Project summaries - 2005 Environmental Education - state and local government grants
| 2005 Environmental Education - state and local government grants |
|---|
| Organisation | Project title | Amount $ |
|---|
| Broken Hill City Council | Water management education program | 83,820 |
Coffs Harbour City Council | North Coast Regional Botanic Garden education officer | 25,000 |
Goulburn Mulwaree Council | Catchment Caretakers; community partners for sustainable water cycle | 50,000 |
Manly Council | Manly Environmental History Museum and teaching laboratory | 50,000 |
NetWaste | A Day in My Life - building a more sustainable lifestyle | 22,519 |
Newcastle City Council | Green Schools Green City | 18,480 |
North Sydney Council | Small Businesses for a Sustainable Future | 68,600 |
NSW Department of Education and Training | Murder Under the Microscope | 100,000 |
Powerhouse Museum | Development of an ecoLogic powerpack kit for regional community use | 50,000 |
University of New England | Cross-cultural education on traditional harvesting practices | 99,693 |
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils Ltd | Ecosmart Living pilot program - Western Sydney | 35,000 |
| 11 projects | TOTAL | $603,112 |
Broken Hill City Council
Water management education program
Grant: $83,820
This project will involve the development of education packages and training based on "best practice" water management techniques for council technical services and local government, as well as grounds people at educational institutions, sports grounds, health and aged care facilities and the general community. This project will also involve developing demonstration sites in prominent public spaces. These sites will illustrate affordable and environmentally appropriate ways to manage (aesthetic) urban landscapes using the latest water saving technologies and techniques. Areas to be targeted are nature strips, parks, ovals and public/private gardens.
Coffs Harbour City Council
North Coast Regional Botanic Garden education officer
Grant: $25,000
The project aims to build upon the existing and successful volunteer guiding program through the employment and expertise of a part time education officer to implement new program materials. Our Botanic Garden's mission is to provide education and research opportunities for the people of the North Coast. The primary goal is to develop learning programs which are highly enjoyable and specifically linked to units in the current syllabus for NSW schools, in order that greater numbers of regional schools will utilise the Regional Gardens as a key learning resource. A secondary goal is to provide ongoing training for the dedicated volunteers who will have an integral role in delivering the programs.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council
Catchment Caretakers; community partners for sustainable water cycle
Grant: $50,000
This project aims to develop and implement an environmental education project to achieve real/sustainable drinking water quality and conservation outcomes within an urban catchment by targeting specifically identified community sectors.
- Schools: student centred activities involving water audits of school/home/businesses with their developing and implementing "water plans" for schools. Expanding programs/activities in water quality (Streamwatch, Bugwatch etc)
- Targeted industrial estate(s): Community/business engagement/participation in developing/implementing best (better) practices in water cycle management within the estate. Improving stormwater quality and water saving through an integrated approach to implementing infrastructure/spill and pollution management/water conservation by management and employees.
- Case studies with specific/typical rural and light industries/businesses (eg. salesyard, abattoir, fabrication, automotive, builders etc): Expansion of the programs and methodologies employed in the estate to specific/targeted industries which (a) use the most water and (b) have potential to pollute the emergency (river) water supply.
Back to top
Manly Council
Manly Environmental History Museum and teaching laboratory
Grant: $50,000
Manly Environmental Centre (MEC) has been an environmental education and research centre for the regional community for 14 years. The council has committed $1 million in 2005/06 to build a new MEC, including an environmental history museum and teaching laboratory. The displays in the EHM will showcase the region's significant environmental history including the famous "poo marches" campaign to regain swimming from pollution at Manly's National Estate listed Ocean Beach, the plight and then protection of Manly's Little Penguin population, and our significant Aboriginal heritage which is reflected in the name of Manly. Powerhouse Museum curators, Australian Museum experts, Aboriginal advisors, two environmental film makers, environmental scientists, educators, historians and artists are committed enthusiastic partners helping voluntarily with the EHM which will engage people in seeing, touching, feeling and hearing interactive multimedia experiences to inspire and immerse, rather than 'preach'.
NetWaste
A Day in My Life - building a more sustainable lifestyle
Grant: $22,519
NetWaste would like to develop an educational resource aimed at raising awareness about the types of changes that an average family or individual can make to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. The concept of 'sustainability' is difficult for many people to understand and this resource will assist in building a greater understanding of what 'sustainability' means whilst providing examples of how individuals can apply this to their lives in practical ways. We will involve a group of school students from Broken Hill in developing a DVD and set of 5 posters that highlight the key messages identified in the DVD. The students will undertake the research, script writing, idea generation, prop-making, directing and performing as part of the development of the DVD, thus creating a unique learning experience for the group, for their schools, council staff involved, their family and friends.
