With the rallying call, "You're never too small to make a difference", Primary students from across the diocese gathered recently at OLHC School Rosemeadow for a day exploring ecological issues and challenges, sharing ideas for environmental action and being commissioned as Eco Ambassadors for their schools.

Accompanied by each school's WEN Teacher Contact, students experienced ecological prayer and reflection, a keynote address from Plastic Oceans Australasia, networking across schools and presentations highlighting green actions from Ss Peter & Paul Kiama, St Michael's Mittagong, St Patrick's Port Kembla and St Brigid's Gwynneville. A component of the day was also the sharing of waste free lunches and eco friendly name badges.

Students were made aware of some of the environmental challenges that we face and how we can respond. The problem of "fast fashion" was explored and the students had the opportunity to "re-purpose" an old t-shirt and created a carry bag to raise awareness. They also co-constructed a "Creation Prayer" that schools can use for specific environmental days, such as Laudato Si' Week, World Environment Day, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and the Season of Creation.

The culmination of the day was each school's sharing of their piece of the jigsaw puzzle for environmental action and the commissioning of the students as Eco Ambassadors for their school. It will be exciting to see how these Eco Ambassadors lead and support eco initiatives at their school, raising awareness of how we all can make a difference and show care for our common home.