Sustainability snapshot: Starting 2022 strong

In a world where sustainability and responsible living is top of mind, schools just like Trinity need to have the right systems in place to ensure each individual student can act on their own personal responsibility. The Trinity Environmental and Sustainability Committee is making that happen. 

If you have been keeping an eye out on the School grounds, you may have noticed a small team of dedicated Trinity staff driving new initiatives around the School to reduce impact and increase environmentally options throughout our community.  

Those passionate people are a part of the Trinity Environmental and Sustainability Committee.

“Sustainable approaches have always been a part of the School,” Mr Stephen Heanly, who heads up the team, says. “Now we are looking forward to building momentum, with a specific group that will create initiatives., track and monitor the results, and then evaluate and modify accordingly.” 

The team, which only formed in late 2020, is already doing just that. Analysing the School’s waste and recycling processes, resource management and current sustainable packaging efforts to understand how the School is tracking and how we can be doing better. 

Summarising the story so far, the team put together a Sustainability Snapshot for 2021 to help guide initiatives in 2022: 

These numbers help us to understand just how crucial the Trinity Environmental and Sustainability Committee’s role is within the School. The team have created some big goals to achieve by 2023, including: 

• Landfill diversion of 50% 
• Increase energy efficiency by 5% 
• Increase water efficiency by 5% 
• Increase the amount of sustainable packaging to 90% 

They’re already well on their way to achieving these. 2023 is not far away after all – the team is determined and ready to make it simple for everyone to do their part and contribute to a brighter future. So far they have: 

• Introduced signage across the School for recycle, organic and general waste as well in addition to reminders to save water and switch off lights 
• Created a new waste system for common room, due to be installed this year
• Introduced new external campus waste systems, incorporating organic bins for staff and students 
• Introduced new LED lighting in TAS staffroom and classrooms
• Implemented new packaging system in the cafeteria featuring BIO Pak products and prioritising compostable packaging

Mr Heanly says it’s all about taking it one step at a time and not taking up causes that might be a flash in the pan but doing things that will really last. It’s clear that the committee is dedicated to this, heading up initiatives right across the School that make it easier for students and staff alike to engage in sustainable practices and understand the importance of acting on personal responsibility.