Throughout the past week MLMC has undertaken numerous sustainability-based activities to celebrate our annual Sustainability Week. At the same time we were confronted with the news that England was hit with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees for the first time and other parts of Europe were experiencing wild fires in scenes reminiscent of an Australian summer. If we needed any further examples that global warming was impacting the world, this was it. In recent years we have witnessed the spread of COVID-19 throughout the world and vast amounts of money and science have been directed towards halting and reducing its impact. Climate change is an issue that requires the same dedication.
MLMC has endeavoured to be proactive and act as a responsible global citizen by reducing its impacts on the environment. As a member of the ResourceSmart Schools program conducted by Sustainability Victoria we are pursuing our fifth and final star as an accredited school. To assist in this journey, the week’s activities included Year 7 students taking part in a nude lunch initiative. The aim of this is to reduce and eliminate waste packaging entering the College and thus reducing our waste and litter issues.
Year 7 students also undertook a massive tree planting project around the College grounds, supported by VET Agriculture students, as well as planting along the Quarry Rd sports ovals. Nesting boxes to assist with a wildlife housing crisis were also assembled by a willing crew of Year 7 boys (pictured below).
Year 12 students braved the cold weather by powering down classrooms while undertaking the annual Earth Hour activity. Year 12 Prefects, under the outstanding leadership of Danielle Gazzola, created a plastics waste installation in the MLC building which depicts discarded litter that eventually finds its way into Port Phillip Bay and enters the food cycle of the fish we consume.
Recycled clothing material reused into new fashion items were on display in the McAuley Library. This project highlighted the materials waste going to landfill each year and how these can be upcycled. MLMC’s debating team took on Mazenod College in a debate via zoom on Thursday, arguing for the affirmative that it does matter that species will become extinct due to climate change.
On Friday, students created a mural depicting waste entering the oceans and its impact on sea life.
Numerous staff also collected seedlings and undertook to plant them out in various location within the Yarra Valley. Monbulk Girl Guides group are creating a bee-friendly garden with plants sourced and grown at MLMC.
Taylor Stubbs, our 2022 Environment Prefect, writes about the importance of sustainability initiatives:
Sustainability is as important as ever. Sustainability is about small changes we can make to help look after the planet. Making these changes helps protect animals, plants and our natural resources so that future generations will be able to enjoy them.
Climate change is affecting every country on every continent and the issue cannot be suppressed and forgotten as it is growing more dire every day. It is disrupting national economies and affecting our entire world. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, and weather events are becoming more extreme. If we do not make a change to what we are doing, we will not have basic necessities like freshwater, food security and energy, while efforts to redress climate change through adaptation and basic changes will similarly inform and shape the global development agenda.
The links between climate change and sustainable development are strong. Poor and developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries, will be among those most adversely affected and least able to cope with the anticipated shocks to their social, economic and natural systems.
We all need to make a change and these can be small things that most people don’t realise make a difference, the smallest action has a big effect in the long run — turning off lights when we have left a room, choosing tap water over a plastic bottle, these simple things you can do at home or at school make a huge difference.
Static display in McAuley Library.
Our team in the Great Debate versus Mazenod College.
