On 12 March this year, Carey celebrated our first Sustainability Assembly with our Year 11 students. The assembly featured guest speaker Lucianne Tonti who gave a wonderful presentation on the topic of Sustainable Fashion and the Future of the Fashion Industry. Lucianne’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion featuring four panellists (three of whom are Carey alumni) currently working in careers directly related to the issue of sustainability. You can read more about Lucianne and the panellists below.
The program was run by Harry (Year 12) who is the leader of the Senior School Eco-Warriors, Carey’s student environment group in Senior School, with the support of a number of students from Year 11. Bridie started the program with an Acknowledgement of Country that emphasised the role we all have to play in caring for Country, and Harry was outstanding in his role as host for the presentation by Lucianne Tonti. Willem, Nathaniel, Louis and Morris led questions from the audience. Mollie, Amelia and Penghui also did an excellent job with the roving microphones during question time. Hugo and Lewis demonstrated considerable skill in the difficult task of hosting the panel discussion, and Harry closed the event with a video and announcement about the opportunities currently available to our Senior School Eco-Warriors. These include, particularly, participation in an Environmental Leadership Training Program and the development of Wildlife Garden at Carey’s Kew campus. Both programs will have the benefit of expert guidance from staff at CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies), and sponsorship from Boroondara Council.
Together with ongoing work directed towards reducing our carbon emissions, water consumption and landfill, we are looking forward to some real progress in the sustainability sphere this year.
A huge thank you to our speaker and panellists for their contributions and to the students for their outstanding leadership throughout the assembly program.
Julie Wetherbee
PhD Experimental Marine Ecology, PhD Candidate Indigenous Education and Education Policy
Teacher and convenor of Carey Eco-Warriors, Carey student alliance for regenerative futures
Guest Speaker
Lucianne Tonti
Lucianne Tonti has worked as a sustainable fashion consultant and journalist in Melbourne, Sydney, London and Paris. She is the Fashion Editor for The Saturday Paper and a regular contributor to The Guardian where she writes the column ‘Closet Clinic’ about how to care for your clothes. She recently released her first book on sustainable fashion, Sundressed: Natural Fibres and the Future of Fashion, which takes a future-oriented approach to the examination of current practices in the fashion industry and makes the case for a sustainable future made possible by natural fibres, high quality products and consumer education. Lucianne launched her own sustainable fashion site, Prelude, in October 2020 and has been lauded by Vogue magazine for ‘paving the way to a slower, gentler fashion industry’.
Panellist: Careers in Sustainability
Scott McKenry
After graduating from Carey in 1994, Tim went on to complete a Bachelor of Applied Science at Swinburne University and a Bachelor of Science at Latrobe University, specialising in Environmental Science. Scott is currently the Executive Officer for the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA), a formal collaboration of eight councils committed to facilitating the transition to net zero in their local regions by 2023. His previous roles have included Founder and Director of Citizen Consulting, Engagement, and Manager for ClimateWorks Australia.
Panellist: Careers in Sustainability
Johanna Tachas
Johanna graduated from Carey in 2015. After leaving Carey, she completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Ecology and Environmental Biology, and a Graduate Certificate in Environmental Management at the Australian National University, Canberra. Johanna is currently working as a Program Officer for The Nature Fund with responsibilities including program documentation, project planning, stakeholder communication and networking across government departments to encourage and facilitate conservation of threatened species. Her previous roles have included Program Manager for Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement with the Port Philip Region, and Co-ordinator of Volunteers for Coastcare Victoria.
Panellist: Careers in Sustainability
Tim Bush
Tim graduated from Carey in 2004 and went on to complete a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering at Monash University. Tim is currently working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the role of APAC Sustainability Lead – Data Centre Design where he is involved in reducing carbon dioxide emissions of AWS’s new data centres. His previous roles include Associate Director of Norman, Disney and Young, and Director – LEED Certification (SANGHA Specialised Hospitals Program)
Panellist: Careers in Sustainability
Ashlee Lambton
Ashlee is currently working with the Eastern Alliance for Sustainable Learning (EASL), specialising in the ResourceSmart Schools Program in which she works directly with schools, including Carey, to support them in the implementation of the program. She also works as the Student Equity Outreach Coordinator at Swinburne University of Technology. Her previous roles have included Science Presenter and Education for PrimeSCI at Swinburne University, and the In2science Co-ordinator, also at Swinburne University. Ashlee completed a Bachelor of Science at Deakin University, majoring in cell and molecular biology, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Science Communication at the Australian National University in Canberra.
