Eco warrior: Sustainable Living Festival

Students enjoy excursion to Sustainable Living Festival

Student captains, as well as students from Environmental Engineering, Duke of Edinburgh and 7C English, were lucky enough to see Xiuhtezcatl Martinez speak at the Australian Sustainability Festival at ACMI on Friday 10 February. The 16 year old environmental activist shared his concerns and ambitions about our planet in a truly inspirational presentation.

A report from Eve B, Year 8 Captain

We started off the day by getting on the train to Flinders Street Station from Merri Station. It was really squashed and it was hard to find a place you could feel comfortable!

When we got into the city, we went to Federation Square and settled down on the stage under the big screen. After the teachers explained what was going to happen and what time we were to meet back, there was a massive rush to get to 7-11. As people came out of the small 7-11, carrying out multicoloured cups filled to the brim with flavoured ice, we walked back to the stage and had recess.

After a 10 minute recess break, group by group went up the paved hill, to the main entrance of ACMI. After waiting for the all clear and people getting the free wifi password, we went up two or three flights of stairs to Cinema 2.

As the lights got dimmer, and a spot light was shown on the speaker stand, we all went quiet. The National Sustainable Living Festival School Forum had begun.

We were welcomed by a local Indigenous elder who explained to us about the Wurundjeri land. She was one of 16 kids and there were only nine of them left and they all had children so they were one big family living on the outskirts of Werribee.

Then came the MC of the forum, Amelia Telford. She thanked the custodians of the land and explained about the organisation she works for called, Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, which you can search up and get more information at: http://www.seedmob.org.au/.

Then the main speaker of the forum: Xiuhtezcatl Martinez.

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is 16 years old and is an indigenous boy from Central Mexico. His journey as an activist started from when he was just 6 years old. He was at the front of marches and protests. The biggest thing he has done is delayed a major pipeline that went through sacred waters and under a river where people get their drinking water. But that was with Obama. Now Donald Trump's in control all has changed. On the day before the forum, the 9th of February, Trump signed a decree allowing the companies to get back to building the pipeline... after five years! At the moment Xiuhtezcatl is suing the US government for violating people's rights. Even though he travels the world informing people about climate change, he still has time for school and friends.

One of the sayings he kept on coming back to was: "I was just so happy to be alive!"

After a quick Q and A, we went to have lunch and students went to the National Sustainable Living Festival down in Birrarung Marr. As you went down to the food area, there were what seemed like hundreds of stands with further information: Oxfam, WWF and Refugee Action Collective (Vic) just to name a few.