|
Community Sustainability
Camp Hill Primary School is committed to developing a sustainable environment in which a community of learners can work together, taking responsibility in personal, social and environmental care. To uphold this belief the school has developed a very unattractive area of the school yard into a Sustainable Centre, including a vegetable garden. The school students, staff, parents and community volunteers assisted in the ground work and construction of the Sustainable Centre. Funding made available through the City of Greater Bendigo and the Commonwealth Government Community Water Grant supplemented school funds to ensure completion of the project.
The area includes fruit trees, numerous herbs, a hot house, a chicken coop and a tank yabby farm. The chickens are utilised to recycle all organic waste generated in school (food scraps and weeds).
The Sustainable Centre lends itself to a diverse range of hands on learning experiences for students. Each week classes attend sessions in the Centre where students are engaged in planting seeds, tending the chickens, compositing and working in the garden beds.
During recess and lunchtimes, the chicken coop always creates lots of interest with students.
The eggs gathered each day by eager junior school students. The eggs, along with the fresh produce grown in the Centre and the pickles made by students, is sold to the school community by a team of Year Six students, allowing the funds raised to purchase grain pellets for the chickens and material required in the Centre.
We are committed to developing dynamic and ethical practices in relationship with the environment that go beyond the traditional classroom setting.
To compliment the Sustainable Centre, the school has planted out two areas of the school with native indigenous “bush tucker” plants. The funds provided by the Bendigo Mining Environmental Trust Fund allowed for this to come to fruition. We have been able to secure funds through the federal Community Water Grant scheme to allow us to install several large water tanks. The bush tucker gardens along with the Sustainable Centre, will easily be supported by these tanks. Once established the indigenous plants will require little water.
The school is committed to planting native trees around the school. Students are involved with planting, hence developing their environmental understanding. To compliment National Tree Planting Day, last month the school planted many shrubs in the garden beds around the school.
Through the Commonwealth Government’s Community Water grant the school was able to install water efficient dual flush toilets in both the student and staff toilets. Water captured on the newly erected large open sided shed roof is stored in three large tanks.
Other ways in which Camp Hill Primary School endeavours to reduce both our environmental and economic impact on the environment:
- Blinds have been installed in classroom to reduce the use of air conditioners
- The school has undertaken an energy audit and as a result there has been a focus on the need to reduce our energy consumption. Classrooms have student monitors who switch off heaters and lights.
- All cardboard and Paper in the school is recycled.
- Each term the school conducts a Scoot, Ride, Walk to School day, where everyone is encouraged to leave the car at home.
- The school has recently applied for the Commonwealth Government funding to install a solar power station.
- Ice cream containers capture the excess water under the student drink taps, this water is then collected and placed on the garden beds.
- The teachers have developed units of work around the theme of Sustainability. To compliment the units of work students have undertaken excursions to CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) in Melbourne.
- Students are exposed to quality environmentalist as guest speakers.
- The school is a member of the local consortium Ecoschoolsoz, which is founded by local identity Allan Windust. Allan is working with the school to ensure we actively reduce our carbon footprint.
- June 2009 a 6.3kw solar system was installed at the school.
|
