The learning didn’t stop there. As part of their English curriculum, students were tasked with writing a summary report based on the talk. This assignment was followed by a research task that equipped them with the tools and knowledge needed to craft persuasive speeches. These speeches were presented in class, showcasing the students’ ability to merge critical thinking with powerful communication skills.
Today, we’re excited to share two reports from this assignment by Marleh and Rachel. We hope their work inspires you to think more about how we can all contribute to a sustainable future.
Report by Marleh B
Bonnie, from Switch Your Thinking, came to our school to talk to the Year 7s about sustainability. Here are some things that we learned.
What is sustainability?
Sustainability means to meet one’s needs without compromising the next generations.
How can we live sustainably?
- Use low energy appliances
- Turn off lights when not in use
- 4 minute showers
- Make use of natural light
- Turn appliances off after use
- Reduce water use
How to reduce water use:
- Use a dishwasher
- Use a water tank
- Water friendly timer for sprinklers
- Use mulch to retain water
How to reduce waste:
- Re-usable cups
- Biodegradable packaging
- Kitchen bags
- Save your leftovers
- Avoid plastic bags
- Recycle right
How to reduce food waste:
- Use all the food
- Grow your own food
- Support local farms
Report by Rachel B
Our Year 7 students had the pleasure of an incursion with Bonnie Summers from Switch Your Thinking, a local government sustainability group. This occurred in the C2 classroom. She covered sustainability in multiple areas, including energy, water use, food waste, transport, and ethical shopping.
All the students were listening attentively, ready to hear about living a sustainable, eco-friendly life. Bonnie started off talking about energy efficiency; the key to living a low-impact lifestyle. She told the Year 7s how to be energy efficient by using low energy appliances (check the star ratings!) and making use of the natural light in your home. Bonnie made sure we all knew to turn off the light when unnecessary! She intrigued the Year 7s with the fact that you can save money by having a quicker shower. According to Bonnie, a shower of 10 minutes costs you about 50 cents, so if you have a 5 minute shower, you are saving half of that!
Next up, she covered reducing water use, through ideas like water-friendly sprinkler timers, water tanks, and of course, letting the rain water your plants for you. Bonnie told the Year 7s that dishwashers use 80% less water than handwashing! This is all part of living sustainably, a helpful hand to our Earth.
Thirdly, Bonnie spoke about reducing food waste. She spoke about all the little pieces we don’t use in a meal, like the packaging of the food, the bones, and any scraps. Make sure to feed all your scraps to your pets or use it to make compost. Bonnie also told the us about supporting local farms and markets.
After that, Bonnie informed the Year 7s about active transport: like riding a bike or walking to your destination. An alternative is carpooling, or even electric cars.
Finally, the we heard about ethical shopping. Although some clothes are cheaper, Bonnie said, they are unlikely ethically made, with poorly paid employees or bad working conditions. Another problem Bonnie mentioned about buying cheaper clothes is that they often have lots of microplastics. She said that the average human ingests about 5 grams of microplastics each year, which is the equivalent of a credit card! A way to have reasonable prices on well-made clothes is thrift shopping!
The Year 7s thoroughly enjoyed having Bonnie come and talk to us about the important subject of sustainability. Thank you, Bonnie, we hope to see you again!