School Sustainability Education Program

Early learners can delight in the wonderful diversity of our marine life through a beach scavenge and learn how we can protect our precious beaches and the creatures that live there, including Hooded Plovers and seagulls.

Addresses all VEYLDF Outcome links including:

* Community - Children develop respect and care for the natural environment and learn about Indigenous culture and connection to land.

* Learning - Children express wonder and interest in their environment, learn about their local marine environment and explore diverse plants and animals.

• Explore the impacts of waste and plastic and ways to care for Earth by reducing waste
• Observe worms and explore their role in waste reduction.
• Learn about the importance of reducing waste to landfill, recycling and a circular economy to create a more sustainable world.

All VEYLDF Outcomes, including:

Community: Children develop respect and care for the natural environment and learn about Traditional Owner connections to land.

Learning: Children express wonder and interest in their environment, learn about waste and its environmental impacts, explore waste reduction and recycling and discover the important role of worms and worm farms.

Explore biodiversity through hands-on activities including water bug exploration.

• Explore different features of minibeasts
• Introduces the concept of biodiversity
• Develop understanding of lifecycles
• Develop respect and care for the environment

Links with all VEYLDF Outcomes, including:

* Learning - Children express wonder and interest in their environment, learn about biodiversity and habitats, discuss how to protect biodiversity.

* Community - Children develop respect and care for the natural environment.

Meet our Eco Centre earthworms and discover how they can help us reduce food waste. Explore plant lifecycles with ‘Beanie’ the Broad Bean seed.

Victorian Curriculum Links:

Science: VC2S2U04, VC2S2U09, VC2S4U05

Sustainability: VC2CCPSIS2, VC2CCPSRD1

Geography: VC2HG4K09, VC2HG4S05, VC2HG6S06

Explore how our individual actions can impact our environment and explore how we can make sustainable choices.

Through a variety of activities, students can discover how they can make a difference in our homes, at school and in our community and learn about some amazing young people who have developed innovative approaches to reverse these impacts.

By exploring the features of the Eco Living Display Centre, students will examine how sustainable patterns of living require responsible use of resources and propose actions to minimise waste and carbon emissions.

Victorian Curriculum links:

Science: VC2S2U09, VC2HG4K09, VC2S4U08

Sustainability: VC2CCPSIS2, VC2CCPSFT1, VC2CCPSIS1

Geography: VC2TDE2D04, VC2HG4S05, VC2HG4K09, VC2HG6S06

Design and Technologies: VC2S4U06

Through hands-on activities in a bushland or creek setting, students will:

• Understand that all lifeforms are interconnected and interdependent
• How we can support Earth’s systems
• Observe and analyse local habitats – what are their values? What are the threats?
• Use macroinvertebrate data to assess biodiversity
• Explore biodiversity, habitat and ecosystems through observation

Victorian Curriculum Links:

Science: VC2S2U01, VC2S2H02, VC2S4H01, VC2S4H02, VC2S4I01–VC2S4I06, VC2S6H02, VC2S6U01, VC2S6I01–VC2S6I06

Sustainability: VC2CCPSIS1, VC2CCPSIS2

Geography: VC2HG2K01, VC2HG4K03, VC2HG4S05, VC2HG6K03, VC2HG6S06

This activity can be conducted at your school or at the Eco Living Display Centre

Explore our food systems and how we can make choices to reduce our impact.

A tour of the Eco Living Display Centre or your school explores various aspects of sustainable food production including water tanks and rain gardens, our kitchen garden, composting and worm farms.

Explore what we can all do to reduce our environmental impact of the food we eat. This can include exploring the greening of the food production chain, the carbon footprint of the food we eat, the surprising impact of food waste and steps to tackle it and innovations to feed more people with less environmental impact.

