The Sustain environmental education and awareness program details exciting, informative and action orientated activities for young people of all ages.

The interactive sustainability program provides an opportunity for young people to see, learn and be involved in our environment within and out of the class room facilitating unique perspectives and understaning, while building and consolidating integration between Local Government and the community.

• The Total Water Cycle
  • Water and Us
  • Water in our Catchment
  • Waterways and Wetlands

• Sustainability in Action
  • 'EBalance' Classroom Sustainability Workshop
  • Sustainability Learnscape
  • The What a Load of Rubbish Recycling Game

 

• Our Unique Environment
  • The School Shade Tree Program
  • Green Tree Ants Program
  • Mud and Mangroves
  • Biodiversity

Water and the cycle of water are critical to sustaining life. The Total Water Cycle will investigate the complex interrelationship, use and flow of the water resource in our urban environment.

Sustainable engineeiring, naref, cetd. links

Water and Us

The water cycle in an urban environment includes several different components. These components include water treatment plants and stormwater drainage networks and are vital aspects to maintaining a functional healthy community. Students can investigate the cycle of water through our urban environment and the processes involved in:

• Drinking water treatment and supply
  
  
• The chemistry of water treatment
  
  
• Wastewater treatment
  
  
• Stormwater and waterway management

The importance of water recycling and reuse will be investigated within our community looking at techniques and processes of water conservation that can be undertaken within the home at school or in the work environment.

Water in our Catchment

The movement and flow of water from rainfall to outfall is complex. Through connection of atmosphere, land and sea, the water cycle conveys water through our urban environment, with one component of the cycle driving another. As water evaporates, vapours rise and condense to form clouds which, through precipitation, return water to drainage lines, groundwater, waterways and wetlands and eventually the ocean, where the Sun can drive evaporation and the water cycle process begins once more.

Students can investigate the differing components of the water cycle including:

• Evaporation
• Transpiration
• Condensation
• Precipitation

In our urban environment, the movement of stormwater is critically important. Stormwater includes any water that runs off roads, pavements and roofs and is transported to the ocean through a network of gutters, pipes, drains creeks and channels.

Students can learn about the journey of stormwater in our environment (Where Does Our Stormwater Go?) as well as identifing:

• Impacts of stormwater pollutants
  
  
• Stormwater protection measures
  
  
• Topography, landuse and catchment
  
  

Waterways and Wetlands

Waterways and wetlands have many important roles and functions including:

• Controlling and filtering flood water
  
  
• Providing fish and bird habitat areas and wildlife refuges
  
  
• Providing recreational areas

Students can undertake water quality and wetlands health monitoring, analysing water quality and ecological indicators (macro-invertebrate survey), in order to understand the important and complex role of wetlands and waterways and encourage students to explore all aspects and linkages of these systems.

Sustainability is about ensuring that what we have today is available for the future. Sustainability in Action demonstrates many practical methods of 'living sustainably for tomorrow.'

'EBalance' Classroom Sustainability Workshop

Everyday we utilise electricity produced, and transport powered from non - renewable fossil fuels. The 'EBalance' Classroom Sustainability Workshop will enable students to investigate traditional sources of power generation and the local and global implications of burning fossil fuels. The workshop will highlight renewable alternatives to non-renewable fossil fuels with activites including:

• The Journey to School Carbon Calculator Challenge
  
  
• Class Based Waste Stream Audit
  
  
• Development of a Class/School based Sustainability Management Plan
  
  

Sustainability Learnscape

The Strand Wind Project at Townsville demonstrates the capturing and use of renewable energy - wind power. The Strand wind turbine can produce enough energy to power an average house in Townsville and reduce greenhouse emissions by approximately 6.3 tonnes a year.

Students can visit the wind turbine and interperative display at The Strand and learn about:

• how wind energy gets converted into electrical energy
  
  
• global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
  
  
• wind use in Queensland
  
  
• alternative energy sources
  
  Trees for fleet link, miwr, biodiesel, ethanol, Prius links

Students can also investigate the Strand Wind Project online by visiting www.soe-townsville.org/strandwindproject.

The What a Load of Rubbish Recycling Game

The What a Load of Rubbish recycling game is based on the principals that rubbish does not disappear and that rubbish spreads!

Students can investigate the importance of managing waste and seeing rubbish as a resource and not something that HAS to be thrown away. All rubbish does not have to go to the tip!

Townsville, where the tropical savanas meet the coast, has a large and unique variety of local ecosystems consisting of species of animals and plants that are not found anywhere else on our planet.

Our Unique Environment investigates the distinctive biodiversity of our region and demonstrates practical steps in enhancing our local habitats.

The School Shade Tree Program

The School Shade Tree Program highlights the the importance of local native plants and "Why Trees are Great."

The program aims to reestablish trees into the school yard landscape providing shade and a natural learnscape facilitating an awareness and appreciation of our unique environment.

Students through the program can investigate:

Why Trees are good (fact sheets!)

Native plant identification

How to plant a tree

How to look after trees

The planting of shade trees in the school yard is a practical step to enhancing local habitatsand biodiversity.

 

Green Tree Ants Program

Community Greening & Bush Care

Mud and Mangroves

The intertidal environment is one of the most diverse, unique, colourful and biodiversity-rich ecosystems. The habitats of the intertidal zone are home to thousands of different types of marine invertebrates (animals without a backbone) and each individual habitat contains its own specialised suite of fauna and flora (an invertebrate city made up of diverse communites!!).

The intertidal areas at Rowes Bay are some of the most unique and special on the planet with species of invertebrates unique only to this environment (http://www.soe-townsville.org/rowesbay/index.html).

Students can investigate the diverse marine habitats of the intertidal zone at Rowes Bay in the field or in the class room (virtual tour). Habitats for study include:

• Mangrove Forests,
  
  
• Rocky Shorelines,
  
  
• Muddy Estuarine Creeks
  
  
• Sand Flats
  
  
• Rubble Reef Areas,
  
  
• Tropical Sponge Gardens;
  
  
• Inshore Reefs

Fauna environments

The 'Dry Tropics' contains a diverse array of animal life, from the tiny to the very large. This resource aims to highlight the diversity of life in our biodiversity rich region.

Students can gain insight into the range of animal life around them, and can also investigate pressures on our biodiversity.

Students can investigate the biodiversity of the Dry Tropics undertaking:

• School yard fauna surveys

• An invertebrate trapping program

• The waterway bug identification program

• Construction of bird box's and,

Understand:

• Biodiversity health indicators - our unique frogs and butterflies

• Pressures from pest fauna

Contacts:

For further information you can contact:
Environmental Management Services
Phone: 4727 9310
Email: sns@townsville.qld.gov.au