It's always pleasing to see young people taking active steps to improve our natural world, so I'd like to extend my congratulations to the staff and students at St John Vianney Primary School in Morisset who were named the winners of both the 'Innovation' and 'Ongoing Commitment' categories in the 2021 Lake Macquarie School Environment Awards. Under the guidance of assistant principal Nicki Graham, students from the school's Caring Actions and Respect for the Environment [CARE] Club have tirelessly toiled to make their school an environmentally friendly and sustainable place to learn.

The club consists of 20 students from years 3 to 6 who have implemented several innovative ideas such as Meat-free Monday, Waste-free Wednesday and have built a frog hotel. The CARE Club also executes weekly audits of soft plastics in students' lunch boxes in a bid to reduce waste in the school. Moreover, they've also created a native garden, a vegetable garden and a compost area which they care for. St John Vianney Primary may be a little school with just 120 students, but it certainly achieves some great things. My congratulations to all involved.