By Sharmila Nagar
Vice President

Did you know the words you are reading are printed on recyclable paper? We did the maths to ensure we made the paper choice with the smallest environmental footprint for our magazine, using a Perth-based printing company to reduce transportation mileage.

The plastic wrap it came in is degradable, too. That is, of course, unless you’re reading Western Teacher online, readily available on our website and sent via eNews. (If not, check out the e-list section and QR code to the right.)

Here are a few more steps that the SSTUWA is taking to reduce our organisation’s environmental footprint.

Union publications

You may have noticed over the last few years, union publications that might once have been printed as a book, such as Know Your Rights, have been moved online.

You can find these handy resources by logging into your member account on the SSTUWA website.

Membership cards

We’ve also moved our membership cards online, lessening our plastic waste. Plus, it takes some of the strain off our members’ wallets – as when you join the SSTUWA, you have access to discounts on becoming a card-carrying member with partners like Goodlife Health Clubs, Accor and more. Check out the benefits page on our website for details.

Membership e-cards have been emailed to all members and can be easily added to your phone wallet. If you are struggling to find your e-card, you can access it

via the SSTUWA app, or our Membership Team can resend it to you.

State Council

Our twice-yearly State Council Conference attracts over 100 delegates from all districts in WA. A decision was made to pivot to an eco-friendlier approach of distributing the agenda and accompanying resources digitally. We noticed some of our delegates preferred this than the option of hard copies, which is still available for those who want it on the day.

App

Our app puts key industrial and professional information into our members’ pockets. Access tax statements, training information, safety advice and more wherever you are on your phone or tablet and say goodbye to letters and printouts.

Hybrid fleet

Our fleet of SSTUWA cars are transitioning to hybrid models, meaning that our organisers can get from Two Rocks to Falcon while keeping their CO2 down.

Solar panels

We’ve installed solar panels in our West Perth offices. After all, we in WA get to enjoy so much sunshine, all thanks to mother nature, why not thank her back by reducing our fossil fuel consumption?

Get on the e-list

Since we started putting Western Teacher online in 2016, we’ve encouraged almost 35 per cent of our membership to join our e-list and opt-out of receiving a hard copy of magazine.

If you think you have what it takes to be an e-lister, scan the QR code on this page to opt-out of receiving a physical copy of Western Teacher.
We publish the magazine in full on our website and email copies to members who have opted out of the print edition, so you won’t miss a thing!

Watch this space

The actions above are part of an ongoing commitment to identify and apply sustainability practices in all areas of operation, including infrastructure, communications and maintenance.

This is by no means a finished process as we continue our journey towards becoming a more sustainable union and take action on the climate crisis.

Check out the climate action campaign page on our website for educational resources, union policies, feature stories and more information on addressing climate change in Australia and globally: bit.ly/3xUlGEO