Green School Holiday Activities

Looking to give the kids a break from the school routine... but not from learning? Then check out these fun and educational holiday activities, that encourage children to explore their creativity and connect with the environment.

Eco-Art School Holiday Workshops@ Reverse Garbage - this Spring, Brisbane based sustainability co-operative Reverse Garbage are running their most popular children's workshops: Robots, Spaceships and Aliens, Wearable Art and Furry Friends. The workshops are designed to give kids aged 6-12 the opportunity to create wonderful works of art, sculptures and toys out of discarded materials, whilst learning about the value of resource conservation.

Where: Reverse Garbage, 20 Burke Street, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
When: workshops run from 23rd September to 3rd October (bookings essential)
Cost: $20 per child (includes tuition form experienced artists, tools and materials)
Contact: info@reversegarbage.com.au or call Nadine Schmoll on (07) 3891 9744

Art on the Wildside@Maroochy Bushland Botanic Garden - there's a fantastic program of activities for children aged 5 to 14 at the Arts and Ecology Centre, Tanawha over the holidays.  Workshops for younger children include Build-a-Bug, with entomologist Michelle Gleeson ('the Bug Lady') and Mini-Drama about the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly, with author Jill Morris and artist Heather Gall.  Community Film-making Fun gives older children the chance to be part of the crew making a short film about an endangered orchid that lives in the Garden.

Where: Maroochy Bushland Botanic Garden, Palm Creek Road, Tanawha, Sunshine Coast

When: workshops run from 24th September to 3 October (bookings essential)

Cost: registration fee of $5 per participant at the time of booking

Contact: Suzanne Aspland at: Suzanne.Aspland@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

Gordon Hookey Kangaroo Crew@GOMA - this large scale, multimedia exhibition has been designed for children of all ages by Indigenous artist Gordon Hookey, from the Waanyi people.  Kangaroo Crew is based on the artist's story, The Sacred Hill, which introduces children to the issue of indigenous land rights through the experiences of a group of kangaroos who lived peacefully together... until the arrival of a flock of myna birds.  Children are able to engage with the story through hands-on and multimedia activities, which include making a kangaroo mask, designing a poster and playing arcade games.  

Where: Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), South Bank, Brisbane

When: until 27th January 2014

Cost: Free

Contact: gallery@qagoma.qld.gov.au or call (07) 3840 7303

Habitat gardening - welcoming wildlife into your backyard

Imagine you're a native animal - bird, mammal, frog, reptile or invertebrate - searching for a place to live.  Where would you choose to make a home?

All animals have the same basic requirements:

• regular food supply;
• reliable source of water;
• places of refuge;
• opportunity to raise their young; and
• safety from threats.

How to meet these needs will differ between species, so an important first step when planning a habitat garden is to decide which animals you want to attract and to learn about their habits.

It's also a good idea to visit their natural environment and observe its structure, so that you can create similar conditions in your garden.  In forests, which support many of the small mammals, birds and frogs that have been most affected by human habitation, there's a complex layering of soil, leaf litter, ground cover plants, understorey shrubs, small trees and large canopy trees.

When walking through the forest, take notice of the rocks, fallen trees, pools and gullies, which also form a vital part of the ecosystem that native animals need in order to survive and thrive. 

So, having completed your research, what are the basic principles of habitat gardening?

1. Plant and preserve local native plant species  - the animals in your area will have evolved alongside local native plants, which they may use for food, shelter, refuge or raising young. To use an example from our own backyard, we live in a forest that provides habitat for the rare and threatened Glossy Black Cockatoo.  This bird has been particularly affected by land clearing because it feeds only on the seeds of certain types of Casuarina and Allocasuarina trees. It also nests in tree hollows, which are mainly found in old or dead trees.  The survival of this species therefore depends on preservation of the trees they require for feeding and nesting.  
2. Avoid the use of poisons in your garden  - small birds and frogs are both important indicators of the health of our environment.  In Queensland, as in many other parts of the World, they are in serious decline.  Some species, such as the once common Southern Dayfrog, are now considered to be extinct and several others are close to extinction.  
   
