Green Minds, Bright Futures
s are powerful agents for change. By educating students on environmental issues, fostering eco-friendly habits, and modelling sustainable practices, CCGS hopes to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to drive positive environmental changes now and into the future.
Action Plan
Real steps are being taken to reduce the school’secological footprint. Decarbonizing operations towardsnet zero, reducing the environmental impact ofconsumption, enhancing biodiversity on campus, andadvancing environmental literacy are just some of thetangible actions already in place.“We are committed to reducing our environmentalimpact and deepening understanding of environmentalsustainability within the school and community,” saidStephen Brahams, CCGS Board Chair.
To support these objectives, CCGS has developed a2023 - 2030 Environment Sustainability Action Plan,which articulates commitments, actions, andmeasurable outcomes.
Educating forSustainability Conference
CCGS recently hosted the Heads of IndependentCo-Educational s (HICES) ‘Educating forSustainability Conference’ for the first time.
The CCGSEnvironmental Action Group, made up of students andstaff, helped organise the conference, with Senior students leading delegates around the campus to educatethem on current sustainability practices and futureenvironmental initiatives.
Tim Selwyn from Girra GirraAboriginal Experiences shared his knowledge on localtraditions, and Graham Johnston from Clean4Shore gavean overview of his work on the Central Coast.
Respect andResponsibilityin Action
The Student Representative Council (SRC) andEnvironmental Action Group are two passionate andenergetic student groups leading the charge in making atangible difference in the school environment. Projects ledby these groups so far this year include:
Cleaning up CCGS and Beyond: students were outand about across the campus, working together in ‘15for your House Family’ – with every student collecting15 pieces of rubbish with their House Families. Students’efforts continued as they participated in Clean Up AustraliaDay in their local communities.
In addition to cleaning upexisting rubbish and waste in the environment, the schoolaims to reduce the waste it sends to landfill by 70% by 2030. ‘Waste Free Wednesday’ started in the Junior several years ago, and CCGS has recently implemented afour-bin system across the Senior College, with specificbins allocated for general waste, comingled recycling, andsoft plastics and organics to be added later in the year.This bin system will also be implementedin the Junior andMiddle s later in the year.
Junior Cross Country: The SRC were out inforce after the Junior Cross Country, minimisingwaste from the event.
The icy pole waste was divertedfrom landfill to Curby soft plastics recycling (the ice block
wrappers), cardboard recycling (the outer cardboardboxes), and even to the worm farm (the wooden ice blocksticks). The plastic water bottles that hydrated runnerswere collected for return and earn recycling, and the redplastic tape that guided runners along the course was sentto Curby.
