17 Dec 2020
From the left: Mekhi, Anihidra, Kelly, Joanne, Hannah and Hansini
The Kaleen Primary School Green Team are leading the school community’s sustainability efforts through multiple initiatives, including recycling, power use and fertiliser creation.
Their work was recognised at the ACTSmart Schools Sustainability Awards, with the school winning awards in three categories.
The students are passionate and committed to making a difference to the environment. With the guidance of their Sustainability Teachers, Kelly Reeves and Joanne Keens, they are taking sustainability to a whole new level school wide. Students are enhancing their understanding of key environmental issues while doing their part to take care of the earth.
The students have recently completed an ambitious project – the creation of a frog habitat! The school received the ACTSmart Schools Sustainability Project Award in the Primary category for this project which increases the biodiversity of the school grounds.
What once resembled a dusty plain has been transformed.
“We want to teach students about the ways they can care for the world. It’s so practical to have this learning space as a mini world where they can learn through action,” Kelly said.
“The frog pond idea originated from Year 5 students who were learning about the Murray Darling Basin so having the wetland right here in the school where they can observe the animals and see how it all works is amazing.”
Kelly also won the Sustainability Leadership Award in the Teacher/Staff Primary category.
The sustainability team leaders, Hannah, Mekhi, Anihidra and Hansini each hold a different leadership role and portfolio.
Roles include picking and selling the fruit and vegetables grown in their kitchen garden, picking up soft plastics and collecting paper rubbish bins.
There are also a team of Power Rangers who go across the school each day to close doors and check lights are turned off to manage electricity usage.
The school also has a nine metre long worm farm that produces worm tea (fertiliser) and they participate in 10c recycling and the Lids for Kids program producing artificial limbs for kids out of recycled plastic lids.
The students are making a huge impact through their work with the school producing just two bags of landfill a week thanks to their meticulous recycling methods and sophisticated waste management and education system.
Before the frog pond was completed
Sustainability is a passion for the students, with them striving to ensure they’re doing their part to protect the earth.
“For me, sustainability matters because it’s important to take care of the world we’re living in. We only have one Earth,” Anihidra said.
“From data we have collected, we know that global warming is one of the biggest things that’s affecting our planet. When I grow up, I want to help stop global warming.”
“It’s really important for us to protect the environment and reduce our waste. There’s so much that it’s becoming islands of waste! We have to do our part,” Mekhi said.
The work they’ve put into the frog pond has paid off. As we visited the pond for a photo, the students and sustainability teachers got the greatest surprise– we caught a glimpse of the habitats first tadpoles!