Prem Eco Committee is working hard to highlight the many areas that are recognised by eco schools – the biodiversity on campus, how we deal with rubbish, and health and well-being among them. The exciting thing about living sustainably, however, is that it is not a subject or a unit of inquiry that we learn in G5 or G8 and then put aside and move on to something else. Sustainability needs to become a habit of mind so that we are guided by sustainable thinking in all the decisions we make, from the big decisions about how we might invest our savings to the little decisions over which snack we might purchase, or which brand of training shoes we want to be associated with.

Eco school raises awareness of the many building blocks that need to be considered to help us develop a sustainable habit of mind. If we think more about this, it becomes clear that everyone needs to be involved to develop the awareness and attitudes that will lead to good choices. 

One way to expand the reach of what can be achieved in the classroom is through the Traidhos Wellness Program. This week, we celebrated Blue Skies Day, valuing clean air with a community walk around the tracks and footpaths surrounding our campus. Walkers returned refreshed, invigorated, and quite surprised by the diversity of forest life within a few minutes of school. We hope that cultivating that sense of satisfaction from spending time in natural surroundings will contribute to increased connection with the natural world, and stemming from that, a desire to conserve and restore natural places.

As we move through Sustainable September, we invite parents, friends and families to join us next Saturday the 17 September in Huay Sai Village, the community behind Three-Generation Farm. Here we will celebrate Clean up the World Day by clearing rubbish we find, and identifying the most common rubbish. Our findings may inform a future personal project or be the starting point for other students to take action later in the year. We hope you will join us!

Clean Up the World Day

When: Saturday, 17 September

Starts: 09:30 am in front of the temple in Huay Sai (Unaccompanied Prem students meet at 09:00 am in the Boarding lounge)

Ends: Complete clean up at about 10:15 am

Bring gloves and pickers if you have them (some will be available), and bring a water bottle

Lynda Rolph

Head of Community