Wastewise Garden Grant

This week we were informed that our application for a $16500 Wastewise grant was successful. This grant will enable us to establish an environmentally friendly garden which is also part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. As you can imagine, we are very excited by the opportunities this will provide our students. Many thanks go to Mrs Snart who put together the final application on behalf of our school. Below is an extract from the application which gives you an idea about what the program will involve:

Our project is to create an outdoor classroom through the building, establishment and maintenance of a small sustainable, organic fruit and vegetable farm that utilises organic waste generated by the school for worm farming, composting and mulching. The farm will be used to teach students how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste while also providing opportunities for them to develop greater understanding of environmentally friendly gardening practices. Seasonal fruit and vegetables will be used in cooking lessons with excess being sold within the community. Castings and whiz from the two existing worm farms will be used to enhance plant growth and worm whiz will also be bottled and sold to the local community.

The site for the garden will need to be prepared well with kikuyu grass being removed and suitable soil and compost being added. Garden beds will be delineated with edging made from environmentally friendly products. Paths will be constructed using mulch created by green waste produced by the school and local community. Compost bins will be used to turn organic waste into soil improver. A worm/compost shed will be used to process waste so that it is ready for composting and/or feeding to our worms. The shed will have a work area containing benches and water troughs.

Reticulation of the garden beds will need to be developed in order to ensure optimal growth. Various water saving and retention strategies will be explored as part of the teaching and learning programs (experimental science and Technology & Enterprise).

The site for the outdoor classroom has been assessed by a specialist in garden designer. Through his recommendations the garden will require a wind break to the east which will be created by a row of Australian native trees and a second row of native shrubs. Passionfruit vines will also form part of the wind break. To the west of the outdoor classroom a ‘bush tucker’ garden will be established.

A chicken coup will be built within the farm area. Chickens provide opportunities for students to learn about weed and pest control. It also provides additional fertiliser to boost garden production. Egg carton recycling will be conducted in order to pack eggs which will be sold within the community.

Running in conjunction with this project will be other strategies which also promote and develop better waste management including:
• Battery recycling
• Phone recycling
• Printer cartridge recycling
• Paper recycling reduction targets
• Zero waste lunches
• Power reduction – hour without power
• Water waste minimization strategies