2022 marked the fifth year of CEDoW's Environmental Education Grants program, a significant support to the ecological conversion journey of our diocesan schools.

These grants have been offered to schools since 2018 and have enabled schools to engage in inspiring, practical and affirming ecological projects that have contributed positively to our world. Each year schools are invited to apply for a grant of $2,000 for an ecological project that is connected to an action from their School Environment Management Plan (SEMP). 

Following hot on the heels of the celebrations for Laudato Si' Week our schools celebrated World Environment Day through prayer and action, exploring the theme ONLY ONE EARTH.

Despite floods and the chaos of road closures it was wonderful to have the WEN Teacher Contact group still able to gather together face-to-face for their annual professional development day. This day is always a valued opportunity for formation and collaboration, sharing ideas and experiences in the ecological space for the WEN group of teachers.

With the pandemic we continue to witness the generation of an enormous amount of waste that goes to landfill or collects in waterways and bushland. One culprit is the disposable mask.

Like many of our CEDoW schools, the staff and students at Holy Spirit College Bellambi continue to seek ways of lessening their environmental footprint and are utilising TerraCycle to collect and recycle some of the masks used across the school community.

With the arrival of Spring, school communities across the Wollongong Diocese have joined in with the global family to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation marking the beginning of the annual Season of Creation which runs from 1st September and concludes on 4th October.

We are often reminded of the phrase, act local, think global. At Mt Carmel Catholic College Varroville this phrase is being put into action in a Christ-centred way that fosters a sense of community and nurtures a culture of service through initiatives that promote stewardship and care for our Common Home.

Embracing the idea, 'You are never too small to make a difference', over 100 students representing Catholic primary schools from across the Diocese of Wollongong attended the inaugural Primary Student WEN Day which was held at St Paul’s Catholic Parish Primary School in Albion Park. 

St Patricks Primary School’s Living Classroom is a beacon of sustainability in the Catholic schools of New South Wales. This verdant cornucopia is a thriving food garden and inspiring learning oasis.

St Brigid’s Catholic Parish Primary School in Gwynneville held two drives during Term Three where more than 5,700 recyclable drink containers were collected and deposited to the Vinnies Return and Earn depot in Unanderra.

CEDoW schools have marked the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and the Season of Creation with prayer, liturgy and actions that demonstrate a strong commitment to raising awareness and caring for our common home.

This year's celebration of National Tree Day was an opportunity for CEDoW schools to pray for and take action on behalf of native forests, wildlife and the protection of habitats.

When the students at St Justin's Oran Park came back to school in Term 3 they were gifted with the lovely sight of a brand new garden space. Over the holiday break a number of keen staff members got together to kick start the SJOP garden.

Schools across our diocese recently celebrated World Environment Day through prayers and actions that invited their communities to take ownership of their environment and actively engage in the protection of our earth.

During Laudato Si’ Week, the Holy Spirit united Catholics on six continents, where we deepened our connection with each other and creation by participating in webinars and local activities. Many of our CEDoW schools joined in too. At St Thomas More Ruse, they did not let remote learning get in the way of celebrating.

To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si', Pope Francis has invited Catholics to participate in Laudato Si' Week, a nine-day global campaign taking place May 16-24, 2020.

Social distancing, remote learning and the restraints of COVID-19 have not stopped our school communities from seeking ways to stay connected. One initiative is 'Growing Together Through COVID-19' which has been introduced at Holy Family Ingleburn and Stella Maris Shellharbour.