Links to Victorian Curriculum:

Design & Technology: VC2TDE2C02, VC2TDE2D04, VC2TDE4C02, VC2TDE4C03, VC2S4U03, VC2S4U06

Geography: VC2HG4K09, VC2HG6K04, VC2HG6S05

Science: VC2S2U01, VC2S2U02, VC2S2U09, VC2S4U03, VC2S4U06, VC2S6H02

Sustainability: VC2CCPSIS2, VC2CCPSFT1

Through immersive beach activities, students learn:

• Features of the particular Port Phillip/Western Port Bay beach
• Importance of our coastal areas to Traditional Owners
• Explore the diversity of marine life and how they adapt to coastal environments
• Plants and animals are interconnected in an ecosystem
• Food chains are human impacts
• How we can all protect coastal plants and animals including Hooded Plovers

Victorian Curriculum Links:

Geography: VC2HG2K05, VC2HG4K03, VC2HG4K03, VC2HG6K01, VC2HG6K03, VC2HG6S06,

Science: VC2S2U01, VC2S4U03, VC2S6U01

Sustainability: VC2CCPSIS1, VC2CCPSFT1

Learn through hands-on activities how we can reduce our home’s energy use through innovations and clever design.

Optional: This lesson can be linked with an in-class activity of designing your own sustainable home in Minecraft!

• Explore different building materials
• Responsible use of resources
• Understand how the positioning of a house can affect its comfort
• Explore the Eco Living Display Centre as a real-life classroom showcasing sustainability innovations & design
• Create your own sustainable house design.

This creative and interactive lesson provides the opportunity to think outside the box, develop a broad understanding of environmentally sustainable design, how human lifestyles impact the availability of natural resources, how individuals can move towards a more sustainable future and the many benefits of constructing sustainable buildings.

Victorian Curriculum Links:

Design & Technology: VC2TDE2S01, VC2TDE2D04, VC2TDE4S01, VC2TDE4D01, VC2TDE4D04, VC2TDE6S01, VC2TDE6D01

Science: VC2S2U07, VC2S2U09, VC2S4U05, VC2S6I01

Sustainability: VC2CCPSRD1, VC2CCPSRD2

This activity can be delivered at any Mornington Peninsula beach. 

• Can be delivered with a biodiversity, erosion or beach litter focus
• Explore the features of our coastal ecosystems
• Examine threats and adaptive management strategies
• Explore the role of citizen science in coastal management
• Explore different users of the area and their priorities

Develop your understanding of how humans have impacted our coastal environment over time, the relationship different stakeholders have to our coasts and how we can protect our waterways. Explore the incredible biodiversity of Victorian marine life and how plants and animals have adapted to the harsh coastal environments. Examine threatening processes such as climate change, erosion and beach litter and how coastal managers can tackle these through adaptive management. By observing historical changes in coastal vegetation and coastlines, explore how humans interact with and impact our coastal environments and the role of citizen science.  Where possible, discover the identifying features of Aboriginal middens and how we can protect them. Sketch changes in coastal zonation across a dune system and explore the role of coastal management in protecting coastal vegetation. A beach litter audit allows students to examine the issue of marine plastic pollution and explore mechanical versus hand beach cleaning.

Victorian Curriculum Links:

Geography: VC2HG8K15, VC2HG10K10, VC2HG10K11, VC2HG10K14

Science: VC2S8U04, VC2S10U11

Sustainability: VC2CCPSIS1, VC2CCPSIS2, VC2CCPSIS3, VC2CCPSRD1, VC2CCPSFT1 

VCE Curriculum - Outdoor Education & Environment:

Unit 1: Our place in outdoor environments, Exploring outdoor enviroments

Unit 2: Understanding outdoor environments, observing impacts on outdoor environments

This activity can be delivered at any waterway or natural area on the Mornington Peninsula.

Through hands-on activities, students will:

• Explore and understand ‘biodiversity’, habitat’ and 'ecosystem'
• Understand that all lifeforms are interconnected and interdependent and responsible living supports Earth’s systems
• Observe and analyse local habitats – what are their values? What are the threats?
• Use macroinvertebrate data to assess biodiversity
• Examine habitat quality, identify threats and consider ways to improve habitats. 

