1995 School Magazine

6irlg' @rammsr $dlool T8ridbane 1995

G.E.C.O.

,-flhe Grammar Environmental Conservation Organisation I .onrirt, of a group of str-rdents committed to environ- mental conselvation and increasing awareness of environmen- ta1 issues within the School. Although this year our activities have not been as extensive as we would have liked, we hope that what we have begun can be continued and expanded upon by next year's club. At Easter time, we raffled chocolate bilbies and raised over one hundred dollars in support of the endan- gered bilby. At the end of first term, GECO held an Antarctic immersion afternoon, consisting of a briefing by Mrs Fairlie, who has travelled to the Antarctic wilderness, followed by David Attenborough's documentary, 'Life in the Freezer'. The afternoon allowed GECO members to discover the wonders of the Antarctic region as well as an oppoftunity to discuss the toprc over pizza. During the June/July holidays, four GECO members at- tended the Youth Earth Symposium at Mt \farning. The Symposium consisted of a Foundation weekend, designed to bring focus and relevance to the Environment, and the main weekend, which was held three weeks later. The Symposium brought together secondary school students from South East Queensland and Northern New South \fales who are con- cerned about the environment. Actlvities included workshops, discussions and guest speakers, and at the conclusion all participants felt themselves better eqr-ripped to make a positive contributlon to the environment. Tl-re most concerning environmental issue this year, has certainly been the decision by the President of France, Jacques

Chirac, to recommence nuclear testing in the Pacific. Kirsty Dodsworth, one of the four directors who helped organise the club, responded promptly by initiating petitions to be sent to both our Prime Minister and President Chirac. A letter writing session was also organised where a large percentage of the school was mobilised to voice their dissent against the decision made by the French President. Following the Anti-Nuclear campaign, GECO embarked upon a Paper Recycling Scheme, which involved devoting one lunch hour and one afternoon to mashing paper into pulp and transforming it into recycled paper. Thls paper was sold on School Day, and it is hoped that the Paper Recycling Scheme will become an annual GECO activity, Thanks must go to Mrs Fairlie for her tireless help during the Paper Recycling Scheme and throughout the year, as well as for purchasing two paper maklng kits, that will ensure the contin- Lled existence of the scheme. GECO presently plans to commence an enefgy conseruation campaign within the school, in conjunction with the Year Nine history stlrclents. The extended purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness within the school, concerning environmental issues which affect the school and the wider community. The GECO Club has sr-rcceeded this year in developing new and innovative activities, that will hopefully allow the club to reach greater heights within the school and outside community, in future years.

GECO Back Row (L-R): H larsen, A. Pedersen, A. McTauisb, R. Alssez, M. Sleuenson, V. Paull. K. Fen'ari Tbird Rotl (I-R): K Sduage, A. Douglas, A. Woods, Z. Turner, S. Lockuood, M. Cobn Second Rout (I-R): S Gauuin, K. Ma, S. Monagban. S. Hack, S. Nystrom, E. B.tin, H-J. Kim, S Ashouer Front Ror.o (L-R): A Wong, M. Siu, S. Emerson, K. Dodstttortb, S. Dee,-[. Starhey,J. Hirst, S. "]]odd

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