Environmental protection

Killara Primary School in Sunbury, 40 kilometres north west of Melbourne, has embodied its commitment to global education in its School Charter, school goals and guiding principles. It supports its commitment through inquiry projects designed to be engaging, challenging and authentic. The school borders on the beautiful Blind Creek Reserve and walking track. Many of the students enjoy the area on weekends, for activities with their families, and for dog walking and bike riding. Year three students studied the local creek and in so doing developed a range of ‘real-world’ understandings. They gathered data on the health of the creek by testing temperature, stream flow, turbidity and pH and salt levels with the assistance of a representative from the local water company. They noted the presence of animal life and concluded that Blind Creek was extremely dirty and had high levels of acidity and salt, making it unsuitable for many macro invertebrates. The students also surveyed Year 5 and 6 children for their ideas about the protection and development of the area and, based on the information gathered, developed a plan to protect the creek. They wrote to the local council with their suggestions, which included planting trees and native grasses and putting hay bales along the banks and in the creek to lower turbidity; requesting tip managers, farmers and people further up Blind Creek to limit runoff; and placing collection grids in the creek and doggy-poo bag holders and bins in the reserve to limit rubbish. They acknowledged their responsibility by promising to actively support the plan with plantings and regular monitoring of the creek and fauna. Year 3 students at Killara Primary School testing water from Blind Creek Although the council did no more than acknowledge their letter, there were long-term benefits as the students developed awareness of both the impact of people’s behaviours on the environment and their ability to exercise their civic rights. Social connections were also fostered, as older students expressed their admiration for the passion and energy of the younger students and the ways in which they developed and expressed their ideas. Behavioural changes were noted as a result of the students’ work: rubbish levels went down and environmental interest increased, and included plantings at the school. Aside from their increased awareness of the effect of human behaviour on the environment, the students were able to link environmental protection with social action to bring about change. Being tuned into their own water ways and their own right to express opinions to decision makers, they were able to consider access to water, protection of the environment and decision making from a global perspective using a variety of information sources such as case studies, literature and film. Learning about how people in other countries manage water resources extended their understanding about the diversity of opinions and priorities around environmental issues and provided new insights into managing their own environment.