SUSTAINABILITY @ OLHC
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OUR SCHOOL BIODIVERSITY AUDIT
By the Eco Team - November , 2020
Our Lady Help Of Christians Primary School is really making a difference to increasing the biodiversity on our school site.
All throughout the year our Gardening Club and Eco Team have been exploring the biodiversity of our kitchen garden - including our compost , worm farm and existing gardens everywhere else.
A biodiversity audit was the most logical step to carry out - seeing as it has been our focus this year .
An aerial view of our school site kicked off our audit . We investigated the grounds by viewing “close up “ - surfaces , hard and soft , weeds, life forms, and how each area was being managed .
Our footprints as humans have been BIG !! We can be more consistent in caring for our natural world !
The audit has also provided us with the opportunity to consider possible future plantings when we want to think of a way forward . e.g., a butterfly garden to invite more pollinating insects.
Thank you to Natasha Mills - our local ResourceSmart facilitator for her assistance with the audit.
Our Lady Help Of Christians Primary School is really making a difference to increasing the biodiversity on our school site.
All throughout the year our Gardening Club and Eco Team have been exploring the biodiversity of our kitchen garden - including our compost , worm farm and existing gardens everywhere else.
A biodiversity audit was the most logical step to carry out - seeing as it has been our focus this year .
An aerial view of our school site kicked off our audit . We investigated the grounds by viewing “close up “ - surfaces , hard and soft , weeds, life forms, and how each area was being managed .
Our footprints as humans have been BIG !! We can be more consistent in caring for our natural world !
The audit has also provided us with the opportunity to consider possible future plantings when we want to think of a way forward . e.g., a butterfly garden to invite more pollinating insects.
Thank you to Natasha Mills - our local ResourceSmart facilitator for her assistance with the audit.
Check out our journey and photos in the attached biodiversity audit..
| biodiversity_audit_2019_-_our_thoughts_.docx |
Eco - Justice at OLHC
We share the same beliefs as Caritas Australia about “Caring for Our Common Home “. The earth.
“We believe that care for our common home is vital for the common good of all people.
We believe a true ecological approach is a social approach. We are to be protectors of creation and of one another.”
https://www.caritas.org.au/
Our whole school initiatives at being ECO - FRIENDLY. Take a look !
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zNB0-hVNd0oI4HN5wpUS64wZT7v49tcHZEJEvdi_vxs/edit#slide=id.g4350c60647_0_45
View some of our practices….
TIME FOR NATURE - Our prayers for the earth on World Environment Day
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fwKtLbbVTCZ75BDiQHH3rS3dNjbbOHcO4deBg0Vfz2c/edit#slide=id.g1f5a554dbf_0_404
“We believe that care for our common home is vital for the common good of all people.
We believe a true ecological approach is a social approach. We are to be protectors of creation and of one another.”
https://www.caritas.org.au/
Our whole school initiatives at being ECO - FRIENDLY. Take a look !
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zNB0-hVNd0oI4HN5wpUS64wZT7v49tcHZEJEvdi_vxs/edit#slide=id.g4350c60647_0_45
View some of our practices….
TIME FOR NATURE - Our prayers for the earth on World Environment Day
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fwKtLbbVTCZ75BDiQHH3rS3dNjbbOHcO4deBg0Vfz2c/edit#slide=id.g1f5a554dbf_0_404
Wrapper REMEDIES @OLHC
Audience:
We currently have 426 students and 61 staff members in our school. All present on a Thursday each week strive to bring plastic free packaged food or take it home. Our ten Eco team members lead the day each week by a class visit and chat if needed and present the Golden Lunchbox Award .
The Golden Lunchbox Award was made by a parent and a Wrapper Remedy Rap song was also shared on our whole school reporting tool to all families in our school community.
Audience:
We currently have 426 students and 61 staff members in our school. All present on a Thursday each week strive to bring plastic free packaged food or take it home. Our ten Eco team members lead the day each week by a class visit and chat if needed and present the Golden Lunchbox Award .
The Golden Lunchbox Award was made by a parent and a Wrapper Remedy Rap song was also shared on our whole school reporting tool to all families in our school community.
Clean Up Australia Day - MARCH 1ST
Our Schools Clean Up day is a great way to inspire our students to learn about the impact of rubbish on our local environment while playing an active role in our community.
It's a day when our school community can work together to clean up an area which is special to us or discover ways we can be more mindful about our wellbeing in a clean and healthy school environment.
Our Clean Up Day this year will involve various activities on school site .
