Water Efficiency

This school is a Pilot School for theNT Sustainable Schools Initiative and has a keen student group, the ‘Green Ants’, who are working with  ‘COOLMob’ to develop practises to reduce power and water use through the ‘Energy Blitz’ project.  The Grant Monies will go towards covering the cost of implementing some of the recommendations of the power and water audit they have been conducting at the school, specifically to cover the cost of replacing hand basins taps in all students’ toilets with self regulating or automatic shut off taps.

Recycling Paper and Organics

The aim of this project is to raise the awareness of the crisis in our environment in a positive way. It is focussed at a 'grass roots level' in supporting our students to care about the Earth and their own future. The students will learn to think twice about the consumable resources that pervade their life, especially at school. The grant monies will be used to set up and put in place the infrastructure needed to start paper recycling projects.  

The school seeks to establish a range of activities to teach students the importance of recycling in our school and the community. Five classes will participate in a weekly challenge to collect and recycle the most recyclable materials including waste paper and food scraps. Funding will be used to purchase paper bins, compost and worm farm systems and gardening tools. 

This project aims to establish a system of bins around the school that will help manage waste in the school more efficiently, reduce litter in the school grounds and significantly improve the recovery of recyclable materials. The year 2/3 class will be investigating ways to improve the school rubbish system and will reveal their findings at an assembly to encourage the whole school to take on a more active role. Teachers in the school are in full support of introducing the bin system and will help encourage students to use them effectively. The funding will be used to purchase sets of bins that identify paper/ card recycling and other matter throughout the whole school and purchase a mulcher to recycle garden trimmings on site to improve the gardens and cut down on watering in the dry season.  

Durack Primary School students and staff concerned with protecting native species from cane toads will work with parents and project partners (Landcare, Mitre 10 and Frogwatch) to develop a protected native frog environmental area in a seasonally flooded area of the school grounds near the library. The project will provide an opportunity for the students and others to observe, study and enjoy the native flora and fauna of the area and to become aware of their place in the environment and the steps they can take to improve it.

The Green Growers Garden project at Pularumpi school will work with older students and community members to develop an area in the school grounds as a shady, beautiful spot that yields edible plants. It will build on themes already touched upon this year, such as learning about how the community once had a thriving market garden, and exploring invertebrates that live in the playground. The children will learn about growing plants from seeds in the local climate, composting and reusing waste materials collected from school and the children's homes. The children will be encouraged to accept responsibility for looking after tools and materials and providing the regular care and attention gardens require. A water feature will help the children learn about the abundance of organisms that rely upon water and the importance of maintaining water quality.  

Tennant Creek Primary School project "a walk through time" plans to create a native garden featuring storyboards that tell the history of the Barkley region - its mining, pastoral, transport, and indigenous history. The school will be working with the Central Australian Natural Resource Management Facilitator to plan a place where students can learn to grow and propagate plants, study native plants and their uses and learn about environmental issues.

Yipirinya School is an Indigenous Independent school that educates its students using a 'two-ways' learning approach to education.  It delivers a ‘Language and Culture Program’ aimed at teaching its students Indigenous language and traditional culture passed down from their elders alongside the standard school curriculum.