Sustainability

As a Kildare Education Ministry school in the Brigidine tradition, inspired by the Gospel and guided by our six core values - compassion, courage, hope, hospitality, justice and wonder - and as a community committed to actively work alongside Indigenous people for reconciliation and justice, sustainability is core to who we are and what we do.

2020 limited our opportunities to implement sustainability initiatives. However, there were many achievements we can celebrate with gratitude and joy. 

Thank you to the Year 10 Enterprise students for running the composting program while on campus. 

Thank you to the two classes who were involved in the tree planting day for the new Echuca-Moama Bridge project. 

Thank you to our 10 students who volunteered at the start of the year to be Ecological Justice leaders and who conducted a waste audit.

Thank you to the VCAL students who undertook surveys to find out how many staff and students choose reusable bottles and lunch containers over single use plastic.

Thank you also to the VCAL students for being our Clean Up Australia ambassadors, collecting waste from Scenic Drive and Barmah wetlands. 

Thank you to Andria and your team in the canteen for your efforts to reduce single use plastic and unnecessary packaging. 

Thank you to the House Leaders and involved students for planting native vegetation around the school in an effort to promote biodiversity. 

Thank you for the Design and Technology students for using recycled materials in their project and for the nest boxes that were produced earlier in the year. 

Thank you to students in the Foods classrooms for always compositing your food scraps, even though you hardly have any. 

Thank you to the growing number of students and staff who choose to ride or walk to school

Thank you to the Intermediate House Captains for attending the Environmental Justice seminar.

Thank you to the Year 7-9 students who set aspirational and challenging climate action targets as part of their end of year program and last, but not least, thank you to all of you in our college community who continue to: 

Refuse

Reduce

Recycle

Reuse

Repair

With such committed students, staff, canteen and college leadership, we are looking forward to a 2021 of collective deep listening, learning, and bold climate action, building a better future for humanity and the planet, because as one of the greatest heroes of our time, Sir David Attenborough, said in October this year:  

“If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us."

Thank you.

Ruth Philips 

Sustainability Leader