environmental sustainability

Earth Hour!

March 27, 2015April 19, 2019 by Catherine Carvell, posted in Protect Our Planet, Sustainability

Earth Hour is organised by the World Wildlife Fund and occurs each year in March.

In 2015 Earth Hour will be on Saturday 28th March at 8.30pm.

It is one hour a year when we turn off our lights and think about how we can make changes to prevent climate change.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 and has since spread to over 162 countries, 7000 cities and towns, and is supported by millions of individuals, families, schools and businesses.

What can you do?

Here are a few ideas for activities you might want to do with your family or friends. You could also come up with your own ideas:

Play some games by candle light – board games, card games, charades
Tell stories by torch light
Go for a walk with a torch
Have a fun indoor picnic at dinner time by candle light
Take pictures of your activities and send into school

Check out the official Earth Hour website for any questions you may have, and more suggestions for Earth Hour celebration activities.

Thank you for uniting with the world to protect our planet!

Recycling Glass

February 24, 2014April 19, 2019 by Catherine Carvell, posted in Protect Our Planet, Recycling, Sustainability

Did you know ?

Glass is 100% recyclable.

It can be recycled a MILLION times over and the quality of glass will be JUST AS GOOD.

Glass was discovered OVER 5000 YEARS AGO (2900 BC) which makes it one of the oldest forms of packaging.

Glass is made from soda ash, sand and limestone and comes in three main colours.

1) Clear

2) Green (which includes blue glass)

3) Brown or amber.

The colour of the glass is determined by how much iron is in the sand used to make the glass and the different amounts of soda ash and limestone used.

Recycling glass reduces the need to quarry for new sand and supplies. This preserves natural resources and the environment.

It takes less energy to melt recycled glass than to melt new raw materials. In fact, every ton of recycled glass turned into new products saves 315 kilograms of extra carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.

So, recycling saves both natural resources and energy.

If you don’t recycle glass, it will take anywhere from 4000 to 1 million years to break down in landfill.

Reduce and Reuse.

As glass is 100% recyclable, try to choose glass containers over plastic or paper.

When picking glass products, look for the recycle symbol.

Think of ways to reuse glass jars and bottles. For example you could use them as vases, food containers, water bottles or as candle holders. What other ideas can you think of?

How to recycle glass.

Prepare the glass by removing any lids or caps.

Rinse all bottles (remember to conserve water).

During recycling, different glass furnaces are used for each colour. If the colours are mixed, the recycled glass will be discoloured, and unusable.So it is very important to separate the colours.

Some forms of glass cannot be recycled.

Window or windscreen glass, drinking glasses, mirrors, oven-proof or heat-treated glass (e.g. Corning Ware, Pyrex or Vision Ware), light globes, laboratory and medical glass are not suitable for recycling.

These non-recyclable glass items can cause defects in new glass bottles and jars made from recycled material, so it is important you don’t include them in your recycling bin.

When recycling, ensure you don’t include china, ceramics or stones with glass bottles and jars. It can lead to the rejection of thousands of bottles and jars collected for recycling.

Take care not to shatter glass bottles and jars when you place them in the recycling bin. While most bottles and jars will break during collection and transportation, the pieces are more likely to be larger and more easily sorted if the bottle is still intact when you put it in your bin.

Where can I recycle glass?

In Australia green, brown and clear glass bottles and jars can be dropped off at nominated SITA facilities. To find your closest centre, you can contact them on 13 13 35. Alternatively, you can do a search on their contact page.

SITA also provides collection services for glass recycling. Call Customer Service on 13 13 35 for more information.

Green, brown and clear glass bottles and jars can also be placed in kerbside recycling bins provided by most councils. Some councils will also accept other colours – contact your local council for more information.

Other countries do things differently. For example, in Singapore certain HDB and private housing estates have recycling programs and there are also collectors and/or traders in common recyclable materials (such as glass).

Recycling Plastics

February 7, 2014 by Catherine Carvell, posted in Protect Our Planet, Recycling, Sustainability

What are plastics used for?

Plastic is light and durable, can be easily coloured and is one of the most commonly used materials today.

It is used in food packaging, toys, furniture, buttons, water hoses, credit cards, light switches, computer keyboards and even our clothes!

Even polyester (a kind of fabric) is made from plastic.

In fact, you need 25 two litre plastic bottles to make one adult polyester jacket!

