Solar

Jells Park PS has a 15kW Sunny Tripower Inverter with a 6 x 13 array solar panels on the gymnasium roof. While this by no means offsets all our electricity use for the school, it supplies some of the school usage and returns a few dollars in offset on the particularly hot days.

 Jells Park PS will continue to investigate further ways to become ‘energy neutral’ by having all of its energy use offset by solar power.

Water Recycling

Jells Park PS has three sets of Water Tanks that harvest rain water and supplies to all the student toilets. There is 2 tanks behind the gym, two tanks on the side of the ELC and 2 tanks outside the art room. We also have a small tank behind the Level 1 buildings that supplies water to the Veggie Patch.

The school monitors water usage through SWEP (School Water Efficiency Program) to ensure that there is no wastage from broken taps and pipes.

And in the hot summer months the students establish a bin system to capture wasted water from the drink bubblers and use the water to water the schools garden beds, plants and trees.

Worm Farms & Compost

Jells Park PS has 3 worm farms and two compost bins, located just near the Veggie Patch. They have been relatively inactive for the past 2 years due to the difficulties in maintaining them over the COVID affected years.

However, the intent is to have the worm farms and compost bins active to provide nutrients for the Veggie Patch and reduce waste in the classroom rubbish bins. When operational we have had a weekly cycle of collection and disposal in the worm farms, managed by the Environment Captains and their team. This requires daily commitment and understanding from the student to ensure the scraps are removed from the classrooms and that the worm farms remain healthy and productive.

Rubbish Recycling

Plastic Recycling –

Recycling is a key focus at Jells Park Primary School. Each classroom is provided with 2 different plastic recycling bins, one for hard plastic recycling and one for soft plastic recycling. Our Level 6 Environment Captains have visited each classroom to teach students about the difference between both bins and how we can work together to make sure we are recycling correctly. Student representatives from Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 are responsible for collecting hard plastic recycling weekly and placing these in our school recycling bin. Parent volunteers collect our soft plastic recycling to take the closest REDcycle dop off.

Paper Recycling -

Students at Jells Park PS repurpose paper wastage where possible, including collecting it for use in the art room, to use for creative projects in the classroom and for double sided printing. Student representatives from Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 are responsible for collecting any unused paper scraps from classrooms weekly and taking these to our school paper recycling bin.

Our plastic recycling and paper recycling systems encourage students and teachers to be more conscious about our wastage and provides students with opportunities for responsibility within our school.

Gardens

Greening the School

Jells Park Primary School has recently established a parent sub-committee to oversee our ‘Greening the School’ initiative. We have partnered with the Friends of Dandenong and have made connections to the local Monash Council to assist with expert advice and supply locally sourced indigenous plants. Our plan is to redevelop and make improvements to all the existing garden beds around the school grounds to support local wildlife and educate our students about the environment. There will be many opportunities for both parents and students to contribute through regular working bees. This is an ongoing project that will continue into the coming years and provide a lovely outdoor space for the whole community to enjoy.

Veggie Patch

Jells Park Primary School is committed to empowering students to have a positive impact on the environment. Our aim is to educate and create passion around sustainability by developing an appreciation and responsibility for the environment. In the gardens of our school we have a thriving vegetable garden with 6 upcycled pallet boxes full of fresh fruits and vegetables, and fruit trees that border the garden. There is a water tank, worm farms and two compost bins to supply the garden with the nutrients it needs to stay in great shape. The garden offers a sensory experience for students to learn by touch, smell and sight. It is an open space that is used by many teachers and students to educate about the importance of sustainability, responsibly and healthy eating. The garden is looked after by the students where they engage in a hands-on learning experience by planting, watering, harvesting and weeding the garden regularly. And of course, eating the nutrient rich produce that is produced by our vegetable patch!

Sustainability

Nude Food DAY is part of JPPS working towards a sustainable future. Every Wednesday is a chance for our students to realise what they can do for their health and the health of the environment. A regular event like this gives us all at JPPS a taste of the benefits involved in packing a healthy and rubbish free lunch. We have noticed a reduction in rubbish in the schoolyard on Wednesdays, which is fantastic to see!

Remember you do not just have to bring nude food in on Wednesdays! A wrapper free lunch everyday will greatly reduce the amount of rubbish in our environment. We aim in the future to make all school days Nude Food days.

Benefits of Nude Food lunches include:

• students eating less pre-packaged 'gimmicky' snack foods and more fresh food in appropriate amounts

• cheaper lunches because food items bought in bulk are often less expensive than pre-packaged products

• providing students with a practical example of how simple behaviour change can reduce our environmental footprint

• a cleaner school

• less waste being produced and sent to landfill

• a reduction in waste collection and disposal costs to the school

For a Nude Food lunchbox consider:

·         snacks and drinks in reusable containers

·         reusable utensils when needed

·         reusable beeswax wraps

·         teaching your child to make their own snacks eg muesli bars

Avoid…

·         lunches packed in plastic bags, plastic wrap, foil or wax paper

·         pre-packaged single serve snack items

·         single use drink boxes, pouches, cans or cartons

·         single use plastics forks and spoons

Student Education & Change

We have Level 6 Environment Captains and an environment team who drive many programs within the school. The team participate in regular environmental meetings run by the captains to discuss ideas, run daily recycling, make sure the classroom bins are being correctly used by all students of the school, host their own whole school assembly and facilitate programs such as Nude Food Wednesday and Earth Hour.