North Sydney Boys High School Environment group sourced a grant from their local council to engage a team of filmmakers who are guiding groups of students through the process of making their own documentary films about environmental and sustainability issues that they think are most important.

What’s great about this project is that North Sydney Boys have opened up the program to all schools in the Northern Sydney region! Several other schools have now joined in and are now assembling their own “enviro-docs” (Environmental documentaries).

More info here.

I wonder if the outdoor experiences you are providing to your students will instil the passion and skills needed to be the future investigators of Australia’s biological heritage?

WIRES

Sydney wildlife

Scientists use invertebrates as a bio-indicator (that means they are an indicator of the biodiversity of an area). This is because invertebrates are easy to sample, have great variety and abundance, play an important role in ecosystems and are sensitive to environmental changes. When assessing the biodiversity of an area, scientists make comparisons in invertebrate samples collected from various sites at the same time and also within the same area taken at different times.

What will you need?

An old white bedsheet - the bigger the better.
Invertebrate identification charts (like this one).
A few finger sized paintbrushes.
A few old jars with lids that fit well.

Extra things that would be nice.

A magnifying glass.
A Camera that can take macro (up close) photos.
A pair of gloves.
Clipboard, paper, and pencil.

How does it work?

• Get your team to stretch the sheet out and place it flat on the ground under a branch or low tree. (Native plants have the most animals living in them...especially if they have lots of little leaves)
• Double check the sheet is nice and flat, and everyone is out of the way. Then grab the tree branch and give it a jiggly shake (You will have to shake pretty hard - these animals have lots of legs to hang on with!).
• Call everyone back in, get down low around the edge of the sheet and start gently brushing all your animals into the jars. Don’t shake the jar - you will hurt them or make them mad. Some of them may fight and eat each other - this natural - but if you think it is a bit mean then separate the spiders from all the others, especially the catepillars.
• Keep looking....some of the animals are VERY small, look for tiny red mites and other invertebrates “playing dead”.
• Compare your animals and find out their names from the charts. Write down how many you caught of each species. Take a photo of the spot and the best animals.
• Let them go, then try a different sort of plant.

• There are a few minor safety issues, use common sense, be careful of bigger spiders on trees with big flakes or strips of bark and NEVER pick up the animals with your fingers.
• The animals are being surveyed, which means we are “borrowing” them, identifying them and then letting them go in the right place.
• You will not catch as many animals in winter.
• It won’t work so well on a windy day.

Environmental Education strategies have been identified with a red oval.

Strategies that could be met through quality Environmental Education have been marked with a green oval.

Download the document here.

Awnings were installed on classrooms that received the worst of the afternoon sun. All windows were repaired to allow opening.


A gap was left between the new awnings and existing structures to allow heat to escape.


The hall was modified to allow doors to open outwards.


Louvre windows were installed with fans to draw cool air into the hall.


The hall Colah was insulated to reduce heat.

Staff were also instructed in the best way to cool classrooms using blinds and windows. The attached document provides some additional hints about how to stay cool (or warm) at school.

Our tank is used to flush the centres toilets and can be used to water gardens if required. We are waiting for push button taps to be installed in the toilets. This should result in further savings in the future.

Other positives about tanks include the fact that they store water far more efficiently than dams and that they are five times more energy efficient that desalination plants. Apparently only 6% of homes in Sydney have a tank installed. (Renew, Issue 100, Page 8, 2007)

Flora & Fauna Survey 2006

One of the most exciting things to come out of the survey was the discovery of sugar gliders, bandicoots and echidnas in the reserve.

A small 800 litre tank has been installed at the front of the building to collect water from our air conditioner. In most places this water would just be sent down the drain. This tank will supply water for pot plants and other gardens around the centre.

The third step in minimising water waste at the centre has been to replace the taps in the toilets with push button timer taps.

It will be interesting to see how much difference these measures will make to our water consumption patterns over the rest of the year.

Give us a call if you are interested in more information on our tanks and the process we went through to have them installed ph 98161298.

On the 5th of April, Pat and his friend Ben will set out on a 2000 kilometre journey, from Greenland's west coast to the summit of Mt Gunsbjornfeld, the highest peak in the Arctic.

Along the way, they hope to beat the 24 hour polar distance record (currently 442km), the Greenland crossing record (currently 6 days 23 hours), and if they encounter exceptional conditions, the world 24 hour sailing distance record (a staggering 1278KM).

Check out the Icebird website for further information.