You are invited to view these videos at home as reminders of the impacts our EVERYDAY plastic waste has in our oceans.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uDrMmIhH8
Rusty Swordfish
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JV05LBLTNRM
Journey of a plastic shopping bag
http://bit.ly/2IAYiEI
Aussie floating garbage bin- Kids News
It's a day when our school community can work together to clean up an area which is special to us or discover ways we can be more mindful about our wellbeing in a clean and healthy school environment.
Our Clean Up Day this year will involve various activities on school site .
You are invited to view these videos at home as reminders of the impacts our EVERYDAY plastic waste has in our oceans.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8-uDrMmIhH8
Rusty Swordfish
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JV05LBLTNRM
Journey of a plastic shopping bag
http://bit.ly/2IAYiEI
Aussie floating garbage bin- Kids News
Kids teaching Kids
Gardening Club Excursion
Our school Gardening Club visited the Richardson Family’s farm today.
We watched their Burke breed pigs help us eat our school food scraps that we put into our green waste bins.
Whilst we were there we reflected on our food scrap journey by playing a food web game.
Finally we tasted “prosciutto”. A meat we can eat that comes from farmed pigs.
Our school Gardening Club visited the Richardson Family’s farm today.
We watched their Burke breed pigs help us eat our school food scraps that we put into our green waste bins.
Whilst we were there we reflected on our food scrap journey by playing a food web game.
Finally we tasted “prosciutto”. A meat we can eat that comes from farmed pigs.
OLHC - A CARBON FRIENDLY SCHOOL
OLHC - A CARBON FRIENDLY SCHOOL
Our school has conducted a whole school energy audit designed by Cool Australia.
The process of conducting an energy audit has certainly raised awareness by all members of our school community.
As a result our ECO student team - along with conversations with staff have come up with a "switch off regime " that will involve us all reaching a basic understanding of the carbon cycle and the appreciation of the GOOD carbon that we need to look after on the planet - which includes ourselves. Beginning from 2017 each classroom will have clay earth credits that all members will be required to look after IN A JAR .
HOW YOU MAY ASK ?
By consistently using their energy use wisely - switching off all power appliances when not in use . Particularly during lunch play times and at the
end of the day .Random checks will take place by the year 5/6 Eco Stewardship group and credits will turn into debits in a Debit jar if appliances are left on. If all earth credits are kept in the Credit jar for an extended period of time that class will be awarded a plant to create a food forest in our school.We will also conduct a seasonal light audit with our school lux meter .
That will also help us to be aware of the sufficient light we need to read and write throughout the day at various times of the year . Electric lighting vs natural lighting.We even have thermometers to help us keep the heat and cooling temperatures at acceptable standards . We also plan to have a LAYER UPDAY in Winter to raise more awareness of how we can conserve our energy use.
ENERGY SAVING TIPS in our ECO TIP section of our school newsletter will also be a regular thing . Here is one ....
Is the sun out? It's not hot? Open your blinds and switch off your lights. A short CARBON cycle clip at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFE9o-c_pKg
Our school has conducted a whole school energy audit designed by Cool Australia.
The process of conducting an energy audit has certainly raised awareness by all members of our school community.
As a result our ECO student team - along with conversations with staff have come up with a "switch off regime " that will involve us all reaching a basic understanding of the carbon cycle and the appreciation of the GOOD carbon that we need to look after on the planet - which includes ourselves. Beginning from 2017 each classroom will have clay earth credits that all members will be required to look after IN A JAR .
HOW YOU MAY ASK ?
By consistently using their energy use wisely - switching off all power appliances when not in use . Particularly during lunch play times and at the
end of the day .Random checks will take place by the year 5/6 Eco Stewardship group and credits will turn into debits in a Debit jar if appliances are left on. If all earth credits are kept in the Credit jar for an extended period of time that class will be awarded a plant to create a food forest in our school.We will also conduct a seasonal light audit with our school lux meter .
That will also help us to be aware of the sufficient light we need to read and write throughout the day at various times of the year . Electric lighting vs natural lighting.We even have thermometers to help us keep the heat and cooling temperatures at acceptable standards . We also plan to have a LAYER UPDAY in Winter to raise more awareness of how we can conserve our energy use.
ENERGY SAVING TIPS in our ECO TIP section of our school newsletter will also be a regular thing . Here is one ....
Is the sun out? It's not hot? Open your blinds and switch off your lights. A short CARBON cycle clip at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFE9o-c_pKg