Social Innovation
- June 24, 2021

Social Innovation
The Eco Sisters were fortunate to have Mrs Oaten join our meeting this week to discuss the Strategic Plan for 2021-2025. Mrs Oaten explained how the College believes empowering students to act on issues that impact people, and our planet is vital in establishing women of Mercy.
I believe environmental awareness is an increasingly popular issue within our community and so it was fantastic to hear strategic opportunities such as implementing green initiatives to demonstrate commitment to stewardship outlined in the College’s strategic plan.

Things we have worked on this year
- Sales of eco-friendly items at the fundraising events: eco-friendly hand wash, essential oils, wax wraps, reusable shopping bags with the Eco Sister logo, and cards with seeds inside them
- Collecting used sports equipment to support Indigenous communities
- Continuing to collect plastic water bottles, batteries, e-waste, and paper
- Eco Sisters garden, next to the solar shelter. Planting of WA natives, to promote water-wise plants and plants that are native to WA so that they support local insects.
- Have just added a native bee house to the garden.
- Collecting milk bottle plastic lids – to send to the Lids for Kids program to make toysÂ
- Plan to make an artwork from the lids in Term 3

What we would like to achieve
One of the things we would like to achieve is a mural of a Western Swamp Tortoise created with milk bottle lids. We are hopeful that this will occur by the end of Term 3 to make an observable eco-mark on the College.
Eco Sister members have worked extremely hard throughout the course of the year, and it has been such a privilege to interact with such a passionate group of girls from Years 7-12. I am super excited for the future of our Eco Sisters co-curricular and can’t wait to see it prosper in the years to come! Â
Monique D’Amato | Eco Justice Captain
Below, Monique shares 8 tips on how you can live more sustainably at home.

- Featured, SocialInnovation, Stewardship
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.