PROJECT FOCUS: Stormwater

TITLE: Stormwater education

• Identify appropriate teachers in school with assistance from principal
• Visit school and present on local stormwater issues
• Assist HSIE (geography) classes to map out local catchment zones and stormwater system to target an educational campaign
• Run a competition for students to design a stormwater education brochure to be used in your local area
• Distribute leaflets to local residents

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

• Involve art students in 'drain stencilling' project
• Link with Streamwatch (Sydneywater) to run water quality testing in local creeks
• Involve students in catchment 'cleanup day'
• Assist school to adopt and rehabilitate a local creek area

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.stormwater.asn.au
• www.theyellowfishroad.com
• www.streamwatch.org.au
• www.tceq.state.tx.us/comm_exec/forms_pubs/pubs/gi/gi-212_167704.pdf

PROJECT FOCUS: Biodiversity

TITLE: Local Biodiversity Audit

• Contact school science department and discuss the syllabus opportunities for exploring biodiversity issues.
• Contact school science department and discuss the syllabus opportunities for exploring biodiversity issues.
• Local council biodiversity officer helps teacher to develop a teaching program (outline of how they will run this with their class).
• Council biodiversity officers to visit science classes to introduce students to the project and then facilitate the process where needed. 

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

• Connect and range of local schools to assess biodiversity populations in the LGA.  In urban environments school grounds can contribute significantly to enhancing biodiversity.
• Assist schools to rehabilitate appropriate areas in their school grounds to encourage local fauna.
• Provide schools with financial assistance in the form of free nursery supplies of local species.
• Develop school revegitation site as a educational community biodiversity walk in partnership with the school and students.
• Involve other local bushcare and community groups who have interest in these issues.

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.austmus.gov.au/biodiversity/factsheets.htm
• www.wildscape.com.au
• www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/
• www.powerhousemuseum.com/ecotude/index.asp
• www.powerhousemuseum.com/ecotude/pdf/landuse_walkthrough.pdf

PROJECT FOCUS: Civics and Citizenship in your LGA

TITLE: What does your local council do?

Presentation to schools on the activities of local govenrmnet and its role in creating 'sustainable communities'. 

• Arrange a presentation to Human Society and Its Environment Classes (HSIE) or Social Studies classes and explin the functions of local government in australia.  Make linkages to environmental issues in your area and how the local council can play a role in creating a more sustainable local community.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

•  Assist school and students to create a mock local government or student council to develop a sustainanable school plan.

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.curriculum.edu.au/democracy/
• www4.gu.edu.au/ext/unesco/theme_b/uncofrm_b.htm

PROJECT FOCUS: Whole School Ecological Footprint

TITLE: School Feet

• Explore the 'eco-tude' calculator online and familiarise yourself with the calculator and the various audit tasks.
• Contact local school principles and offer support for schools wishing to be involved.  Arrange a meeting with head teachers to discuss which subjects can be involved in gathering data for the various audit tasks of the 'eco-tude' calculator.
• Encourage school community to set target to reduce their footprint.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

•  Assist school to reduce footprint by addressing use of various resources (water, energy etc). Publish results in local media and encourage students to reduce their ecological footprints at home by living more sustainably.

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/ecotude/index.asp

PROJECT FOCUS: Transport

TITLE: Livable Streets

• Have students calculate their ecological footprint using website below, taking of particular note the mobility footprint.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

• Present findings at local council meeting and declare a pedestrian and bicyclist only zone day
• Spend a day creating a chalk mural on the road prior to the Pedestrian and Bicyclist only day
• Calculate the mobility footprint after the walk/bike only day and compare with initial mobility footprint.

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

PROJECT FOCUS: Environment

TITLE: Mapping for Sustainability

How do children and youth perceive the sustainability of their community? Interactive education aimed at defining the "best" sustainable areas and the "room for improvement" areas. Coordination with local councils and shires can assist in transforming the "room for improvement" areas into "best" sustainable areas.

• Contact local councils or shires for maps of the local area.
• Define the boundaries of "community" (It may be a school or home community) by instructing students to cognitively map their community.
• Generate definitions of what constitutes a  "sustainable community." You may want to introduce the facets of  nature, economy, society, and well-being).
• Have students indicate on their individual maps locations of "sustainable" areas
• Discuss areas that are highlighted noting frequency of usage.
•  Are there facets of the sustainability spectrum that are not represented? Why?
• If students could redesign areas to become more "sustainable" what would it look like?
• Congregate these ideas for active change by presenting them as recommendations to the local council or shire.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

• Councils can work with schools to assist in the implementation of recommendations.
• Showcase the "sustainable" areas frequented most by the students or the "room for improvement" area being transformed into a "sustainable" area by hosting a sustainable community celebration for students, staff, parents, and councils members.

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.rootsandroutes.net/body.htm?http&&&www.rootsandroutes.net/council.htm
• www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/13_2/FieldReports/Mapping/Mapping.htm

PROJECT FOCUS: Creating a vision for the sustainable future

TITLE: What is your vision?

The project aims to engage students in articulating their vision for a sustainable future.  It will produce a series of vision statements for each year within a school and then for the entire school.  Schools will be asked to nominate student representatives to attend a special Council meeting at which they can present their school vision statement to the Mayor or Councillors.  The vision statements can be displayed within council foyer and promoted through local media focusing on a different school each week.  The project will also build a community of young leaders from local area schools that may be interested in forming a local area youth advisory council or join an existing one.

