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Our community is developing a range of communal actions during the Lenten season to bring about change in our world. Fundraising throughout the six weeks of Lent will contribute to Project Compassion Campaign that champions the message “Give Lent 100%” which throws a spotlight on our global challenge and how our aspiration for true justice can transform lives.  We are encouraged during Lent to move beyond awareness to action that changes us, others and the world around us. 

During this time of Lent we also express a commitment “to give up something” and forgo one, or some, of our usual pleasures as a commitment to personal discipline and renewal. Prompted by my children to think about what I will give up for Lent, my mind turned to what I and we as a family could do better in the area of caring for our planet.  How could we give up some behaviours that are undermining our planet’s ecology? 

At Tenison Woods College our commitment to care for our planet is inspired by the hope that our young will learn to do the right thing for themselves, their families, our global community, now and for the future.  It is important to realise that our commitment to ecological conversion and sustainability also expresses our Catholic identity to stand with the poorest in our society, walking tenderly and living justly for the benefit of our human family.  Why do we say this?  Because we know that often in situations where our planet is hurting, those affected most by this are the marginalised people, poor and those with least power to effect change. This therefore seems to me to be a wonderful area for further discussion, reflection, and renewed commitment during Lent.    

As a school, we are working on “giving up” in a whole range of areas that are captured in the progress of the following initiatives: 

• College Waste Management Facility to handle all forms of waste, recycling and reconstituting               
• Measuring and reducing power usage
• Lighting replacement and efficiency monitoring
• Solar power commitment and generation, to be off-grid by 2030
• Paper usage reduction – continue our aspiration to reduce by 30%
• TREES Innovation Academy

Our commitment is to become a school site and organisational system that preferences the care for our planet in a very deliberate and nuanced way.  We are tackling this very intentionally and enthusiastically during Lent, but this platform is a body of work that will keep us busy this year and beyond.

So, I ask all families to consider the question: “What could we do better at home that helps us care for our planet?  As I move around the school, I look forward to having those conversations with students, parents and staff.

David Mezinec | Principal

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