Speaking4ThePlanet 2026

On Friday 12 June, MLC School’s Environment Committee and IDEALS Society hosted the annual Speak4ThePlanet Day, founded and coordinated by MLC School Old Girl Robin Smith (1968). It was an opportunity to showcase a variety of expressive entries in written, artistic, and public speaking forms. Each entry provided insight into how important this year’s them ‘For Earth’s sake’ was to teenagers in 2026.

At this year’s Speaking4ThePlanet 2026 we engaged in discussions and activities about environmentalism, which is one of our Round Square IDEALS. There were students from nine local schools who came to participate in the day’s events.

In interviews, a supporting teacher from Santa Sabina said that ‘I’m excited to see the ripple effect that this conference has back at school’ and described how she was eager to see her students presenting their work.

There were five categories: art, recycled art, speaking, writing and open. In the art category, there were a variety of different styles of art presented.

The standard of submissions was exceptional, and congratulations to our student achievers:

Serena Farley (Year 12) – 1st place, Writing
Ava McLean (Year 11) – 2nd place, Recycled Art

Well done to every student who contributed their ideas, creativity and passion to this important cause. Through events like this, our students are not only raising awareness, but they are leading the way forward, showing what it truly means to know that she can make a difference.

The recycled art featured various sculptures, and in an interview with the category winner, Brian from Homebush Boys High School said ‘I wanted to show that our planet is dying. Right here the poor planet is trying to scream into the man’s ear, “please help me, please save me”. Then man looks rich, like someone who can help you. But the thing is, he can’t hear anything or he’s choosing to ignore him (the planet) because he has money in his ear, so he’s blinded by wealth or in this case deafened by wealth.’

In the speaking category, we listened to a diverse range of perspectives and heard from passionate young people within our local community. The writing category allowed each author only 30 words, and 30 seconds to explain their piece. The open category saw all kinds of entries, from dances to music video parodies.

MLC School Round Square Captain, Emily Wu (Year 12) and Environment Captain, Eri Takeshita (Year 12) were exceptional in their duties, presenting professionally and with confidence. Whilst several members of the IDEALS Society and Environment Committee worked tirelessly with the setup, coordination and packing down of what was huge day for MLC School bringing together peers from the local area.

We look forward to the important messages from students in 2027 wherever it will be hosted!

– Piya Kaur (Year 10)

Click on image gallery for full size images.