Meet the Climate Canons, a group of St Norbert College students driving change at school to better the environment.
The Climate Canons were established in May 2018, after 15 Year 9 students participated in the Australian Youth Climate Change Climate Justice Summit. Our two days, students learnt about climate science, climate impacts and how they can lead solutions in their school and community. They heard from inspiring speakers on the frontline of climate change and from students who were already enacting change in their own schools. This inspired the students to establish their own sustainability group, the Climate Canons, named after the Norbertine Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré.
Six years on, the student-led action group of 55 volunteers drive a myriad of sustainability projects at the College and in the local community. It’s not often a week goes by without the Climate Canons being seen around the College educating fellow students on environmental issues facing our world. Whilst the Climate Canons have already instigated enormous change at the College, with the motto ‘Keep Fighting the Good Fight’, there’s more to come.
The Climate Canons agenda is about educating staff and students about the impacts of climate change and the positive changes they can made to help reduce our impact on energy and waste, as well as implementing positive, achievable changes at the College to reduce our carbon footprint. Pope Francis once said, ‘may the relationship between man and nature not be driven by greed, to manipulate and exploit, but may the divine harmony between beings and creation be conserved in the logic of respect and care’. It is the Climate Canons wish to achieve this harmony, one step at a time.
The Climate Canons are so much more than a group of recyclers. They drive major environmental change at St Norbert College in waste and e-waste collection, water saving, plastic reduction, plant rejuvenation, education and recycling. They meet regularly to plan, promote and assess new and ongoing projects both at the College and in the local community. Just some of their activities and achievements, under the guidance of our Climate Canons Co-ordinator, Miss Danielle Pisconeri, include:
- City of Canning tree planting initiatives
- National Tree Day events
- NAIDOC Week events
- Sea Shepherd mentoring program with Jeff Hansen (Director of Sea Shepherd Australia)
- Sea Shepherd marine debris clean up events
- Total Green Recycling excursion
- Reuse and recycling of e-waste incursion
- City of Canning/Total Green Recycling e-waste community drive
- Containers for Change recycling program, with unique recycling bins designed inhouse
- Paper and cardboard recycling program
- Medical blister pack recycling
- Plastic lids recycling in partnership with Claw Environmental
- Metal ring pull recycling in partnership with Wheelchairs for Kids
- Reuse of coffee grinds in composting and gardens
- Soft and hard plastic recycling program
- Collecting old/unusable writing tools to recycle the plastic
- Weather Wednesdays to reduce energy use
- Implementation of solar panels
- Clean up Australia Day events
- Laudato Si endorsements
- WasteSorted Schools Student Meets
- Catholic Earthcare School
- Catholic Earthcare Youth Summit
- Water Corporation Think Tank Challenge finalist
Environmental stewardship is an important focus for the Climate Canons and is an extension of our six College values. It also incorporates the values of Traditional Owners of the Queens Park/Woodlupine area by respecting traditional methods of sustainability.
