
Actions for schools
- Recycling incentives
- Paperless meetings
- Enrol a group of teachers in the QTU QUEST online training course, Conversations – what is the role of the teacher in the conversation about environmental sustainability.
- Enable students a voice through clubs/student councils etc.
- Investigate the impact of, and alternates to, single use plastics at your school
- Promote educational resources and links to curriculum in meetings
- Write as a staff to your Local Council to enact policy to address climate change
- Promote Public transport
- Annual sustainability audit by students, or an external professional company
- Offer plant-based options for students and staff in canteens - Meat Free Mondays
- Investigate in using local suppliers
- Reduce food waste
- Reduce water waste
- Reduce consumption – e.g. photocopy reduction
- Recycle Class handouts
- Plant trees
- Compost
- Calculate the carbon footprint of you school – Publish the results
- Speak up! – directly to your local member
- Up the air con +2 degrees makes a difference!
- Buy better bulbs - LEDs
- Pull the plug – reduce the idle load of appliances
- Clean or replace filters in air conditioners every three months.
- Design your workspace around natural light
- Don't drink bottled water.
- Make sure car tires are properly inflated.
- Help track and measure green performance in your building.
- Support your local river clean-up.
- Learn how sea-level rise will affect your area, and the students you teach
- Advocate for better building codes, energy efficiency, and transparency.
- Find out where your local MPs stand on climate change
- Map local air pollution.
- Understand and discuss how the debate became political.
- Discuss, and advocate, for the environment in more concrete terms. The environment is an abstract concept, and until you put a human face to the problem you will not inspire people to act. Write your own story to share with the school community.
- Tackle consumerism (Youth influence)
- Hold a swap day event
- Sharing libraries
- Implement Monash University’s – 7 ways in 7 days program on Climate change
- Review the purchasing policy
- Litter less lunches
- Participation in Clean Up Australia day activities
- Participation in Waste reduction week
- Share what the school is doing with the school community through social media
- Participation in Active and Safe routes to school initiatives
- Explore links to climate change across all subject areas
- Biodegradable cleaning materials
- Switch off the lights
- Use half the lights in a room
- Second hand uniform shop
- Use sustainable uniform suppliers
- Grow a school garden
- Grow a Bush Tucker garden
- Use your Vote.
Actions for the QTU
54. Recycling bins, offices and lunchrooms
55. Investigate the cost of converting to a Hybrid/electric vehicle QTU fleet
56. Car charging stations in carpark
57. Paperless meetings trial at Women’s Conference and Beginning teacher conference
58. Investigate the purchase of a suitable app to support paperless Council meetings
59. Set a target for going paperless
60. Implement Monash University’s – 7 ways in 7 days program on Climate change – Promote these through social media platforms
61. Investigate the alternates to single use plastics at worksites/QTU functions
62. Labour Day shirts – off setting the environmental costs
63. Call on the QCU and ACTU to ensure bi-partisan political support
64. Pressure Government to enact laws and policy to address climate change
65. Become involved in public awareness campaigns
66. Publicise Protest activity to members through member networks
67. Create opportunities for flexible work options e.g. working from home
68. Where possible encourage the use of public transport
69. Annual sustainability audit by external professional company
70. QTU work with QCU committee – Just transitions
71. Work with other public service Unions to organise wider union movement
72. Plant based catering
73. Reduce food waste
74. Reduce water waste
75. Reduce consumption
76. Ask for recycling bins to be provided at large QTU events
77. Provide a section in the Journal, and on the website for links to Union activity around Climate change
78. Recycle where possible
79. Plant trees, trees as gifts
80. Compost bins
81. Review purchase policy – Green procurement
82. Purchase carbon offsets
83. Engage the Gen Z project and Gandu Jarjum for advice and perspectives
84. Calculate footprint of office and events
85. Up the air con, +2 degree makes a difference!
86. Buy better bulbs - LEDs
87. Pull the plug – reduce the idle load
88. Design office workspaces around natural light
89. Don't drink bottled water.
90. Make sure car tires are properly inflated.
91. Support publications reporting on climate change
92. Turn off lights when rooms are not in use
93. Turn off computers overnight
94. Recycle electronic equipment
Recent Policy Positions on the climate emergency
- Education International (EI) Congress Resolutions - Bangkok July 2019
- Council of Pacific Education (COPE) Regional Conference – Fiji October 2019
- AEU Annual Federal Conference Resolutions – Melbourne February 2020
- QTU Policy G – Social and Environmental Issues Policy 2021-2023
- QTU Council – November 2019.
The QTU commends the actions of students in November 2019 who participated in the first climate strike to build pressure on the Morrison government to enact laws and policy that would place Australia at the international forefront on proper action to tackle climate change. We support the democratic right of students to take direct action, giving voice to their real concerns about the impacts of climate change, and protesting the inaction by the federal government.
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