Published in the Jordan's Crossing Gazette March 2010
While world leaders were failing to do anything meaningful at Copenhagen, three Bundanoon Primary girls were taking care of business. At a time when our governments seem to be lacking in vision and leadership, we can take heart that our young people have a vision for a sustainable future for Bundanoon.
Anna Reid, Clare Shepherd and Ella Grier returned from the YOUth LEADing Australia Climate Congress held in Bowral with their own action plan to start achieving this vision. With 60 young participants aged 11 - 26 years, our regional three-day congress was one of the largest nationwide. Youth delegates gathered to voice their concerns about the state of the planet, and to chart a way forward.
The Bundanoon team was the only primary school from the Highlands represented at the Congress. They worked very efficiently as a team researching, illustrating and presenting their plan to install solar panels with a generating capacity of up to 3Kw on the school roof. The girls calculated that even without factoring in the Government grants available from March this yearm the initial set-up cost of $30,000 would be paid off within five years, and the school would be earning up to $4000 per year from electricity generation.
The invited dignitaries at the Community Forum on day three were undoubtedly impressed that these (then) year 6 girls had also done the economic analysis and come up with creative ideas to foster involvement of all the children and bring their plan to reality, such as:
One facet of the Bundanoon girls presentation at the Congress that was particularly striking was the obvious confidence that the local Bundanoon community would get behind them in this endeavour.
Within weeks of the Congress, the girls had presented their plan to the P&C and the first Mufti fundraising day had been held. Oh, that the world leaders could work so effectively and expediently.
- Sandra Menteith
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