Taking steps towards sustainability Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not! – Dr Seuss Promoting positive and sustainable environmental change is a key tenant of a St Margaret’s education. Right from Pre-Prep to the secondary years, the school aims to develop students’ awareness and knowledge of sustainability issues and to foster a passion for protecting the environment and taking steps towards a more sustainable future. In Pre-Prep, students are very engaged with the natural environment through their outdoor classroom experiences and through this are taught the importance of caring for our natural world. The food gardens, compost bins and worm farm support their learning about the nutrient cycle while the recycling program and native beehive assist them to understand the impact of human actions on the environment. In the primary school, the Sustainability Club, led by the Year 6 Sustainability Leaders, is responsible for the maintenance of Maggies Garden and for driving other sustainability initiatives in
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the primary school. The students tend to the garden, weeding, composting, watering and planting. The garden has become the source of much classroom learning not just from a sustainability point of view but also bringing alive maths and science concepts for students. On National Tree Day last year, students planted Maggies Garden as well as trees around the school, and before long they were enjoying the fruits of their labour, harvesting the garden for ‘Paddock to Plate’ cooking in the classroom. Through the garden, students are taught about composting and nature’s way of recycling. The girls are encouraged to place their lunch food waste in compost bins while vege scraps are collected from the tuckshop and coffee grounds from M’s Café, which are in turn used on the school garden. There is also a native beehive. Rubbish recycling is also encouraged through the ‘Containers for Change’ initiative with the proceeds put back into sustainability resources. The Prep to Year 6 Sustainability Club and the Year 6
