Regional schools awarded grants focusing on water conservation
Sixteen primary schools in regional areas of Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales are recipients of the first ever Bushmans Junior Landcare Grants program. Bushmans Tanks is funding these grants in an effort to increase awareness about rainwater harvesting and to support children in playing an active role in creating a sustainable future.
The successful grant projects, all focusing on water conservation, range from installing irrigation systems to native and bush tucker gardens to frog bogs. Following are examples of types of projects that a couple of the grant recipients will be undertaking.
Students at St Joseph’s in Nambour, Queensland will be getting their hands dirty helping install a timed sprinkler system onto a tap which will be fed from a water tank. The water will be carried through pipes which can be run around a large retaining wall. Short pipes can then run from the retaining wall to five existing vegetable gardens in trenches. With the outcomes of this project, the school hopes to be able to grow more produce for the tuck shop. The irrigation system will ensure all year round watering.
Students from St Joseph’s showing off their passion fruit vines that will be watered with a timed sprinkler system funded by a Bushmans Junior Landcare Grant.
In drought effected Central Western New South Wales, students at Borenore Public School are sensitive to aspects of food production and sustainability especially in the current drought climate.
With this in mind, they’ll be using their grant to work with local community and Indigenous members to start a bush tucker garden, plant a spring vegetable crop and native flora to attract local fauna. Water for the garden beds will come from a water tank which is filled from the shed that houses the pump. Outside of this enclosure is a dry garden that they would like to fill with native plants.
