EARTH WEEK Year 7-12
Last week (19-23 October), the Green Team held their Secondary School Earth Week! Firstly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for the enthusiastic participation by both staff and students, and we really hope that everyone gained a new understanding of sustainability and how our actions affect our environment.
Earth Week was a five-day program, which took several months to organise. We had a committee of Year 11 students who helped to organise and run the week, as well as our Year 10 technology guru, Alei Paul, who helped us with organising the online activities. Each day had its own theme and activities, a Kahoot with fun facts, and daily calls to action for people to make positive change.
Monday focused on reducing waste and it was run by Alec Chen. The day concentrated on trying to change the emphasis from reusing and recycling, to reducing and avoiding. A key message from this day was to invest in some reusable silicone or beeswax wraps as a replacement for glad wrap.
Tuesday centred around eco-friendly eating and was organised by Maija Darzins. We provided information on how to reduce one’s carbon emissions through dietary choices. We focused specifically on the impacts that farming has on the environment, and how changing to a more plant– based diet can have substantial positive impacts. Our favourite activity from Tuesday was definitely cooking Maija’s double choc raspberry muffins.
On Wednesday, we moved the focus towards reusing, specifically in terms of our clothing, and this program was organised by Alana Lawson. With the recent increase in fast fashion we thought that this was a super fitting theme for the day, simply because it’s something that almost all of us are culprits of. Wednesday’s best point was the information about the awesome new apps, such as ‘Depop’ and ‘Good On You’ to help people make ethical decisions with clothing.
Thursday was centred around Environmental Awareness During COVID-19, and prepared by Laura Mitcham. As a team, we noticed that the pandemic shifted a bit of the focus away from sustainability, as people became more complacent after seeing that global carbon emissions had reduced as a result of the lockdowns. The aim of Thursday was to show people the truth and try and remind them of our reality and the best ways to be sustainable, whilst also being COVID safe! Our much-loved activity of Thursday was Laura’s reusable disinfectant wipes, and the reusable masks!
Our final day was organised by Victoria McKenzie, and it was about Wellbeing and The Environment. We recognised that news and information about the climate and, specifically, climate change can often be quite gloomy and sad, so we wanted to help provide the best ways to be both sustainable, reconnect with nature, and boost our wellbeing. Our newfound love for tree hugging, as well as simple things like having a picnic in the sun, going for a walk, and practising mindfulness were all perfect ways to engage in Friday’s theme!
Overall, the Green Team is super pleased with the outcome of Earth Week 2020. With some year levels still engaged in remote learning, it was difficult to organise activities that involved the whole school but, given the circumstances, we are really proud of the whole school community for getting involved and making the week such a success. Thank you all for your contributions and support. Stay safe and healthy!
Laura Mitcham, Year 11 on behalf of the Earth Week Committee
(Alec Chen, Maija Darzins, Alana Lawson, Victoria McKenzie, Laura Mitcham and Alei Paul).