Victorian Curriculum Links: 

Geography: VC2HG8K10, VC2HG8K15, VC2HG8K18, VC2HG10K10, VC2HG10K14, VC2HG10S06

Science: VC2S8U04, VC2S8I01 VC2S8I02 VC2S8I03 VC2S8I04 VC2S8I05 VC2S8I06 VC2S10I01 VC2S10I02 VC2S10I03 VC2S10I04 VC2S10I05 VC2S10I06

Sustainability: VC2CCPSIS1, VC2CCPSIS2, VC2CCPSIS3, VC2CCPSRD1, VC2CCPSFT1 

This activity is best delivered at the Eco Living Display Centre.

Learn through exploring the features of the Eco Living Display Centre and hands-on activities how we can reduce our home’s energy use through innovations and clever design.

Explore different building materials and how they can be used in sustainable house construction. Understand how the positioning of a house can affect its comfort and create your own sustainable house design.

This creative and interactive lesson provides the opportunity to think outside the box, develop a broad understanding of environmentally sustainable design, how human lifestyles impact the availability of natural resources, how individuals can move towards a more sustainable future and the many benefits of constructing sustainable buildings.

Victorian Curriculum Links:

Design and Technology: 

VC2TDE8D04 (develop climate‑aware design solutions)

VC2TDE8C04 (investigate materials for energy‑efficient design)

VC2TDE8S01 (analyse sustainability of household products
VC2TDE8S02 (investigate innovation for energy efficiency)

VC2TDE10D04 (refine designs using sustainability criteria)

VC2TDE10S01 (explain sustainability impacts of products)
VC2TDE10S02 (explore emerging energy‑saving technologies)
VC2TDE10D01 (analyse design briefs for sustainability)

Science:

VC2S8H01 (explore causes of climate change)
VC2S8U09 (examine risks of energy production)

VC2S8U16 (conduct energy audits for efficiency)

VC2S10U15 (investigate electrical energy transformations)

VC2S10U16 (examine renewable energy sources)

Sustainability:

VC2CCPSIS2 (understand sustainable resource use)
VC2CCPSIS3 (examine sustainability challenges)
VC2CCPSRD1 (identify sustainable actions)
VC2CCPSRD2 (evaluate sustainability decisions)
VC2CCPSRD3 (reflect on responsible design choices)

This activity can be conducted at your school or at the Eco Living Display Centre

Explore our food systems and how we can make choices to reduce our impact. A tour of the Eco Living Display Centre or your school explores various aspects of sustainable food production including water tanks and rain gardens, our kitchen garden, composting and worm farms.

Explore what we can all do to reduce our environmental impact of the food we eat. This can include exploring the greening of the food production chain, the carbon footprint of the food we eat, the surprising impact of food waste and steps to tackle it and innovations to feed more people with less environmental impact.

Victorian Curriculum Links:

Design and Technologies:

VC2TDE2C02 explore how plants and animals are grown for food

VC2TDE2D04 consider environmental impacts when choosing food-related designs

VC2TDE4C02 describe the ways of producing food and fibre

VC2TDE4C03 select and prepare foods for healthy eating

VC2S4U03 understand food chains and food production relationships

VC2S4U06 explore soils as important resources for food production

Science:

VC2S2U01 identify plants and animals as food sources

VC2S2U02 understand care for plants and animals that provide food

VC2S2U09 taking care of Earth’s water, land and air involves consideration of reducing, re-using and recycling materials to conserve Earth’s resources

VC2S4U03 understand food chains and food production relationships

VC2S4U06 explore soils as important resources for food production

VC2S6H02 scientific knowledge, skills and data can be used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions

Sustainability

VC2CCPSIS1 All lifeforms are connected through Earth’s systems (the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere), on which they depend for their wellbeing and survival.

VC2CCPSFT1 Sustainable futures thinking is based on informed views that consider possible and desirable futures. It leads to individual, community, organisational and political action that reduces risk.