Year 6 students from Holy Trinity Primary School, Curtin, had the privilege of attending a morning tea for the launch of ‘Plastic Free July’ at Government House.

Sustainability leaders, Lucy, Emilia, Sara, Edie and Jenna, were invited to the morning tea by founder of ‘Plastic Free July’, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. The initiative encourages Australians to take action against the plastic that pollutes our oceans and environment by foregoing the use of single-use plastics throughout July.

Rebecca had heard about some of the initiatives that the Sustainability Leaders had been executing at Holy Trinity and was very impressed with the girls’ work. This year they have implemented ‘Waste Free’ lunch boxes, organised the switch to reusable cutlery in the school canteen, daily sustainability tips at morning announcements and the school’s thriving Gardening Club.

Lucy, Emilia and Year 3 and 4 teacher Caitlin Meany, attended a pre-audience with Their Excellencies the Governor-General David Hurley and his wife, Linda. The girls had the opportunity to discuss the changes in Australia away from single use plastics, their learning in the area of sustainability, their Unit of Inquiry and upcoming Year 6 Exhibition about sustainability.

The Governor General launched ‘Plastic Free July’, reminding students that they are the future leaders of Australia and their efforts reducing plastic in their school community makes a difference.

Lucy was invited to address the audience, sharing Holy Trinity’s perspective on sustainability. She spoke of her passion about reducing single-use plastic waste.

“For ‘Plastic Free July’ at Holy Trinity, we are challenging our parents and teachers to ditch their takeaway coffee cups,” said Lucy. “I believe that just because plastic may be easier, it’s ending animals’ lives and it can be ending some human lives as well. I have a big passion that we need to shift so that our environment can stay healthy,” she said.

“We are incredibly proud of the sustainability leaders for representing Holy Trinity so well at such a important event,” said Caitlin Meany. “We also admire their leadership and look forward to participating in ‘Plastic Free July’,” she said.

Speech given by Lucy Morris, Year 6, at the event

Good morning Your Excellency Governor General and Your Excellency Mrs Hurley, distinguished visitors and invited guests.

My name is Lucy and this is Emilia. We are Year 6 students at Holy Trinity Primary School nearby in Curtin and members of the sustainability team.

Sustainable practices are embedded in our school community both in our words and actions.

Our School Reconciliation Action Plan gives us Aboriginal perspectives on sustainable practices, stemming from respect for the land we share, that has been cared for, for many thousands of years by the Ngunnawal people.

As an International Baccalaureate school, we have a sustainable global perspective with actions on a local level. 

For example, we have a green tuckshop that uses recyclable serve ware. We have a kitchen garden that produces food for classes to cook with (such as a delicious basil pesto), for tuckshop use, with extra food going home to the school community families. The kitchen garden is cared for by the gardening club. Our food scraps from lunch boxes are collected and fed to worms. We encourage rubbish free lunch boxes and ‘nude foods’ which is both healthier for our bodies and healthy for the earth.

At our morning announcements, sustainability team leaders share tips for sustainable practices such as encouraging containers instead of plastic packaging, use a jumper instead of the heater or something as small as take a shorter shower to save water.

Our preschool at Holy Trinity is creating a new outdoor play space into a nature play adventure garden to embrace the nature we have around us.

Finally, as a Catholic school we have an appreciation that God has given us a beautiful world to live in and we have a responsibility to care for it.

Thank you for inviting us and allowing us to share our perspective.