Congratulations to five Year 12 students’ who have won the UNAAWA Global Goals Challenge (Secondary) for their innovative Sustainable Plastics Solutions project seeking a seaweed based alternative.
MSC implemented “The MSC Innovation Unit” course this year which develops understanding of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and global interconnections. Through project based learning students work in teams to define real-world problems for sustainability, devise and implement authentic solutions in their local, regional, national and/or global community.
The winning group (Koby McCosker-Nordern, Laragh O’Reilly, Monique Reeve, Sonia Burke and Taylor Kovacs) stated “Our aim was to help reduce plastic pollution to protect marine life and restore our waterways, and so we came up with our project – Sustainable Plastic Solutions. As a group, we were saddened to discover the tragic loss of wildlife due to plastic pollution, which rakes in at an estimated 100 million deaths per year. Not only that, but we were alarmed to learn of the damages that plastic does to human life when its harmful chemicals are released into our water and soil. This swiftly prompted us to begin researching biodegradable plastic. We experimented through many trials and many errors, to find a recipe which transforms dry seaweed into a flexible, thin, and durable plastic. Using seaweed solves a local problem with our beaches inundated with vast amounts of seaweed during the winter months.”
A highly commendable was also awarded to four Manea Senior College students (Tahlia, Bosveld, Faye Santos, Gwyn Divino and Ebony Smith) for the development of a Recycling Hub Station at the College. Manea Senior College implemented the three-bin system (FOGO, general waste and recycling in 2018-2019. The group decided that they wanted to further the College’s progress in being a sustainable environment, by set up the Recycling Hub, which provides the opportunity to both staff and students to recycle more items, such as batteries, pens, mobile phones, and glasses, further diverting our waste from landfill.
Carissa Campagnolo, Kapri Maxwell, Reif Comley and Blake de Gruchy were also awarded as Finalist for developing an educational video “The Three Bin System” to assist other educational facilities to implement the “three bin system” (recycling, FOGO and general waste) as Manea Senior College has successfully done as they believe that it is vital that educational facilities, teach and model how to manage limit and be responsible for their waste.
Zoe Carter and Hannah Archbold were also awarded the Finalist for the development of their Bins and Dump Truck Sustainability Game. This aim of the game is to educate the players on what waste items goes in each of the following bin; ‘recycling, general waste and FOGO bins’. Our goal is for schools to implement the three bin system and use the game to support student understanding of how to correctly use the bins, which will ultimately lead to less wastage and contamination of the rubbish trucks that pick up the bins.
Two of Manea Senior College’s Teachers were recognised as Finalist in the World Techers’ Day Awards.
Michele Watson for developing and implementing the United Nations Association of Australia Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program (known as the Innovation Unit) at Manea Senior College. Manea Senior College is the first school in Western Australia to successfully implement the program as a stand-alone senior secondary course. The Innovation Unit is a comprehensive approach through project based learning to develop the general capabilities and enterprise skills at the College through innovation and enterprise. Within the program, Michele has guided her students to examine the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the aim of promoting holistic education and empowering students to be active change agents and responsible citizens through thinking globally and acting locally, to make a difference.
Lynette Hillier has developed and implemented a Blue Swimmer Crab Monitoring Program with students studying general science at Manea Senior College. The program involves students monitoring the health and population of the popular Blue Swimmer Crabs in the Bunbury region. Through catch and release, students collect and record a variety of data on the crabs which contributes to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) data base, allowing research scientists to closely monitor and manage crab stocks in the Bunbury region.
