The Year 9 student is a member of the Zoos Victoria Youth Program.
The program is aimed at young people to help them understand animal conservation and sustainability.
As part of the 11-day program, Isobel surveyed her fellow students on single-use plastics.
The data she gleaned will form part of Zoos Victoria’s ‘Nude Food Campaign’ set to be introduced in schools across the state.
“The survey helps figure out how much plastic is being used in each school,” she said.
“And then that helps us make a new campaign to help reduce soft plastics.”
The survey conducted by Isobel pinpointed the volume of single-use plastics and littering as key issues.
Single-use plastics include foods wrapped in plastic wrap, chip wrappers and zip-lock bags.
Isobel said she was worried that the amount of single-use plastics around her school impacted on nearby waterways and rivers, affecting wildlife.
“[Single-use plastics] get blown into the waterways, which then goes out into the ocean, which then gets ingested by animals,” she said.
“We’ve just got too much [single-use plastics] here."
Nude foods are foods kept and transported through reusable means, such as containers and bottles.
“Buying food that can be put into something else and using containers instead of cling wrap or zip-lock bags are ways we can avoid single-use plastics,” she said.
Isobel hopes her involvement in the program will help towns such as Echuca better understand sustainability, and make them a better place for nature and wildlife.
* Liam Hennessy is a Year 10 student at Echuca College on work experience with the Riverine Herald.
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