Clean Up Australia Day was started thirty years ago by Ian Kiernan. He was so shocked and dismayed by the pollution he encountered in the oceans of the world that he organised a community event that has grown from a simple idea to a whole nation focused on cleaning up the environment. Clean up Australia Day will occur in the Primary School on Friday 28 February.
This year, the student Sustainability Committee will have a variety of activities happening throughout the day, culminating in a ‘March for Macroplastics’ in the afternoon.
Our Primary students will be conducting a Waste Audit of rubbish generated by the school. This will be dramatically reduced from last year as a result of the success of the Nude Food Lunch initiative. Years 3 to 6 will start their day with a ‘What is rubbish, what is recycling?’ quiz and investigate terminology such as biodegradable and macroplastics.
Students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will spend time looking for rubbish, specifically macroplastics, in the afternoon. Macroplastic is clearly visible, small pieces of plastic that can be collected by hand. This will take place on the school grounds. Students may like to have a pair of gardening gloves for this activity. Disposable gloves, unfortunately, will not assist our efforts to reduce rubbish. Protocols for supervision and areas for collection will be closely monitored. All children will be encouraged to wash their hands thoroughly after our ‘March for macroplastics.’
We recently had thirty Primary students attend our Sustainability Committee meeting. This is a commendable investment of time by our students and staff.