In the spirit of sustainability, here's a quick guide on how to responsibly dispose of your Christmas-related materials:
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Recyclable Wrapping Paper: Place wrapping paper made of paper into the designated recycling (yellow) bin.
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Non-Recyclable Wrapping Paper: Dispose of wrapping paper containing plastics, glitter, shiny, or metallic elements in the landfill (red) bin.
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Ribbon and Bow Removal: Before recycling, ensure to remove any ribbons or bows from the wrapping paper.
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Christmas Cards: Kindly deposit Christmas cards in the yellow bin for recycling.
Click here Tips for a low-waste Christmas
Sustainability Leaders Ramsar Wetlands Excursion to Swan Bay
As part of being a sustainability leader, we were lucky enough to be part of an excursion to the Swan Bay area to learn about the local Ramsar wetlands.
Our first stop was a visit to the Queenscliff Marine Freshwater Discovery Center where we were greeted by Naomi from Bellarine Catchment Network and Harry from the MFDC. At the MFDC there was a tank with lots of cool stuff like shells, corals, seaweeds, squid eggs, shark eggs and abalone that sucked your finger! We also got to watch flatheads, bluethroat wrasse and globe fish being fed.
Once we entered the water in our canoe, we couldn’t start paddling it or enjoying the experience, yet! Before we set out, we were made aware of the rules and safety facts. Like; don’t get too close to the birds, DO NOT be silly, don’t flip your boat and make sure to have fun (we had FUN!!). Our boat included Zach, Flynn and I. I think we were the fastest and most sensible boat, which resulted in us getting to our destination and back before the other canoes. We learned about the importance of Ramsar wetlands and how we play an important role in protecting them.
After the discovery centre Ash from the Wadawurrung Aboriginal Corporation spoke to us about his culture and people, how they have always cared for this land and how it is very important to the Wadawurrung people today. He had some very interesting things to tell us and he also showed us many special things that he has collected throughout his lifetime. Ash showed us some of his animal skins. One of them was a kangaroo and one was possum skin. The kangaroo skin would keep you cool in the summer, and the possum would keep you warm in the winter. He told us a story about how the indigenous people came to gather possum skin. There were also two boomerang looking things, that are his weapons or tools, for hunting. Ash showed us the tools and bark that his people use to start fires. They would use them in a certain way to cause lots of friction and start a fire. The women would collect bark and also make string to tie to their bark to make rafts to fish for food.
We all had a fantastic day, which was made possible with the support of the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Bellarine Catchment Network and the Marine Freshwater Discovery Centre, Queenscliff.
by Harry and Flynn
Year 6 Sustainability Leaders
Year 5 - Fighting Extinction in Schools Showcase at Melbourne Zoo
Recently ten Year 5 students with a strong interest in advocating for animal extinction attended the Fighting Extinction in Schools annual Showcase at Melbourne Zoo. The excitement built as we caught the train from Geelong to Melbourne. Upon arrival at the zoo we met with some zoo staff who explained we had some time to explore before the Showcase began. The highlights of our walk around were: the butterfly house, a visit to the three baby elephants, the orangutan, lion feeding, the reptile house and the ohhhh so cute newborn baby meerkats.
As we walked the zoo grounds we learned about many of Zoos Victorias’s Fighting Extinction Programs, such as how a mineral called coltan is used in the making of mobile phones, the mining for Coltan has destroyed gorilla habitats in Central Africa and all 4 types of gorillas are now classified as critically endangered. Also palm oil use and production is destroying Asian rainforest ecosystems and devastating habitat loss for endangered species like Asian rhinos, elephants, tigers and orangutans, and the Zoos “Wipe for Wildlife” campaign is strongly encouraging the use of recycled toilet paper to save trees for our for animals like the Yellow tailed black cockatoo.
Then it was time for the Showcase. Twenty Victorian schools shared with us their Fighting Extinction projects and talked about the wildlife conservation and fundraising they have been leading and promoting throughout their schools and local communities. We were very inspired by the amazing work they have completed to help save endangered species. Some of our favorites were the school who taught us about nurdles and what they are doing to protect ocean life from these damaging small plastics. There were also schools helping to save frogs, wombats, dingoes and others were cleaning up their local beaches to protect seabirds, turtles, dolphins, seals and whales.
The schools were all very enthusiastic and encouraging. We were very inspired and are now starting to think about ideas for our own Fighting Extinction journey for 2024. We like the idea of choosing to protect endangered animals that live on the Bellarine Peninsula and that use our local bushland, coast, beach, waterways and ocean, like some species of seals, turtles, dolphins, whales or birds.
Year 5 2023 Fighting Extinction in Schools team
