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Green Living Education Term 1 2024 January-March
THE BURNING ISSUE
Welcome to 2024, educators and learners.
You may have noticed that it's not only been a summer of wildly chaotic weather - it's been the summer of battery fires.
In Casey and nearby councils, there have been at least five bin and truck fires caused by batteries and e-waste over the break. The photos below were taken this January in Timbarra.
One of the most common contaminants is single-use vapes. Although now banned, many are still in circulation. As part of the solution, the City of Casey has developed a vape disposal program of its own - and local students are playing their own part!
If you want your kids to know what's what, check out Battery recycling 101, our E-Waste resources and Clean Up Australia's Right to Repair lesson plans.
Keep scrolling on down to reveal free school posters, lesson plans, local events, printable resources, funding, competitions and professional development opportunities.
If you'd like to learn more about how the City of Casey can help support you in and out of the classroom, please email us at eduwaste@casey.vic.gov.auy.vic.gov.au
TERM ONE DATES TO CELEBRATE
Learning for Sustainability Conference 2024
When: Friday March 1st from 9.00-3.30pm
Where: The Round, Nunawading
Cost: from $70
The Learning for Sustainability Conference offers professional development and networking opportunities for early years, school and community members interested in living and acting more sustainability.
We are excited to announce our Keynote Speaker, Zena Cumpston, a Barkandji woman who has lived in Melbourne for many years. Zena works as a writer, artist, researcher, curator and storyteller. She is passionate about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' sustainable practices (particularly plant use) science, food sovereignty, history and art. She co-authored several chapters of the Federal Government's State of the Environment Report 2021.
National Sustainable Living Festival All February Healthy Lunchbox Week Monday 4 - 10 February Lunar New Year (Year of the Wood Dragon) Saturday 10 February Semester 1 VCE Environmental Science Networking Sessions Monday 12 February Nirvana Day (Parinirvana Day) Thursday 15 February Wetlands Walk at Myuna Farm Thursday 22 FebruaryKickstarting sustainability in your school Thursday 29 February Friday 1 March Schools Clean up Australia Day Friday 1 March Clean up Australia Day Sunday 3 March Maha Shivaratri Wednesday 6 March |
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International Women’s Day Friday 8 March Ramadan begins Monday 11 March Labour Day Monday 11 March (Public holiday) St Patrick’s Day Thursday 17 March Sustainability Through Your Own Lens Photography Competition Friday 18 March 19 Harmony Week Friday 18 Mar – 24 Mar Nowruz New Year Wednesday 20 March National Close the Gap Day Thursday March 21 National Ride to School Day Friday 22 March Earth Hour Schools Day Friday 22 March 2024. Purim Sunday 24 March Holi (Festival of Colours) Monday 25 March Good Friday Friday March 29 (Public holiday) 
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Casey Primary Teacher Recycle Right Professional Development session Thursday 25 April
Casey Kindergarten Teacher Recycle Right Professional Development session Thursday 2 May, Thursday 1 August
NEWS AND CONGRATULATIONS
Lyndhurst Secondary College students, Michelle Prak, Olivia Argaet, Janelle Bias and Cindy Phao created ‘Just Breathe Air’ |
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‘Just Breathe Air’ Congratulations to all the participants in the video competition warning of the dangers of youth vaping. ‘The Vapourisers’ from St Francis Xavier College were awarded third place; Get Puffed’ from Fountain Gate Secondary College came second; and in first place, ‘Just Breathe Air’ (J.B.A) from Lyndhurst Secondary College. Watch this space for the winning video! |
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Meanwhile, discover our free vape disposal sites: Hampton Park Transfer Station - 274 Hallam Road, Hampton Park 3976 YMCA Casey Arc Customer Service - 10 Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren 3805 Melanie Terracycle + Lid Recycle Hub Clyde 3978 - 13 Pasadena Boulevard, Clyde 3978 |
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And finally - a cheeky little video from Behind the News for teens: What the History of Smoking Can Teach us About Vaping. (Health & PE | History) |
CLASSROOM RESOURCES
PRESCHOOL & EARLY LEARNING
Keep Waste Out Of Nature How should we deal with waste? Learn where it goes and how we can manage it. |
Love Food? Love Seeds! - Bees In The Yard How to be safe around honeybees and learn what they do. |
How do mangrove trees survive? We have loads of mangroves in the City of Casey. Learn why that matters. |
PRIMARY
Park Explorer excursion at Wilson Botanic Hands-on fossil dig; volcano science experiment; birdspotting with binoculars; and the Floor is Lava team-building game. |
DIY bin audit Don't let rubbish get wasted. Learn how to make the most of what's in the bin. |
Make a sea dragon for lunar Year of the Dragon Make a Junk Craft™ leafy sea dragon out of leftovers and learn about their role in Western Port. |
SECONDARY
Water in the world The location and distribution of water resources in Australia, their implications, and strategies to manage the sustainability of water. And what better place to explore than the nearby Cranbourne Botanic Garden? |
Battery recycling 101 What's in batteries and how can they be broken down into valuable elements?Tackling a major waste problem one battery at a time. |
Clean Up
Australia Clean Up Australia - Right To Repair Exploring e-waste, planned obsolescence and the right to repair. |
ALL-AGES & COMMUNITY
Lunchbox design Good lunchboxes are based on four important things. Learn how every family member and friend can celebrate Healthy Lunchbox Week by preparing healthy food and keeping
costs down.
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Beekeeping basics Join the Old Cheese Factory's Bee Keeper, Darren. You can sign up for one or both Introduction to Bee Keeping sessions.Learn how a colony works, what equipment's required, how honeybees make up a hive and each role they play. |
Avoiding biodegradable and compostable packaging Why we don't accept 'compostable' bags in our green bins. |
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Casey Primary Teacher Recycle Right Professional Development sessionA lot has changed in the Waste and Recycling realm in the past few years, so even those who have attended one of our Waste and Recycling sessions before, would benefit attending again. This one and a half hour FREE and ONLINE session will cover how to utilise the Council Recycling & Waste services incl. what goes into which bin, as well as some general information about what has been happening in the recycling industry, including helpful school resources and lesson plans that have recently been updated and are FREE for Casey schools to use. 25th April 2024 (Primary)
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Casey Kindergarten Teacher Recycle Right Professional Development sessionThis session is for Kindergarten Teachers working in the City of Casey, to update their knowledge and learn more about Waste and Recycling. Teachers/Educators attending will learn more about Waste and Recycling in the City of Casey so they can share this knowledge with their students and families , but also about related activities and games they can do during kinder sessions as well. 2nd May 2024 (Kinder), 1st August 2024 (Kinder) |
Lesson planning, assessment and resources for VCE
This workshop is for teachers new to teaching VCE Environmental Science Units 1&2 and/or Units 3&4 in 2024. The session will include examples and guidance for Units 1-4 lesson planning, assessment and sourcing of resources aligning with the 2022-2026 Study Design.
Bring your ideas and plans to share, discuss and collaborate with your teaching colleagues.
Free resources for Casey educators! To download the posters, please click right and 'Save as" to print out at your leisure. Or email us at eduwaste@casey.vic.gov.au for us to send you the files directly.
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GRANTS, PROGRAMS, COMPETITIONS & CHALLENGES
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Sustainability Through Your Own Lens Photography Competition Closes Friday 18 March 2023 Photography submissions will be judged, and 3 finalists will be selected from each category:The activity in the photograph can be linked to the RSS Online module progression and could be the perfect end of Term 1 or beginning of Term 2 activity. Read more about RSS modules. Photo: Steele Aspland, Grade 2, St. James Parish School ,Sebastopol. |
Urban Rivers and Catchments Program (Australian Government) closes 13 February 2024 NFP organisations can apply for funding to deliver small to medium sized community-based projects that conserve native and threatened species and improve the ecological health of urban waterways (for example local waterway habitat, habitat connectivity, and water quality improvement).
Coastcare Victoria Community Grants (Victorian Government) closes 16 February 2024
This grant assists community groups to protect and enhance the coastal and near-shore marine environment. Funded projects contribute to stewardship and education, strengthening volunteer groups or supporting traditional owner self-determination.
Partnerships Against Pests Grants (Agriculture Victoria) closes 19 February 2024
This grant aims to support community groups to deliver workshops, resources and community engagement initiatives and promote cooperation between neighbours and communities on the management of established weeds and pest animals.
Tiny Towns Fund (Victorian Government) closes 25 February 2024
This fund supports local communities in towns with a population of up to 5,000 people in the targeted local government areas, including the City of Casey, to deliver quality tourism and community facility projects, such as splash parks and bike trails, playgrounds, community hall and library upgrades and public art.
James N. Kirby Foundation Grants closes 29 February 2024
This grant supports NFPs to deliver small innovative programs in a broad range of areas including education and technology, the environment, health, social welfare, and the arts.
SilverChef Community Grants Program closes 31 March 2024
SilverChef provides certified used hospitality equipment and cash grants to support community groups that offer hospitality and food services to vulnerable communities.
Circular Economy Innovation Fund – Capacity Building (Sustainability Victoria) closes 31 March 2024
Incorporated organisations can apply for funding for projects that improve awareness and understanding of circular economy or contribute to circular economy innovation in Victorian businesses.
SHARE YOUR STORIES
We would love to hear about what environmental programs/initiatives you are doing with your students. If you would like to share in future editions, please email us at eduwaste@casey.vic.gov.au.
For your students - what are their tips, hacks or even questions for using, reusing, upcycling and recycling? Please share them with us via email or through the Green Living in Casey Facebook group.
