BEAT Captain Candidates Give Voice

Editor’s Note: This year we had a bumper crop of excellent candidates who volunteered to serve the school as BEAT Captain. Below is the text of one speech which, I think, represents the expertise, vision and enthusiasm of our four excellent candidates.

Hey BEAT! 

My great-grandfather, a farmer in Goldstream, always said “Leave the earth better than you found it.” 

This ethos was passed down to my grandfather, then my mother, and then to me. In my family, we live by this motto and I wanted to share it with all of you, as, in BEAT (Brentwood Environmental Action Team), we embrace similar values. Because of my unwavering commitment to the environment, my contributions to Environmental Advocacy and BEAT, and my future vision for this team, I want to serve as your BEAT Captain next year. 

I have been part of BEAT since I joined Brentwood last year and have been a keen participant in the Environmental Advocacy arts class this year. Through my time at Brentwood, I have led several successful environmental initiatives including the Clothing Swap, and a menstruation awareness submission for the “Create Your Own Canada' competition with an environmental focus (1). I have also presented in Assembly and delivered a presentation to the Science Department on the importance of the language we use regarding the climate crisis. 

By attending several environmental conferences, protests, and being a former member of Our Earth, Our Future, a youth group defending our planet in Victoria, I have been able to connect with people outside Brentwood who are also passionate environmental activists. Personally, I am also committed to a vegetarian diet as a means of reducing my carbon footprint and I am taking classes like AP Environmental Science to immerse myself in scientific facts behind the climate emergency to become better educated on this issue.

Enough about me. 

This club is about every single one of us and our collective strength as a group. This year we had a lot of successful initiatives and I would further encourage this sort of action with increased beach clean-ups, recycling awareness, and volunteer opportunities at local organic farms and environmental organizations such as the Cowichan Green Community. 

In ‘23-’24, I want to tackle sourcing the school uniform from sustainable clothing manufacturers, continuing the school garden, and initiating more environmentally-focused interhouse competitions. I want to continue to make BEAT a popular club for people to join and collaborate with other clubs such as the Women’s Society, OMNI, BIPOC and BWell to join together for action on coinciding social issues.  

As we all know, the short, 20 mins, meetings during Cookie Break are meaningful but we are always constrained in what we can do simply because of the time. With next year's new BEAT Council and House BEAT Prefects, we will be able to accomplish so much more. 

That is why I want to increase the scope of our impact and have the big goal of reducing Brentwood’s ecological footprint by 10 percent by 2030. I know this sounds huge and unattainable, but I know we can make it happen as a long-term project to continue for years to come. 

To reduce the school’s carbon footprint, we need action in many different areas. Some ideas include reducing the school’s food waste and animal product consumption in the Crooks Hall, reforming our transportation by investing in electric vehicles, and engaging the Board of Governors to discuss the hiring of a Brentwood Sustainability Director as well as prioritizing environmental investments of the school’s portfolio. 

Although it will take time, I have full confidence that we, as a collective, can make it happen. Brentwood’s ultimate purpose is to serve its students and, if we show the school that we sincerely care about the environmental crisis, and willing to play our part, they will respond to our long-term needs.

We need substantial action to combat the climate crisis. As your BEAT Captain next year, I would advocate for not only the small issues, but for the future of this school. I believe I am qualified for this position and have lots of ideas for next year. I am excited about the opportunity to lead a team of like-minded individuals and make a lasting positive impact on the environment and our community. We need to “Leave the Earth better than we found it.”

Isha CT, Mack ‘24