Reflections

Dr Jane Goodall is world-leading primatologist who has spent decades at the forefront of conservation.

Dr Goodall says poverty and unsustainable lifestyles are among the main drivers of environmental destruction.

For all humankind's flaws and destructive behaviours, Jane Goodall believes we can still save the Earth.

Now 88, she's as focused as ever on bettering the planet, wanting to "speed up" rather than slow down while there's still "so much to be done" for the environment - and everyone has a part to play.

June 5th is World Environment Day.

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for 50 years and held annually on 5 June since 1973, World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world. 

What can you do?

Refuse, reduce, re-use, and recycle your plastics.

Why?

Motivation to choose to refuse single use and other plastic items...

“Between 2013 and 2015, I sailed around the world in a small catamaran. I sailed in the Indian Ocean and there, clearly, I sailed in plastic waste for nearly two months. It was a shock. Sometimes I had to stop 40 times a day because the waste was stuck in my rudders, in my daggerboards. I had been lucky enough to do that same circumnavigation as a child, and when I talk about it with my parents, they tell me they never had to pick up a piece of plastic waste in the sea.”   

“‘How inseparable is the bond between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace” 

(Pope Francis ‘Laudato Si’ – On Care for Our Common Home’ 2015 para 10)

Through his encyclical, Laudato Sí , Pope Francis provides advice on how to address these world problems. 

This Friday, May 20th, is World Bee Day.

World Bee Day is held in recognition of the role bees play in sustaining food security, biodiversity, ecosystems health... and ultimately humans and many other species. 

At Merici we will be holding a lunchtime stall on Friday 20 May offering honey joys for $1 and beeswax lip balm for $3 made by students.

Proceeds will be donated to Wheen Bee Foundation, towards the Rita Fund for Australian Native Bees.

As it gets cooler, there are multiple instances of heaters at school being turned up as high as they can go, and even left on overnight as high as 27 degrees overnight.

Please: Regularly check that heaters are set no higher than 22 degrees

Used paper towel is often found in the yellow recycling bins at Merici.

Paper towels are not recyclable and cannot be disposed of alongside your other paper and cardboard recyclables.

Although paper towels are typically made using wood or cardboard, the process that gets them kitchen-ready makes them non-recyclable. 

Plus, they can also be contaminated with toxic or non-organic products.

Unbleached paper towels can go in the compost.

Others must sadly go to landfill.