Green spaces and worm farms are just some of the transformations at Bellbrae Primary School after using a Climate Emergency Grant from Surf Coast Shire Council.
Grade 4 students were able to increase their awareness of how to protect the local environment and will continue to watch their green spaces grow, enjoy the fruits and vegetables from their new garden beds, and continue to monitor how much waste is being diverted from landfill.
“The Climate Emergency grant provided the funds to purchase the equipment needed for this project,” Grade 4 teacher Mark O’Donnell said.
“The students loved getting their hands dirty to create the gardens and learn about how they were helping the environment.
“The students have been enthusiastic in establishing and caring for the worm farms. We created three worm farms and have ‘wormologists’ (monitors) that cut up the food and feed the worms twice a week.”
The students collect the ‘worm wee’ liquid and feed it to the indoor plants and new native plants. Around 2kg of ‘worm poop’ or worm castings have also been collected and used in planting the 44 gallon drums.
Through the $5000 Surf Coast Shire grant, the school was able to:
Plant local native species in the school grounds.
Revitalise two old vegetable patches, including planting seedlings of pumpkin, zucchini, bean, basil, watermelon, cucumber and sweet corn.
Plant 20 x 44 gallon drums, with Aboriginal inspired bush tucker plants and seasonal vegetables.
Implement a recycling hub that allows students, teachers and families to recycle hard to recycle items and divert waste from landfill.
Develop an environmental report that keeps track of recycling results and provides a benchmark for continuous environmental improvement across the school.