   
   
   
   
   One of the reasons for this decline is the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.  Frogs have moist, permeable skin which makes them particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of pollution. Pesticides and other chemicals also affect insectivorous birds by limiting and poisoning their food supply; it really is best not to use them in the garden unless absolutely necessary. 
3. Provide a pond or other permanent water source - a permanent supply of fresh water will encourage animals to live in, rather than just visit, your garden. This can be as simple as making a depression in the ground, covering it with a waterproof lining and surrounding it with rocks and plants.  For information about providing water in your garden for wildlife, go to: Queensland Frog Society and Birds in Backyards.
4. Remove pest species - most people don't like to harm animals but some introduced pest species are so damaging to the ecosystem that they should not be allowed to exist in your backyard.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Common Myna, Red Fox and Cane Toad as among 100 of the world’s worst invasive alien species. 
5. Keep pets under control - unrestrained domestic dogs and cats are responsible for killing millions of native animals every year.  According to the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, dogs are one of the main causes of koala death and each pet cat, if allowed to roam, will kill an average of 16 mammals, 8 birds and 8 reptiles every year. 
   
   
   
   

   
   

   If you have dogs or cats, thoughtful and responsible ownership involves keeping your animals under curfew, particularly at night.  Cats should be desexed to limit their tendency to wander and prevent them from reproducing.  They should also be fitted with bells or an electronic sonar collar, which will alert birds to their presence.

The Cost of Fashion - how to reduce your clothing footprint

It’s hard to know which came first: consumer demand for cheap fashion or the garment industry’s pursuit of profit.  Either way, disposable attitudes towards clothing are costing the Earth. 

According to research by the UK’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the average household’s annual clothing footprints are:

• Carbon - 1.5 tonnes of CO2e emissions, equivalent to driving an average modern car over 9,600 km;
• Waste - 70kg, equivalent to the weight of 100 pairs of jeans; and
• Water -  more than 200,000 litres, equivalent to filling over 1,000 bathtubs to capacity.

The processes from production of raw material to garment supply account for three quarters of the carbon impact, one third of the waste and almost all of the water footprint of clothing.  As consumers, we have little or no control over these processes.

But we do have control over what we buy and how we wear our clothes.

WRAP’s 'Valuing our Clothes' report concluded that the most sustainable fashion statement we can make is to wear the clothes in our wardrobes for longer: 

“Extending the life of clothing by an extra nine months of active use would reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by around 20-30% each and cut resource costs by around 20%; this is the single most significant intervention.”

What this means is that by making a few changes to our habits, we can all make a massive difference to the environment.  Here are some ideas...

1. Be creative - it’s surprising what you can achieve by being imaginative with your wardrobe.  Apps such as Stylebook and My Fashion Assistant can help you mix and match your clothes and accessories to create an interesting new look.
   
   
   
   
2. Love your clothes - by following a few simple rules, you can make your precious clothes look good for longer:
   • Hang them up in your wardrobe or fold them neatly in a drawer instead of dropping them on the floor; 
   • Wash them only when they’re dirty, wait until you have a full load, separate colours and avoid the use of very hot water and chemical bleaches (use bicarbonate of soda instead);
   • Try not to use a drying machine at all. Open air and sunlight are much healthier for your clothes and the environment.
3. Think of your clothes as an investment - when you go shopping, adopt the attitude that clothes are valuable.  Only buy items that you can commit to wearing at least 30 times.   Choose durable fabrics and classic styles that will last beyond this season’s fashion. 
4. One woman's trash is another woman's treasure - clothes swapping, or 'swishing' is a popular way to update your wardrobe. It works best when you exchange clothes that are in good condition, in season and which you like but never wear.  To find out how to organise a clothes swap event, read Planet Ark’s guide to Hosting Your Own Swap Party.
5. Second hand isn’t always second best -if you love shopping for clothes, there are treasures to be found at vintage and retro markets, second-hand clothing stores and charity shops.
6. Keep clothes out of landfill - there's always value in clothes, whatever state they’re in.  All unwanted garments can be given to charities, local authorities and other clothes collection organisations.  Even if they can’t be worn again, they’ll be sold to waste management companies for recycling into new fabrics, cleaning wipes, felts and other non-clothing uses. 
7. Talk to your children about the issues - WRAP's research found that 58% of 16 to 24 year olds owned clothes that they no longer wore because they were 'no longer my style'.  It's never too early to start talking about sustainability issues with your children and modelling responsible behaviour.
8. And finally - start or join a conversation about ways to reduce our clothing footprint on Facebook, Twitter or your own favourite social media.