel Leigh from Greenbatch visited the College to give keynote presentations to all secondary students and formally launch John XXIII College as a pilot school for the Greenbatch Schools Recycling Program. Our students were highly engaged with the talks: shocked by the facts around plastic pollution (by 2050 there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish!) and inspired by the vision of Darren and his Greenbatch Company in opening WA’s first plastic reprocessing plant.
The students received enthusiastically the news that John XXIII College will be working in partnership with Greenbatch through its pilot school program. The College has situated four distinctive purple bins in key areas around the College to act as collection points for students to dispose of plastic bottles (and now also aluminium cans). The bottles will be periodically collected by Greenbatch and taken to their reprocessing plant nearby, where they will be turned into 3D printer filament and given back to the College for use in student projects.
The College is excited by this partnership with an innovative and socially conscious company such as Greenbatch and wishes to encourage all in the John XXIII College Community to help make it as successful as possible. Families may wish to bring bottles from home to place in these bins and they are certainly welcome to do so.
Greenbatch Bin Design Competition
John XXIII College is running a competition for students to create a funky, creative and impactful design that can be placed on the Greenbatch bins to make them stand out and encourage correct use. If any student would like to submit a design for consideration template sheets are available from Student Reception, the RE office or the library. Designs can be submitted at these places or given to Mr Thompson.
Closing date for entries to be submitted is Friday , 8 March and the winner will receive a $50 JB Hi Fi Gift Card and have their design printed large and featured on all Greenbatch collection bins throughout the College.
Boomerang Bags Group
The first Boomerang Bags session for 2019 was held after school on Wednesday. The group is part of a nationwide movement, working together to create reusable shopping bags out of sheets, blankets, curtains and other unlikely materials. This year the bags are being made with the intention of donating them to Shopfront, a Catholic organisation working with those who are struggling in society. The Boomerang Bags will be put to good use by Shopfront to enable its clients to take meals away with them and carry what possessions they do have more easily.
In 2019, the group is looking forward to welcoming new members to the fold and increasing attendances at the their bag making sessions. if you are interested in helping to make some environmentally friendly Boomerang Bags please come to the Textile rooms on Wednesday 6 March from 3:30-4:30pm.
Donations of Material
The Boomerang Bags group is urgently requesting donations of any materials like sheets, pillow cases, blankets etc. from families in the College community. These will be used to make the bags and can be left at student reception.