mind your beeswax@brunswick
Sustainable Solutions
Brunswick Secondary College
students are environmentally conscious leaders.
Angela Olah
Head of Learning - Science
Sustainability Club
After noticing high levels of plastic waste around the school, students from the Sustainability Club decided to conduct a rubbish audit. Students found that avoidable, single-use plastics constituted a significant proportion of the waste found in the school yard and they knew it was time to make a change. This sentiment was a strongly echoed by the School Captains and Student Executive Council.
To counter the issue, both the SEC and Sustainability Club joined forces to develop DIY Beeswax Wraps tutorials. The Beeswax Wraps Project was chosen as these items :
- are re-useable
- are made from natural and sustainable materials
- can keep food hygienically fresh
- are an easy way reduce the impact of single use plastics in the schoolyard
The powerful and creative student team behind this initiative included An Dang, Isabella Harding, Sheila Jim, Lily Jones, Noorah Kocak, Oliver Reeves, Miranda Rose and School Captain, Hannah Rutherford.
Through strong collaboration, the team developed a prototype and refined the best and most effective methods to make the beeswax wraps. Through generous community support, students sourced the required materials and then designed their own tutorial session so they could teach others to make a beeswax wrap. The team also produced a ‘Creation and Care Guide’ - provided to all participants (see attached photo).
On Friday September 13, the team successfully delivered their first tutorial, teaching members of the wider school community how to make their own beeswax wraps. Everyone enjoyed the session, learning something new and sharing their enthusiasm! AND every participant took home a handmade Beeswax@Brunswick hygenic food wrapper - to be used and re-used and re-used again!
The workshop was such an enormous success that the club is considering staging more in order to meet student and community demand. We will bring you plans for this as details come to hand.
I want to highlight the strong entrepreneurial, leadership and problem-solving skills demonstrated by the student team throughout the process of executing this project. Their continued dedication and use of critical thinking skills in order to develop effective and engaging sustainability initiatives is the driving force that will help to change our community!
I also extend extend my gratitude to all who participated and supported the project. They all demonstrate a passion for a sustainable future, projecting and modelling environmental change through their conscientious work and attention to detail.
Keep an eye out for more sustainable initiatives to come. If anyone (students and/or parents) is interested in learning more or becoming a part of our small but powerful team, contact me or one our friendly club members.
Noorah Kocak
Year 9
We have been able to successfully execute our very first Beeswax Wrappers workshop. Seventeen students attended and although there is just a few of us on the team, we were able to help every participant to make a wrapper.
The Sustainability Club has come far this term and we really worked hard to achieve our best. I am very proud of the team and very glad to be a part of it.
Click on the gallery to enlarge photos of Beeswax@Brunswick!
