Did you know GESS has a Green & Care Committee? We speak with two of the student representatives – Jonas Zhou and Sophie Autenrieth, both currently in Grade 11 – about the exciting initiatives and activities they have been part of.
Introduce yourselves, and what the GESS Green & Care Committee is about.
[ Jonas ] Hello, my name is Jonas and I am the Head of the Green and Care Committee this year. The objective and the role of the committee within the school is to raise awareness for climate change as well as to inform students on how to lead a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.
[ Sophie ] Hi, I am Sophie and I am the Vice Head of the “Green Team”. I am in Grade 11 and I have only been part of this team for the last school year. Our goal is to spread awareness about our environment and the issues that arise with global warming and pollution. We strive to make a difference, and even though we are still young, we want to have an impact in the future of our earth.
We heard about your participation at the Student Climate Summit 2024 – tell us how was the experience. What was the work involved and what were your learnings from the event?
[ Jonas ] Being able to participate at the Student Climate Summit was a very cool opportunity and one that we learnt a lot from. Sophie, Caroline and I put in a lot of work to create a video on the measures that the school, as well as Singapore as a whole, takes to be environmentally friendly and sustainable.
[ Sophie ] For me, the experience was a bit nerve-wracking, as I have never spoken in front of so many people. But it was worth it, because I knew our contribution would have an impact on all the people watching us. And even though a lot of hard work went into our project, the feeling of making a difference was rewarding enough.
GESS has also been invited to be part of EuroCham’s Sustainability Awards more than once. How was the experience for you – and for Jonas who has been involved both times?
[ Jonas ] Both of the times I have been able to participate were very insightful for me and helped me acquire many new skills as well as hone old ones. Rarely does one get the chance to speak about such pressing issues in front of that many important people. Not to mention the video-making process was a lot of fun too!
[ Sophie ] For me, I have only attended once, but still I would say the experience was great! I learned a lot during the process of making a video for the EuroCham’s Sustainability Awards and I hope I will participate again next year.
Jonas, you had an internship at BluCurrent, our AI-driven fish farming BeyondClassrooms partner. How was the experience like?
[ Jonas ] It was an unconventional internship, to say the least, but that is exactly what drew me to it. The work we did was very diverse, from cleaning the fish tanks to programming an algorithm, to measuring the length and weight of fishes through a camera. The team there was very welcoming and very patient with us, seeing as we did not have a lot of knowledge on how sustainable fish farms operate. Overall, it was a great experience!
What else has the Green Team been involved in? Anything else in the pipeline that you want to share with our readers? What more would you like Green Team to do more of, or have more time and resources for?
[ Jonas ] We had an exhibition for World Cancer Day to raise awareness on cancer as a disease, and also how to support people who are suffering from it. After all, we are the Green and Care Committee. We have something in store for World Environment Week too and another project for the Students’ Water Summit.
[ Sophie ] Even though our Green Team is involved in so much, there is still a long way for us to go. We would like to raise awareness in our school about our Green Team and its accomplishments, because as of now, only a small number of students know about us. By inviting more schoolmates to join us, we will also have more manpower to be part of our projects. Having to balance our schoolwork and being able to only meet once a week, our priorities have been a challenge to manage, but we would like that to change.
Speaking of which, you are both in Grade 11, and moving on to the graduating year soon. What have been some of your challenges, balancing your passion & activities in the Green Team and school commitments? How do you overcome your challenges when the going gets tough?
[ Jonas ] It is both our first year as Heads of the Green Team, and with no prior experience and the Heads from last year having moved elsewhere, there was definitely a learning curve. There have been times when I feel my time management has been less than ideal, which led to deadlines almost being missed or having to ask for project extensions. It is for this reason that organisation is vital for one’s school-life balance, making sure you get the important things done while still making time for self.
[ Sophie ] Personally, I find it very important to find time for yourself. Obviously, it is not always easy to juggle school, the Green Team and other passions at the same time, but as long as I remember to balance out my tasks evenly, I usually manage. I think it is important to be aware of how much you can handle and if everything is just getting too much, it is alright to lay off on a few non-critical tasks as well.
Lastly, what would you say to fellow students who are keen to be part of the Green Team? (How do they sign up?)
[ Jonas ] Please feel free to contact us! We would be delighted to have more members in our team, especially if you are interested in raising awareness for environmental issues or anything else green-related. Other than that, there are no prerequisites for being a part of the team. Sophie has some more information on how exactly to contact us.
[ Sophie ] If you are thinking about joining the Green Team, or just want further information on what we do, you can send an email to me or Jonas. Or just join one of our meetings! We hold them every Friday during the breakfast break in room C503. We hope to see you there!
