The students and staff of Sydney Secondary College (SSC) have gone “Environmental as Anything” and embraced creative ways to minimise their individual and collective carbon footprints.

Blackwattle Bay campus hosted the aptly named environmental awareness day last month which brought together students, teachers and parents from the Leichhardt and Balmain campuses.

Blackwattle Bay principal Jill Collier said the event was a sign of the school community’s “commitment to be as environmental as anything in what we do from now on in our schools, in what we teach and learn in our classrooms and what we practise in our home”.

Mrs Collier said the school’s environmental plan included reducing the college’s water usage, recycling waste and increasing the plant biodiversity around school grounds.

The afternoon of celebrations included student entertainment, information booths from environmental groups, a recycled-fashion parade and a presentation about climate change by Dr Damien Field, of the University of Sydney.

The awareness day was formally launched by Federal environment minister Peter Garrett, followed by an environment quiz hosted by SSC council chairperson Jonathon Biggins.

Mr Garrett said the college’s initiative was “very necessary, and very cool” and talked about his career path from environmental activism to government.

He also challenged students to consider their own futures.

“Whatever you do, you will have an opportunity to do something that is good for the environment, and in fact not only an opportunity but I reckon we’ve all got a responsibility to do it,” Mr Garrett said.