The group has been set up to give students with an interest in the environment and climate a chance to have their say on the school’s sustainability policies and help manage its carbon footprint – but also to nurture the confidence and knowledge they’ll need in the face of a changing climate. 

MEC’s groundsman and sustainability officer, Troy Butler, who established the group, wants to show the students that they can make positive change as individuals, as a small group, and as part of the wider community.

 “The kids are hearing a lot about climate change, sustainability and recycling – it’s complicated, the bigger picture,” he says, “but through this group we can break it down and make it an easier and much more approachable task for the future.”

The group now boasts 23 passionate student members – drawn from both primary and secondary years – who are eager to make a difference. At the top of their agenda is to improve the school’s approach to waste and recycling, with plans to introduce a four-stream waste and recycling system in 2022. It’s an initiative supported by Central Goldfields Shire Council, which has offered the school free food scrap recycling bins and free removal of its food waste. The group is also looking at running ‘clean up’ days to remove rubbish and waste from the bushland surrounding the school. 

Troy is immensely proud of the students and can see their work gaining momentum over the coming years as they develop their leadership skills and knowledge of the problems they seek to solve. “I’m a gardener for a reason: from seeds, big things grow.”