• Prepare information and contact school Principals outlining the project and the outcomes.
• Ask teachers prepare a discussion in class around the kind of the future they would like to live in.
• As a class brainstorm what that future may be like, and condense these ideas into a statement that all students feel is representative.  These vision staments can be presented to the Principal at a school assembly.
• Student representatives are then nominated and are given the task of collating all the visions into one statement.  Under this single school vision statement, each class's vision statement can also be listed to ensure detail is not lost.
• The school representatives then present this vision statement to the relevant Council representative, which are then displayed in the Council foyer or accessible public space.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

• Council staff can attend the school assembly when all the class visions are presented.
• Local media may be interested in profiling some students and their collective visions, whilst then providing a relevant link for Councils to profile the proactive work they are doing to move towards sustainability.
• Council themselves could also be encourage to conduct their own visioning session, instead of classes use departments, and from each department representatives collate the statements into one for presentation to the General Manager and Mayor.
• Background information may be useful to stimulate an atmosphere of reflection and to highlight the breadth of issues (See link below).
• An example of a school visioning activity is below to assist with process (if needed).

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.dep.org.uk/scities/structuredactivity.php?id=6
• www.luccaco.com/miniatureearth/miniature_earth.htm

PROJECT FOCUS: Waste

TITLE: Waste is Gross!

Asssisting the school to improve waste management systems.

• Contact school and identify school environmental manager or appropriate teacher. Explore idea with teachers and then work with a particular year group and class to explore the issues around waste management in the school and local area.
• Get students to prepare a plan to improve waste management around the school. eg: Recycling programs, zero waste lunch packs, wormfarming, composting.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

• Assist the school to implement a waste management program.  Provide the tools and support needed to implement the plan with the participation of students.  Provide recycling bins, posters, wormfarms, composting bins.  Keep a track of waste stream to measure progress.
• Set a tartget for Zero waste schools as a local campaign
• Contact Environmental Education Centres to assist (see link below)

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.curriculumsupport.nsw.edu.au/EnviroEd/index.cfm
• www.environment.nsw.gov.au/waste/index.htm

PROJECT FOCUS: Water

TITLE: Water Saving

Developing school water management practices as an example for your local area.  Some local councils have invested in developing demonstration sites for their community to showcase sustainable living practices but the aim of this project idea is to use the school and its facilities as your active demonstration site. Assisting schools to manage their water resources can provide extra educational opportunities within your local government area through local media.

• Contact the school principal and identify appropriate teachers and facilities management personnel who wish to be involved as key stakeholders in the school.
• Involve science classes in conducting water use audits on the school.
• Assist the school to develop a water management strategy for the school.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

• Organise community sustainable living fair at local school. Involve school students in the planning and delivery of educational displays on water saving around the home.
• Assist school financially to install some water tanks and other water saving devices and demonstrate these to community (see rainwater tank rebate scheme for sydney metro below).

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.sydneywater.com.au/SavingWater/RainwaterTanks/RebateSchools.cfm
• www.waterforlife.nsw.gov.au 
• www.sydneywater.com.au/EnsuringTheFuture/WaterSchool/
• www.powerhousemuseum.com/ecotude/index.asp

PROJECT FOCUS: Wormfarming

TITLE: What do Worms Do?

Assisting schools to reduce waste by using wormfarms as an educational tool.

Contact school and offer introductory talks on using wormfarms to reduce organic waste stream.  If possible integrate this with science and biology classes.  Provide wormfarms to schools and develop program to collect organic waste from cateens and other food areas.  Ensure there is a long term commitment to the management and maintenance of the wormfarms.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Help school to develop organic gardens and use wormfarms to fertilise the production of organic vegetables.

Assist students to develop a display on wormfarms to display in your council chambers, outside a local supermarket or other public place to educate the community about the advantages of domestic wormfarming and the issues of waste.

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.reln.com.au/html/worm_school.html
• www.curriculumsupport.nsw.edu.au/EnviroEd/index.cfm
• www.environment.nsw.gov.au/waste/index.htm

PROJECT FOCUS: Transport and Energy

TITLE: Sustainable School Journeys

Create an awareness project aimed at children and youth to showcase the effects of individual  transportation decisions when travelling from home to school. Individual and collective impacts could be calculated and sustainable transportation methods could be encouraged.

• Have students conduct the ecological footprint taking of particular note the mobility footprint.
• Generate a survey of how many people walk or bike to school.
• Analyze the environmental consequences of walking, biking, mass transit, and automobile usage.
• Have students commit to either walking or biking to school the next day by having them conduct a walkability/bikability study.
• Calculate the mobility footprint after the walk/bike day and compare with intial mobility footprint.
• Discuss the results of the walkability/bikability study and generate recommendations to improve walkable/bikable pathways.
• Create a presentation for the local council or shire using the recommendations.

TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Work with the local council or shire to create walkable and bikable map routes to school. Local councils or shires can print these maps for distribution and schools can upload maps onto their school website.

TOOLS THAT WILL HELP YOU DO THIS

• www.myfootprint.org
• www.powerhousemuseum.com/ecotude/index.asp
• www.travelsmart.gov.au
• www.walkinginfo.org/cps/checklist.htm
• www.dipnr.nsw.gov.au/cycling.html
• www.rta.nsw.gov.au/trafficinformation/downloads/bikeplanv1-0.pdf
• www.rta.nsw.gov.au/trafficinformation/downloads/mobility-plan_how-to.pdf