Small Choices, Big Impact: Wenona's Green Vision for 2025
Environment Week at Wenona is characterised by purpose and practical action, challenging our community to look beyond quick fixes and embrace sustainability as a way of life. Under the theme 'Green in 2025', Environment Captains, Izzy (Year 11) and Sanaya (Year 10), led initiatives designed to spark fun and inspire lasting change.
"Environmental responsibility isn't about big gestures but consistent, mindful choices that become second nature," explained the Captains during Senior School Assembly. They were echoing the philosophy of a long line of previous captains before them, advising the students to share knowledge and set achievable goals in ways that empower rather than overwhelm.
The week's activities balanced fun with purpose: Monday saw students selling green ribbons at the School gates. That afternoon, they prepared brownies to show their appreciation for Tuesday's whole-school clean-up. Wednesday brought the community together for a jewellery sale and bake sale, while the week culminated in Friday's documentary screening of 2040, deepening students' understanding of environmental issues. All funds raised were donated to the World Wildlife Fund.
During their Assembly address, the Captains shared thought-provoking insights about our collective environmental impact. "Did you know that when our good old friend, ChatGPT, was being trained to answer all of our chemistry questions and searches for English techniques, it used over 700,000 litres of fresh water – equivalent to what is required to make over 370 Teslas?" they asked, highlighting the hidden environmental costs of technology that we take for granted. (Large computational servers require substantial energy consumption, which generates heat. Fresh water is then used to maintain temperature and humidity levels.)
The Captains focused on progress rather than panic, saying, “It’s not all doom and gloom, there’s a lot of hope. If we just take a few small actions every day we can make a big contribution to improving the climate.” They suggested simple, consistent actions that any student can incorporate into daily life: asking three people before using ChatGBT, switching off lights before leaving home, turning appliances off at the wall, using double-sided printing, recycling exercise books, considering sustainable transport options, checking packaging for recycling symbols, and arranging RecycleSmart pickup for soft plastics. They also encouraged attendance at their weekly environmental meetings to continue the conversation year-round to give sustainability an even greater emphasis in Wenona life.