For People and Planet: Amnesty and Enviro

Human rights and protecting the planet – what could be more important? A crew of Fortians dedicate time each week to campaigning for environmental and political justice, and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that they are making a real difference.

Last year students from the Enviro group helped to change the law. They made submissions to the Environmental Protection Agency calling for cleaner air, and some months later received emails telling them that the Protection of the Environment Operations (Clean Air) Regulation 2022 would shortly come into effect, tightening air emissions standards. Then the Enviro group, with a grant from council via the P&C, and help from the Amnesty group, members of the vocal ensemble and a good number of staff, planted and managed to keep alive over a hundred local native trees, forming a carbon sink for the future, creating habitat for native creatures and building a cooler microclimate for the school (large trees lower local temperatures by as much as 8 degrees). Our composting program is under way, reducing the school’s carbon footprint as staff, and an increasing number of students, place waste vegetable matter in compost bins around the school. (Food waste causes up to a third of global carbon emissions, so this is important.)

The Amnesty group will have been excited to hear that Maria Ressa, journalist and human rights activist from the Philippines, has been liberated, following their letters to the Philippine embassy on her behalf. The many petitions and emails they write are, statistically, preserving life and mitigating injustice in ways we don’t even know about across the planet. And the Amnesty fundraiser barbeque at the end of the year, with its vegetarian as well as carnivorous offerings, was a fun and lucrative accompaniment to the staff-student soccer match!

This year the Amnesty group will be led by Ms Margaret Hurrell. They will meet on Fridays at lunch in the Flexible Learning Space.

The Composting Team will be coordinated by Ms Angelica Catalan. The composters have a fortnightly roster, and their duties are acknowledged by house points. They should watch the Environment Group Google Classroom for updates.

The Environment group will meet with me on Thursdays at lunch, either in the Flexible Learning Space or on the sandstone steps on the oval (check Google Classroom for our plans).

New members are more than welcome!

Elizabeth Maddox