Kids have climate change covered

By Bridget Cook
A GROUP of students at Cranbourne Secondary College have made a pledge to help put the brakes on climate change.
Year 7 and 8 art and textiles students each made and decorated a patchwork pledge patch that were then sewn together to make a quilt panel.
On each patch, the students have appliqued or sewn a design, written their name, age and suburb, along with a personal pledge committing to make a small change in their life that will help the environment.
Their finished product will be taken to the United Nations Climate Convention in Copenhagen by Leigh Hofman from Habitat Planet who helped co-ordinate the climate quilt campaign project.
The aim of the finished quilt is to empower children and give them a voice at the conference and to tangibly connect children worldwide around the issue of climate change and show what they can do about it.
Students presented a pledge patch with the school logo on it to principal Yvonne Watts, who made a pledge for the school to minimise its use of water.
Textiles and art teacher Stephanie Scott said she was excited and proud that her students would have the opportunity to add their voices to the Climate Change Conference.
“The process of making the pledge patches has been a valuable learning tool for students,” she said. “Not only did they work as a team, learning the design, sewing and applique techniques required to make the patches but more importantly they had to think about how they could personally change the things that they do everyday to make a difference.”