Newcastle City Council
Green Schools Green City
Grant: $18,480
Green Schools Green City proposes to support DET's Sustainable Schools program and engage schools in biodiversity conservation. It will target schools in the corridors and buffers surrounding nature reserves, as identified in the Newcastle Green Corridor Strategy, and will add value to Good Bushland Neighbours, our current community engagement project funded by the Environmental Trust. Green Schools Green City will be operated as a pilot with 6 schools, who will be invited to participate in the following package of learning opportunities:
- Free resource package consisting of NPWS biodiversity kit, Newcastle Nature Watch Journals for each student and wildlife tally poster.
- Green Schools Green City guest speaker presentation to provide overview, goals and stimulate environment
- School ground co-ordinated by DET (Wetlands Environmental Centre)
- School grounds habitat project - identified during audit, facilitated by Trees in Newcastle
- Community habitat project - on a public site identified in the Green Corridors Strategy - facilitated by Newcastle City Council
- Concluding presentation with feedback and sharing of outcomes.
Back to top
North Sydney Council
Small Businesses for a Sustainable Future
Grant: $68,600
This project focuses on delivering an environmental sustainability program for local businesses in two local government areas (North Sydney and Lane Cove). The project is called Small Businesses for a Sustainable Future and is an integrated sustainability project which aims to look at the ways businesses currently operate and identify opportunities to be more environmentally sustainable. The project runs over a 10-month period, delivered in partnership with Village Green Managed Sustainable Services. This project involves the collaboration of North Sydney and Lane Cove Councils. This project encompasses capacity building through training workshops; community education through face to face sustainability surveys and audits and provision of a manual for small businesses; social marketing through the use of the Environmental Trust logo in promotional material; and communication/publicity through newsletters and local press articles.
NSW Department of Education and Training
Murder Under the Microscope
Grant: $100,000
We wish to produce and deliver a new series of Murder Under the Microscope (MuM), an award winning multimedia game for school students. From 1994 to 2003, MuM was a highly successful environmental awareness program attracting 2,200 schools and 49,000 students in its final year of delivery. Pitched at years 5 to 8 the program was developed and delivered by the NSW Department of Education and Training and financially supported by the NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation. MuM is an eco-murder mystery. Students are presented with an environmental crime and must find the cause (villain), the effect (victim) and the specific environment (crime site). To sum up their learning students also produce a catchment management plan. Played over a two month period the MuM team provides students with a clue-based scenario, classroom resources, interactive website and four live broadcasts over satellite, television and the internet. To ensure sustainability of the resources developed during this project, DVDs of the broadcasts and print based resources can continue to be used by schools as a part of the core curriculum.
Powerhouse Museum
Development of an ecoLogic powerpack kit for regional community use
Grant: $50,000
The museum will develop and test a prototype educational resource kit of products and information that will engage consumers on the topic of design for sustainability. The kit will provide tools to help regional communities investigate ecological sustainability and to disseminate information through the creation of their own exhibitions and/or presentations. Museum staff will work with two local government regions and the Department of Education to create resources appropriate and relevant for councils, schools and people of all ages.
Back to top
University of New England
Cross-cultural education on traditional harvesting practices
Grant: $99,693
Arrawarra Headland is a focal point for marine education on the mid-north coast. It is the site of Aboriginal fish traps and has significant, cultural value to the local people; it also supports an active marine field station. In recognition of these important uses, the headland was given special purpose status within the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Traditional harvesting, prohibited since 1991, will recommence in late 2005 providing an unappalled opportunity to develop cross-cultural educational programs to:
- train Indigenous participants in scientific monitoring to ensure sustainability of harvesting; and
- communicate traditional cultural values of the site more widely.
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils Ltd
Ecosmart Living pilot program - Western Sydney
Grant: $35,000
The Ecosmart Living pilot program for western Sydney is a sustainability education program for households and small businesses in western Sydney to empower participants with the necessary information, advice and incentives to implement best practice and encourage continual improvement to reduce water and energy use, dispose of waste and address travel decisions with the aim of reducing the amount of GHG - whilst showing participants how to save money, reduce wasteful behaviour and help to preserve the environment. The pilot will build a public, private and people (community) partnership with state and local governments and the corporate sector who have an interest in reducing GHG from the community. The pilot will also utilise the NSW Greenhouse Abatement program to create tradeable carbon credits from improvements in energy made by participants and integrate education and information, providing a succinct and tailored program for participants.
Back to top
Page last updated: 27 February 2011
