The boys at The Scots College are passionate about sustainability and caring for the environment. The integral place of stewardship at the College sees itself unfold with even our youngest students at the Early Learning Centre.

When they begin their Scots experience, Early Learning Centre boys soon become ‘active discoverers’, applying their natural curiosity to the world they know. This directly aligns with the College’s developmental stages, which emphasise the qualities of curiosity and personal growth.

For example, from their first days at the College, boys are encouraged to reduce their environmental impact in a range of simple, effective, and fun ways.

Kindergarten and Year 1 boys in the Scots Extra Activities Art programs, were invited to participate in Woollahra Municipal Council’s environmentally inspiring kids’ Truck Art Competition. The theme was, ‘Create Compost, Not Landfill’. What better way to deliver this important message to our community than through colourful and expressive artworks? Artworks were then selected for promotion on local garbage trucks – for everyone to see!

The boys have become more conscious of living things in their environment, including an awareness of the impact of human activity. They are learning practical life skills and even ways to grow and source food from the garden. 

For many years, the Early Learning Centre has committed to ‘Waste Free Wednesdays’. Boys bring their recess and lunch in reusable containers (avoiding plastic wraps etc.) and take home any zip-lock bags. Scots’ youngest students discover that food can be fresh, natural, sustainable, and fun! 

The boys’ recent initiative to join forces with Tread Lightly, an Australian company that recycles unwanted sports and active lifestyle shoes to make other products, was a huge success. The recycled shoes make other products such as gym mats, retail store flooring and playground flooring. It was incredibly practical and fun. Families decluttered the house while making a huge difference. To the staff’s amazement, on collection day, there was a big pile of shoes. We filled up the whole container!