Sustainability

CHS Environmental Leadership Team

As you may be aware, the CHS Environmental Leadership Team has been growing over the last year or so, from 12 students to 25. Our enthusiastic and passionate students have been working regularly on building garden beds, growing plants, planting seedlings, looking after the chickens and our beloved Gigi the mini-pig.

On the back of this success, Anna Vella and parent Caitlin Coleman are now formally inviting CHS parents/carers/guardians to become a part of the Enviro Team. To do this we ask that you join the “CHS Garden Group”, a network of people in our community who are interested in gardening, growing, harvesting, chook & pig keeping and any additional horticulture/permaculture support. We are looking to encourage our CHS community who will be able to impart knowledge and skills to our students and those who are willing to learn.

People who join the CHS Garden Group will undertake some gardening jobs such as preparing garden beds, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, composting, pruning fruit trees, chook love, Gigi sitting (if possible), preparing the harvest for eating (cooking classes), and setting up our wild plans for aquaponics and hydroponics in our poly-tunnel. We might put Gigi to work finding truffles.

We will organise and promote fortnightly on specific jobs that need to be completed, using the official CHS Garden Group on Facebook (FB), the Parent Community FB page and Instagram (did you know Gigi has her own Instagram at piggie_gigi – welcome to follow her crazy funny pig adventures) as well as Compass. Members who would like to volunteer on-site during school hours will need to obtain a Working With Children Check, (www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au), and will need to sign in and out at the office.

We envision the CHS Kitchen Garden and Horticulture Centre to be used not only by our students and classes but also by our community. We currently have 11 families in the neighbourhood who are a part of the Community Chook Group, looking after the chooks and collecting eggs during weekends and school holidays. If you are interested in being involved in the chook group, please contact Anna Vella.

We will be launching the CHS Garden Group at a working bee on SUNDAY AUGUST 12th from 9am to 1pm, refreshments will be supplied, bring along your gardening kit and inspiration. This will be a great event where people can come together, have a yarn, meet each other and start sharing ideas and skills and work alongside each other. If you can’t make it to the working bee, just sign up via the link on the Facebook CHS Garden Group page or email Anna Vella at anna.vella@coburg.vic.edu.au

Kind regards,

Anna Vella and Caitlin Coleman