Our Environment in Australia

Caring about our environment 

By Izzy Ou and Vicky Tian, Year 7

Australia has a unique flora and fauna. Our native animals form part of our Australian identity: koalas, emus, kangaroos, 

echidnas, wombats, dingoes, kookaburras, saltwater crocodiles and bilbies,

just to name a few.  

In early 2020, nearly three billion animals were killed or affected due to bushfires - 6382 koalas were killed leaving as few as 43,000 koalas in the wild.  As for the kangaroos, their population plummeted by 25%. Approximately 5.8 million hectares of trees and land were burnt, leaving the kangaroos no option to flee or die of hunger.  

These facts highlight how extreme fires are becoming due to climate change.  

There are many causes leading to climate change and at our School we try to raise awareness about the issue. At Kilvington, we try to do the following things:

• Have different bins for different rubbish items: compost bins, recyclables, paper bins and plastics.
• In our classrooms we have recycling bins for loose paper.
• We have posters which remind us to turn off the lights.
• We have fans as an alternative to air conditioners as they use less energy, can be reused and are better for the environment.
• We have plenty of hand-sanitiser in every room to keep students safe and healthy.
• Instead of relying on the lights in the classroom, we open our blinds to allow natural light to come in.
• We have drinking fountains which encourage students to bring their own drink bottle and to stay hydrated.
• We try to print double-sided to reduce the amount of paper we use.