Sustainability

RESPONSIBLE WASTE MANAGEMENT AT NARANGA SCHOOL

This term we have new bins with excellent signage and visuals for landfill and recycling in our playground areas to teach students to correctly sort their rubbish responsibly. This is a terrific opportunity for students to take responsibility for their rubbish every day.

BLISTER PACK RECYCLING PROGRAM

Pathways sustainability students counted 120 blister packs in the recycling box. This recycling program has been successful. This is the third time Naranga has emptied blister packs at Chemist Warehouse this term. Well done, Naranga School!

GREEN CHRISTMAS

As we put up the Christmas decorations this year, thoughts sometimes go back to Christmases past. When I was a young child my siblings and I made paper chains to decorate the tree and lounge room. When Christmas was over the decorations went into the compost bin. We loved the smell of a real Christmas tree with the pine smell filling the house. After Christmas we cut the branches to reuse them as stakes for garden plants and, put pine needles around the blueberry bushes. My grandparents used the trunk for firewood.

Using natural materials to make Christmas decorations is very sustainable. You can responsibly collect native foliage, seed pods, and gumnuts from the garden. You can spray these materials gold, red or silver or leave them in their natural state for a wreath or Christmas tree decoration or to decorate your home. You can lightly spray foliage with water to rejuvenate or replace it as needed. Some native Australian foliage will naturally dry out, and you can reuse it in floral displays.

Pathways wreaths with foliage, seeds and gumnuts from the school grounds

Senior trees using icypole sticks, star anise for the star and cinnamon for the trunks

Lower Junior students made decorations out of a no bake salt dough. All you need is two cups of plain flour, one cup of salt and enough water to bring the mixture together to make a smooth dough. The dough can be coloured with green or red food dye. Students used different Christmas cutouts and used the end of a pencil to make a hole at the top so the decorations can be hung up. Leave on a non stick surface to dry out, then thread ribbon through each decoration and secure.