Al Gore probably hoped that audiences of his documentary An Inconvenient Truth would respond to its message about global warming, but it’s hard to imagine he could have predicted the impact it had on a group of Blacktown Girls High School students.

After seeing the film in a science lesson, the girls decided they wanted to do something significant to reduce their school’s carbon footprint.

“We actually felt really moved.

We didn’t know how big a scale it [global warming] was compared to our daily lives,” Rachelle L said.

“And how big an impact it will have and already has had on our lives,” added Jade L.

As a direct result of their response to the film the students will be competing in the international finals of the Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP) in Michigan, in the United States, in May.

The then Year 9 students won the community problem-solving division at the national finals of the FPSP in Perth last year.

Teams from Blacktown Girls High were the only public school students to qualify for the finals and competed against students from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Rachelle and Jade, along with classmates Shuravi P, Myo K, Shae-Lee H and Tatutpu V, were determined to do their bit to save the world – starting with their own school and local community.

They realised that reducing the carbon footprint was the perfect project for the community problem solving section of the 2007 FPSP.

“They were frantically excited,” technology teacher and project coach Martina Rapisarda said.

“They wanted this to be a community-based project.” The students came up with a name for their group (Students Saving the World), a logo and the motto “Taking ACTION starts a chain REACTION”.

They researched ways the school and community could work together to reduce its carbon footprint and developed an action plan.

Identified areas of concern included water wastage, energy use, recycling, paper and compost waste.

The group surveyed students on their knowledge and awareness of environmental issues, presented their concerns at a staff development day and developed a school environment management plan.

The students formed partnerships with environmental agencies such as the Carbon Institute and Greening Australia.

They received a grant of $6,500 from Blacktown City Council under its Eco Active Grant initiative and are now working with council mentors as part of the Sustainability Street program.

A major project the group undertook was the planting of a wildlife corridor to act as a carbon sink along an area of under-utilised land in the school grounds.

Greening Australia donated 860 trees and weed mats.

In total, 1,000 native trees, grasses and shrubs were planted.

The project proved so popular that the group had to turn away many students who volunteered to help.

A school nursery will be the next initiative.

“There’s a sense of achievement and pride,” Jade said.

“We feel as if we’re creating a sustainable future for our school.” Mrs Rapisarda said: “The beauty of this team is that a lot of it has been done in their own time – including weekends and school holidays.

“Through thick and thin, pushing and pulling, they stuck with it.

I’m incredibly proud of them.” PDHPE head teacher Narelle Best, who coached a Year 10 team in the problem-solving competition, said the environmental project suited the philosophy of the FPSP which is “very much team-oriented” and allows students with varying personalities and levels of academic ability to be involved.

“Different girls have different roles to play.

Some are good organisers, some are lateral thinkers, some are peacekeepers,” Ms Best said.

For details on the Future Problem Solving Program go to: www.fpsp.org.au