Mannering Park Public School were the winning small school for the Central Coast Council's (Northern Region) 2016 environment awards.
They were also part of the 'Take 3, Green Sea Turtle Project' and made a significant reduction in waste due to enthusiasm encouraged by the project.
Students learnt about the impact of micro plastics on the marine environment and even in 2017 students are pro-active in collecting micro plastic from the playground. Buckets are available for students and occasionally rewards are given to those who participate but teacher Robyn Balcomb says the kids remove the rubbish because they truly want to make a difference. The money from the Take 3 grant was used to purchase three extra co-mingled recycling bins.
The school also has noteworthy vegetable gardens. Teacher Andrew Rath runs the gardening group with two representatives from each year. An hour each week is spent growing seedlings, maintaining the garden and harvesting produce. There are also some fruit trees for students to enjoy (citrus, mulberry,passion fruit and figs).
Each classroom has a fruit bin and the waste is composted at the vegetable garden in large compost bays. Even the canteen is involved in recycling fruit scraps.
Another highlight is the school's Bush Tucker garden that was established from a Community Building grant seven years ago. The garden is full of interpretive signage, wooden sculptures, aboriginal art and over twenty different Aboriginal bush food plants.
For more details contact Robyn Balcomb, Mannering Park Public School.
