Project Zero Global Inspiration

Before school today, Sixth Form students on the Eco-Schools Committee chatted to a young social entrepreneur in Australia via Skype to share ideas about sustainability as part of Project Zero.

Our Eco-Schools Committee convene each week to mobilise Project Zero – an ambitious pupil-led initiative to significantly reduce the school’s environmental impact by our 150th anniversary in 2026. The girls have already implemented plant-based compostable Vegware to replace polystyrene lunch boxes and plastic cutlery, eliminated single use plastic cups in the canteen, and set up recycling points for pens, crisp packets and batteries. The committee members proactively seek new ideas and inspiration on how to improve the school’s eco-credentials.

This morning they went global with their fact-finding, speaking to Australia’s ‘Unleashed’ Entrepreneur of the Year and founder of social enterprise BeeSustainable Eco Food Wraps. Emily Tinker, a pioneering 15 year old pupil at Mentone Girls’ Grammar school near Melbourne, came up with the idea to make colourful beeswax wraps as part of a young enterprise scheme – as a replacement for clingfilm, the wraps can be washed and reused, lasting up to 12 months. Emily makes the wraps in her kitchen at home and is passionate about developing new products for a more sustainable future.

On the Skype call, the girls discussed the importance of educating and engaging others about the impact of their consumption choices. Together they came up with ideas for a new South Hampstead ‘environment week’ and felt inspired by the fact that even the smallest behavioural shifts by a few people – when replicated globally – can have a positive impact and affect change.