Did you know that 30% of Australians receive a gift that they will never use this Christmas? Or that every minute less in the shower saves around 7,000 litres of drinking water per year?
There are also more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in our oceans.
These are some of the facts uncovered by Year 11 Environmental Science students.
The students have been learning about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted by the United Nations in 2015. These goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Inspired by this learning, students Mackenzie and Daniel, want to share their top tips for a sustainable summer. They encourage the VSV community to adopt some small changes from the following list to create positive change:
1. Take the One Song Shower Challenge and start saving water one tune at a time.
2. Mindful shopping – buy only what you need, use a list to help
3. Shop locally instead of online to reduce plastic waste and limit your ecological footprint
4. Mindful food wastage – give everyone leftovers to take home after get-togethers or compost scraps
5. Try to buy second hand by accessing your local op-shop or try hand making gifts
6. Be creative in the way you give gifts by reusing bags or using towels as wrapping
7. Think about the gifts you give and whether it is useful and recyclable and if the person will really use it
8. Donate on people’s behalf so your money is not wasted on an unwanted gift.
9. Buy cards that contain seeds and can be grown into plants
10. Avoid glitter, foil and metallic-coloured coatings as they are not recyclable.
