Do you switch off lights when leaving a room?
Do you separate your waste from recycling?
Do you think twice before printing documents?
Do you limit water usage as much as possible?
These are the kinds of questions the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle now considers through its daily work. And it is these small changes that are having big impacts across our region.
Sitting down with Diocesan Sustainability Manager Drew Ashworth, he spoke about the significant milestones achieved since the inception of the Diocese’s 2022-2025 Sustainability Plan. The foundation for the Plan is a message from Pope Francis calling on us to care for our common home by making environmentally conscious decisions.
“Given our Diocese’s footprint, a simple shift in mindset can significantly impact the environment,” Drew said.
As an organisation with 5,500 staff across six distinct agencies and 10 local government areas, even the smallest of changes results in substantial impact. “As an example, the Diocese undertook a school holiday energy reduction initiative where schools shut down all non-essential equipment over the break such as printers, smartboards and computer screens that would have ordinarily stayed on. The result was an average of 15% energy reduction across our 58 schools for the summer school holiday period.”
Alongside these successes, there have been some larger sustainability projects that Drew highlighted.
Soon, close to 90% of eligible Diocesan sites will have solar panels installed, a remarkable feat for an organisation of this size – this includes 58 Catholic primary and secondary schools, 12 St Nicholas Early Education centres, numerous offices, administrative buildings, and even the Diocesan library.
“The installation of these solar panel systems dramatically reduces our reliance on sourcing power from the grid. From time to time, we might not be able to generate the entirety of the energy needed. In this event, we lean on external providers who use 100% government certified renewable energy sources, such as wind or their own solar systems,” he said.
Plans are now well underway for the next Sustainability Plan, set to commence in 2026, with a focus on measurable changes.
“By establishing baseline data, we can set realistic targets and show measurable results regarding our progress. This allows us to be more accountable and prepares us for forthcoming changes to government reporting requirements,” Drew explained.
“An example is our new waste services contract, currently in the procurement phase.”
“We are engaging a waste services contractor who will provide real-time data about our waste usage and recycling efforts. This knowledge empowers us to achieve real, measurable progress.”
There will be also an increased focus on education, extending from the children at St Nicholas and our primary and secondary school students, through to staff and the communities we work within.
“I’m excited that the Tiny Forest initiative, which commenced with the inaugural Tiny Forest being planted at St Paul’s Catholic Primary Gateshead last year, will expand,” Drew said.
“These compact, densely planted forests are created to increase biodiversity in urban ecosystems and it’s great that discussions are taking place to roll this initiative out in other schools across the Diocese.”
Looking ahead, Pope Francis’ message for us to care for our common home will continue to inspire the Diocese’s next Sustainability Plan from 2026 onwards. It is an opportunity to make us all consider, ‘what small changes can we make that will collectively have a big impact on our world?’
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