Clean Up Australia Day

In recognition of Clean Up Australia Day in March, at assembly on Monday I will be discussing the important role each individual can play in keeping our environment litter free. If you are interested, there are websites that provide further information and detail the effects pollution is having on our ocean, such as: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3583576.htm.

The environmental footprint of a school can be quite large due to water usage, electricity and rubbish generation. To minimise our environmental impact, the College has implemented initiatives such as rainwater tanks, solar panels to generate electricity, a recycling program and also supports environmentally friendly forms of travel.

Much of the College’s non-recyclable rubbish is generated from food wrappings, which do not readily break down and unfortunately can end up being washed into the ocean. We encourage parents to consider this when preparing food for their children’s lunches and morning teas. Even though students generally do a great job in keeping the grounds clean, unfortunately not all litter is placed or remains in bins.

As a parent, I appreciate the convenience of snap lock plastic bags, plastic food wraps and fruit juice packaged in tetra packs with straws. However, there are alternatives to replace much of the plastic used in lunches. Although the use of paper bags is not ideal, it is certainly preferable to plastic. Reusable stainless steel water bottles and cutlery can be used instead of plastic ones. Reusable plastic containers are great for storing items like fruit, yoghurt, spaghetti and baked beans. More information regarding eco-friendly lunches can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ9FXCbyUBM.

If every student’s lunch contained one less piece of plastic per day it would equate to over 160,000 pieces of rubbish removed from the environment annually. Remember every little bit helps!