Becoming a 5 star school has highlighted some of the great work that is being undertaken on the Carey Baptist Grammar Donvale campus and has initiated discussion on how their success can be extended to the rest of the school. Sustainability education has been embedded in the campus culture as a result of ongoing focus. As sustainability is of current and increasing concern becoming a 5 star school has enhanced the profile of the campus.

Carey Baptist Grammar School (CBGS) have incorporated environmental education into the schools curriculum in a number of ways. The Year Four program is based around environmental education with the Year Three program to a lesser extent, studying units such as:
• ‘Location, Location’ (Nesting Box program)
‘• Caring For Others, Caring For The Environment’
‘• Let’s Get Energised’ (Energy program / Future Fuels program)
‘• Go With The Flow Of The Mullum Mullum Creek’ (Water Watch program)
‘• Indigenous Perspective’ (Local Area)

The Year Four students are also the Enviro Captains and are responsible for promoting green practices around the school. This entails presentations, articles for the newsletter, monitoring and maintaining current systems such as composting, etc. All these responsibilities link across the curriculum eg. Literacy: report writing, reflections, oral presentations, reading of non-fiction text, etc; Maths: measurement, surveys, etc.

Other levels have integrated units that also cover environmental issues. However, the most powerful aspect of the schools environmental education program occurs on an everyday basis, with the students developing life skills that embrace sustainable living practices.

Carey Baptist Grammar is undertaking many different sustainability activities such as:
• Paper and cardboard recycling; paper reusing
• Composting
• Use of food scraps to feed guinea pigs
• Worm Farms; castings and worm juice used on gardens
• No dig garden
• Plastic, can, glass, etc, recycling
• Energy reduction program: lights, heating, computers
• Water use reduction: timed watering system, containers to catch excess water, etc.
• Nude food promotion: less packaging, reduced landfill
• Maintenance of nesting box program
• Water Watch program; Habitat Surveys along the Mullum Mullum
• Future Fuels pilot program
• Redevelopment of PreSchool and Prep playgrounds which includes a pond that is a water tank supplied by roof collection
• Recycling of uniforms: Swap Shop
• Recycling of mobile phones
• Networking: Green Wedge Cluster, Waste Wise Schools, etc – PD activities

Margaret Adams, a teacher at CBGS says that there have been many rewarding projects that the school has undertaken since being involved with the SSI. Some of the most rewarding have been:
• The development of their Core Module, as this united the staff and necessitated them focusing on their needs and vision for their future direction in relation to sustainability
• The responsibility and leadership undertaken by the Year Four students as Enviro Captains, promoting green practices across the school and being the change agents in a highly visible area that translates into responsible living in today’s society
• Reduction of landfill through reducing, reusing recycling and composting. This program has made the students think about their responsibilities at school and at home and has lead to them ‘educating’ their parents in many cases. It has also resulted in many community ‘relationships’ being developed
• The developing of relationships, particularly with local Council personnel, CERES, the other schools in the Green Wedge Sustainable Schools Cluster and networks such as Waste Wise Schools
• Nesting Box Program: Received a grant from Voiceless to provide nesting boxes around the campus. Worked in conjunction with the Melbourne Wildlife Sanctuary at LaTrobe University to develop a program that introduced students to the local fauna and their needs. The students, under the guidance of the Sanctuary staff, eventually constructed twelve nesting boxes that were installed around the campus. The campus community was kept apprised of developments throughout the program with presentations by the Enviro Captains at Assemblies. Great excitement was experienced when the Year One’s photographed the first resident parrot one week after the boxes were installed
• ‘Nude Food’ program: Not only do we have the ‘Nude Food Dude’ to remind students that ‘bringing nude food makes you a cool dude!’, but combined with the special Nude Food Day and items at Assembly, the message is definitely having an impact. There has been a concerted effort across the campus to cut back on packaging and reduce landfill. It also interrelates well with the schools drive for healthy eating. Students are encouraged to eat fruit and vegetables at their tables throughout the morning during classroom activities
• The diversion of stormwater and the restoration of the wetland has been a great success, and once again they have worked in partnership with the Council who has provided some funding. The annual planting around the Mullum Mullum, also conducted with Council assistance, has a direct impact on the local community and is an avenue for direct action for the students

Other future plans for the Donvale Campus are:
• Development of their propagation area including the installation of water tanks
• Continued maintenance and development of the wetlands adjacent to the school; assisted with funding from Manningham Council
• Continued planting program for Years Three to Six of the Mullum Mullum reserve organised by Manningham Council
• Continued planting of native indigenous plants on campus by the PreSchool to Year Two students supervised by the Enviro Captains
• Building and maintenance of a hen house
• Further stages of development of the PreSchool / Prep playground
• Repair and maintenance of Mudbrick Castle in Adventure Playground
• Conversion of toilets to duel flushed supplied by water tanks from roof collection
• Redevelopment of composting and worm farm areas
• Involvement in Manningham Council’s community development of an all abilities play space – Working with the coordinating landscape architect, Year Four Enviro Captains will raise plants that they will plant throughout the play space (numbering thousands). The campus will also be involved in the Art program that is also contributing to the development of the area. The Year Four students will be involved throughout the development process in order to gain an understanding of the necessary considerations for such a project.
• Continued planting of native indigenous plants on campus by the PreSchool to Year Two students supervised by the Enviro Captains

Through the schools initiatives they have been able to reduce their energy use by 25% and have saved 53 tonnes of CO2.

More info.

For more information about the school contact Margaret Adams on 9842 2166, email margaret.adams@carey.com.au or go to the Carey Donvale website at http://www.carey.vic.edu.au/.

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