Young students' passion to protect the planet

Time is ticking to find a solution to climate change, and the students at Brightwater State School are helping to stop the clock.

GREEN THUMBS: Mia Bouris, 10, and Laura Bradford, 10, tending to Brightwater State School's vegie garden. Picture: Eden Boyd

TIME is ticking to find a solution to climate change and the students at Brightwater State School are helping to stop the clock.

The young green leaders are rising to the climate challenge through initiatives at school, such as tending to vegie gardens and waste-management practices.

Last week the school held a Day of Climate Action, encouraging kids to wear hand-me-down clothing and to reduce plastic in lunches.

Student Laura Bradford, 10, was disappointed in our country's leader's attitude to climate change.

"I feel annoyed that the people who have power aren't doing the right thing,” Laura said.

"Just because we're little and we aren't the president, doesn't mean we don't have a voice for the future of our planet.”

Putting systems in place that will outlive us is important to Laura.

"I want to fix climate change because I know if one day I have kids, that I don't want this world to be bad for them,” she said.

Another student, Mia Bouris, 10, said we "wouldn't be alive” without the environment.

"We're so blessed to have an amazing environment, so we're the ones that should be looking after it,” Mia said.

Brightwater State School Apex teacher Joanna Donlan is proud of her students for coming up with bold and innovative solutions to the climate issue.

"I think children today are hearing a lot of noise about climate change, and they're feeling quite concerned about the future,” she said.

"Sustainability and climate change weren't even topics of conversation in schools a few years ago, but little by little students are now motivated to change the environmental landscape.”