Written by: Andy Clapperton, Head of Learning
At the very centre of our Mission at YCIS is the concept of aspiring and acting to make positive change in our world, and with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day last week it was wonderful to see our students at the forefront as change-makers.
Ann ’21 was at the heart of the development of a range of online and offline activities that took place on Friday, April 24 in order to get our community thinking about what we can and should do to move ourselves towards alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Cognisant that the idea of Climate Action can seem like an overwhelming concept for the individual, the Environmental Committee invited d’Arcy Lunn, founder of the NGO Teaspoons of Change, to carry out a series of workshops around the crucial notion that we can all take small but significant steps that added together have a great impact on our planet. These Zoom sessions were well attended and extremely engaging. In particular, he gave us a live tour of his tiny house – a purpose built sustainable dwelling that is completely self-sufficient – explaining how features such as the solar panels and the compost toilet help the accommodation achieve extremely minimal negative environmental impact.
Throughout the programme of activities, our students stepped up as globally competent and compassionate leaders, acting for a better world, and the activities Ann ’21 and team put together certainly made for a rich learning experience!
Quote from Ann: The climate crisis is becoming more and more severe, so change needs to happen. No question about it. I think taking action is our responsibility as citizens of the Earth; it is devastating to imagine that our future generations will have to live in a world where natural disasters are more and more frequent, resources are depleted, habitats are falling apart, and biodiversity is lost at an ever more frequent rate.
I hope that members of the YCIS community will continue participating in great initiatives such as The Million Tree Project, and also focus on the little things that can make a difference, such as switching off the lights and air-conditioner every time someone leaves a room, refusing single-use straws, forks and spoons, and gradually making those behavioural changes a natural habit.