Plastic bottles are used to package liquids – juice, milk, shampoo, cooking oil, fizzy drinks and more.

It is also used to make plastic bags, which people use for grocery shopping.

Did you know?

Shoppers use ONE TRILLION plastic bags worldwide per year?

Australians alone use 10 MILLION plastic bags EVERY DAY.

Only 3% of Australian plastic bags are recycled.

All plastic bottles (except for the brown ones used to contain beer) are recyclable.

The energy saved by recycling one plastic drink bottle will power a light globe for 6 hours or a computer for 25 minutes.

It is estimated that it takes 400 to 1000 years or more for plastic to degrade.

One piece of plastic can kill many animals. If one animal eats a plastic bag, that animal dies and decomposes, releasing the bag back into the environment.

Recycled plastic bottles can be made into all sorts of new things, including fleece clothing, garden furniture, seed trays, the fiber filling for doonas and sleeping bags, drain pipes, compost bins, and of course, new bottles.

What can we do?

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Use reusable cloth bags at the supermarket.

Where possible, buy glass instead of plastic.

To reduce harm to animals, cut the rings from bottle necks and six-pack holders before you dispose of them.

Plastic bags, bin liners, and cling wrap are not recyclable. However, many Australian supermarkets have special plastic bag recycling bins (ask at customer service).

If you cannot find a supermarket that will accept your plastic bags for recycling, your household garbage bin is the next best place to dispose of them.

When placing plastic bags into household garbage, reuse them as the garbage bag itself, and tie the tops together to prevent them blowing away.

When buying plastic, look for its identification code to identify the type of resin used.

Here are some common products you will find for each type of plastic:

PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) – soft drink and fruit juice bottles

HDPE (High-density polyethylene) – milk bottles or shampoo containers

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride or plasticised polyvinyl chloride) – cordial, juice or squeeze bottles

LDPE (Low density polyethylene) – garbage bags and bins

PP (Polypropylene) – ice cream containers, take-away food containers and lunch boxes

PS (Polystyrene) – yoghurt containers, plastic cutlery, foam hot drink cups

Other – all other plastics, including acrylic and nylon

Your local council may only be able to recycle certain types through your kerbside recycling program. In Australia, most areas recycle plastics labelled 1, 2, and 3, although many councils are now extending their programs to include those labelled 4 through 7. Check with your council for details.

Make sure you are aware about what plastics can be recycled and only put these in your recycling bins. Contamination of recyclables is a problem because it raises the costs for collectors, recyclers and the community.

When preparing your plastics for recycling;

Take off lids.
Wash thoroughly (conserving water).
Squash flat, so it takes up less space.

Western Swamp Tortoise – Factsheet

February 3, 2014April 19, 2019 by Catherine Carvell, posted in Animal adaptations, Endangered Species, The Western Swamp Tortoise

The Western Swamp Tortoise is AUSTRALIA’S MOST ENDANGERED REPTILE.

They were believed to be extinct for over 100 years until they were rediscovered by a fifteen year old school boy in 1953.

What do they look like?

They are about as big as your hand and look like this.

So cute!

How many are there?

There are less than 50 adult tortoises tortoises living in the wild today.

Where do they live?

They are found in two small wetlands only. The Twin Swamps and Ellen Brook Nature Reserve in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia.

These habitats cover 5.5 kilometers square altogether – approximately one quarter the size of Rottnest Island !

What is threatening them?

The tiny area they live in has been reduced even further by draining and filling to make way for market gardens and roads.

The Western Swamp Tortoise hybernates during the hot dry months and are particularly susceptible to predators during this time, especially introduced species such as cats and foxes.

Breeding age is not reached until eight years old and eggs are dependent on early winter rains. If the rains don’t come, the babies won’t survive.

Conservation Efforts

In 1988 a breeding program was set up at the Perth Zoo. Since then, many tortoises have been successfully bred and released into the wild and their remaining habitat is now protected.

For more information about the breeding program go to Perth Zoo.

The protected wetlands are now lined with electric fences to keep out foxes, dogs and other predators.

During the winter months, if rainfall is low, water is pumped into the area to ensure the hatchlings have enough water and food.

How can you help?

Report any sightings.

Talk to your teachers and friends about it. Show them this blog.

Stop water table reduction by SAVING WATER at home and at school.

Prevent bush fires.

Contact Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise and ask them to visit your school.

For more information and contact details go to Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise