Lucy M. Gowdie, Head of School
6 September 2024
Spotlight on Sustainability
The social goal of sustainability, this being that people co-exist on the planet over a long period of time, is growing in its urgency for both collective understanding and immediacy of action.
In developing our commitment to a sustainable future, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Michael Dixon to the position of Sustainability Coordinator this past week, and in so doing commence our determination to define, as a school, where we stand in this most important space.
While definitions are disputed and literature varied, we are excited to step into the conversation and begin, over the course of this year, to craft our ICS Commitment to Sustainability, and by extension our society. We will, as we so often do, place our students at the centre of this work.
Our focus, as a school, is to begin to create a context for our future that is framed by the three pillars of sustainability, these being: environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
Each, in their own right, is worthy of our exploration and contemplation. For our young people, whose voices are growing louder in this important space, it is imperative that they see their words become their actions, their courage, their conviction, and that they have meaning attached to the momentum that is sustainability.
As a school, there are vast opportunities for our students to contribute to the conversations we need to have; from mobility and traffic concepts – think electric buses and a car-free campus, to the building project – think construction materials, carbon footprints, and integration of elements that make for a more considerate future – the possibilities are endless.
This commitment, which will evolve in its formation over the course of the year, is best displayed in our Ecovengers movement in the Primary School under the care of Ms Alice Ford and by the work done by the Environmental Action Team (E.A.T), under the gentle guidance of Mr Dixon, and further brought into the broader community by our Environmental Symposium, held annually here at ICS and launched by Mr James Penstone.
It will be further celebrated with the installation of the Primary School Solar Panels this October, made possible by the exceptional work of our Parents Association at this year’s Spring Party.
We are excited to celebrate this milestone with our community, and gently step into a future full of possibility, in our considered, contemplative, and collective way.
It is with intentionality that our strategic direction articulates the imperative of this work:
… that our school cultivates environmentally conscious individuals who adopt a sustainable mindset, empowering them to become changemakers who recognise and respect the interconnectedness of our lifestyles and the health of our planet…
And so it is, that with intent we prepare our commitment as a community to a sustainable future on our island of sanity.
Kind regards,
Lucy M. Gowdie
Head of School