Sustainability

Sustainability is about the future, about the type of world we are leaving for future generations – the students of today, their students and grandchildren, and all other living creatures on the planet. Each of us has a responsibility in caring for our unique environment.

At Our Lady Star of the Sea we recognise and value our role as stewards of creation. Students, staff and parents work together to minimise our impact on and improve the condition of our local environment. Our understanding and behaviours in relation to sustainability and the environment is challenged and the use of the waste hierarchy: refuse/reduce, reuse, recycle, compost and close the loop is taught.

Green Thumbs

“The Green Thumbs” is a student action group that helps to support sustainability initiatives. The Green Thumbs are responsible for the movement of recycling bins on collection days, gathering data on Nude Food Days, writing small articles for the newsletter and the feeding and maintenance of our worm farms and chickens. The students wear hi-visibility vests with their own logo on it so they can be easily identified in the school.

Nude Food Everyday

Each student is encouraged to bring minimal or no packaging on their snack and lunch everyday. Reusable containers are encouraged and many students are complete Nude Fooders. The school has a “Carry In, Carry Out” practice, for which students take home wrappers they bring to school. Recycling Fruit and Vegetable Scraps Each class collects their fruit and vegetable scraps and empties them, at the end of each lunch break, into compost tumblers or worm farms. With the help of teachers and parents,

The Green Thumbs maintain the compost by turning them and adding water if they become too dry. The Green Thumbs also collect the worm juice and use it on our own vegetable gardens as well as sell it to members of our learning community.

Paper

Each class collects their paper and cardboard products for recycling.

Waste and Recycling

'Use the right bin the right way'

Travelsmart

Travelsmart encourages more students to walk, scoot or cycle to school. Highlights for the students are the Hands Up surveys and the Golden Sneaker Award, awarded to the class who had the most active travellers each week.

Ride to school and walk to school days are promoted within the learning community.