Student Environmental Interest Group

[Ocean Breeze]

Hi all. Welcome back

We are looking at starting a Student Environmental Interest Group.
We dont have a framework for it yet, and dont want to overlook anything, make giant faux pas or re invent the wheel.

We are looking to launch it as an extra curricula special interest group, and offer them things like Streamwatch/Waterwatch), ag plots, recycling/energy monitors, research/special interest and community projects, as well as entering the various science comps offered by businesses etc.

We would want to involve especially the yr 7 students, but open it to all interested students, 7-12.
We need to move quickly, before the term gallops on.
Any tips /warnings, suggestions from existing groups' experience would be appreciated

[smiley]

Scholastic Books has a project aimed at Clean Up Australia day, which is probably a good starting point. It suggests a mobile muster, and lists off a bunch of activities to score "points" if your group/class whatever scores enough points and sends the chart back you get a certificate or something from Scholastic. It would give your kids an achievable aim at least.

Cheers, K

[lada]

We have something similar here and kids started recycling of cardboard ,started worm farm , applied for and received water tanks as eco grants. They also do streamwatch on northen beaches (Dee why lagoon).
We have compost bins for organic waste. It is the 2nd year running. We are under Warringah council and they have been great in helping out financially. Try to contact local council.
Lada

[Ocean Breeze]

Thanks guys. Will do.

[RosalieL]

I have found myself in charge of establishing a "sustainability club" which will be starting up next term. Our school already has a worm farm that I have now bought worms for, and I've put a few scrap bins around (staff room, food tech and OOSH for now) and after the holidays we will have larger scrap bins in the primary eating areas. We aren't putting any in the high school areas yet because I know they will just end up with all sorts of rubbish in them. As the primary kids are "trained" to use the food bins, we'll expand into high school.

I was wondering if any of you have ideas of what I can do with the students once a week? We will be emptying the scrap bins and dividing them up between the worm farms and compost bins as they become more established. The idea is to weigh and record how much scrap we are collecting, note down if rubbish is being put in the bins, and possibly recording how much castings the worms produce (but I'm not really sure how to measure that). We will need some little 5-10 minute activities for after we do the measuring. The first few weeks I imagine the collecting, sorting and weighing will take the full 25 minutes I have with them but once they get a routine going, I will need something to keep them interested and coming back!

Thanks in advance for any ideas!!

[Pm706Narrogin]

Hi Rosalie,

Maybe see if you can do some "waterwise" activities with the club. Monitoring school water usage, seeing what data they can get and finding ways to suggest improvements

Could try a Bush Classroom initiative which ties in well with both sustainability and you could also integrate some Indigenous knowledge and skills there too

See if there's an equivalent to WA's WasteSorted Schools Program and look at other waste you can sort as well. I say as I look at my growing collection of old batteries that I need to find a place to drop them off

[RosalieL]

Thanks for those links! I will be able to use some of them which is very helpful as a starting point. I forgot to mention it would be a primary school club open to years 2-6, possibly with some yr 9 and 10 agriculture students assisting.