Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants helping to grow 100,000 environmental champions
617 primary schools and early learning centres throughout Australia are receiving a Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant.
This is the second round of Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants distributed this year, bringing the total number of schools and early learning centres who have received a grant to 1,155. Based on figures provided by schools, this means more than 100,000 students across the country are getting hands-on in caring for the environment.
Sustainable food production projects have again proven to be a very popular category for grant projects, with many schools electing to create or improve their vegetable, herb, fruit and bush tucker gardens.
Projects to improve waste management range from composting and recycling to worm farms, including one school’s creatively named project, The Kids Have Worms.
Swan Hill North Public School in Victoria is one of 617 Australian primary schools and early learning centres receiving a Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant. Swan Hill will be expanding and improving the school’s existing veggie garden area, which will increase the number of students able to access hands on environmental education.
There are also numerous projects to enhance native habitats for insects, frogs and birds, creating indigenous, multicultural and sensory gardens and clever ways to attract native bees—including the aptly named, A New Buzz in the Playground.
Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Claire Peters said, “The Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants program is proving to be very popular, and we are excited to announce the second round of recipients.
“The ongoing program is part of our commitment to support the next generation of Fresh Food Kids by providing hands-on learning experiences in how they can care for the environment.”
St Martin’s Primary School in Davidson, New South Wales received a Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant for their project ‘A New Buzz in the Playground’. Students have already helped install a hive for stingless bees. They will be selecting and planting compatible plants and observing the hive to ensure its 5,000 inhabitants thrive in their new home.
Dr Shane Norrish, Landcare Australia CEO said, “Children participating in these projects range in age from pre-school through to Year 6. Getting hands-on with environmental projects at this early stage in their development will help equip them with the ability, knowledge and resources to take meaningful action to protect local and national biodiversity as they grow up.”
These grants are being funded with money made from the sale of the Woolworths Bag for good™ which was launched in June 2018 when the supermarket removed single-use plastic shopping bags across all stores nationwide. Since then, the supermarket has taken more than three billion single-use plastic bags out of circulation.
Visit our interactive Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants map to see where the 617 new schools and early learning centres that received grants are located, as well as the 538 projects from the first round of grants. The map provides a brief description and photographs of all 1,155 Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant recipients.
