Expos, events and competitions
Bayside Sustainable Living Expo
Schools in the Bayside area were invited to submit artwork for the Bayside Sustainable Living Expo on Sunday 22 April at the Sandringham foreshore. EPA contributed to an array of children’s activities with an environmental sustainability theme. Students from Black Rock Primary School played the EPA snakes and ladders style floor game, 'Going Gold for the Environment'. Families attending the expo also had fun playing the easy to follow educational game.
City of Casey Environmental Expo
Once again the City of Casey has provided a range of hands on interactive environmental education activities for year 4, 5 and 6 students at Wilson Botanic Park. Last year 2,800 students attended over 3 days. This year EPA Victoria trained tertiary student presenters to play the 'Wheel of Sustainability' floor game with students. Over 300 students played the game over 3 days.
Yarra River Youth Conference
On 4 and 5 June, 300 students from schools in the Yarra River catchment attended the Melbourne Water Yarra River Youth Conference.
EPA’s Yarra River Investigations and Response Program (YRIRP) sponsored 10 Mercy College students and their teacher to attend the conference. The YRIRP team also helped the Coburg North students to prepare and deliver a presentation to other delegates about the environmental risks to the Merlynston and Merri Creeks. EPA staff joined other experts from Melbourne Water, Sustainability Victoria and Water Services Association of Australia on a panel that fielded questions from hundreds of enthusiastic school kids, keen to learn more about the Yarra River.
On the second day, EPA staff led four teams of students through a ‘CSI’ activity: the Coburg Stormwater Investigation. Each group was briefed about a pollution ‘crime scene’ in the Yarra River or an associated creek, and then guided through a problem-solving exercise to find long-term solutions. The exercise was highly successful; teaching 100 secondary and primary school students more about the key role EPA plays in investigating, enforcing and researching sources of pollutants that affect the Yarra River.
Ecological Footprint Banner Competition
After the success of last years competition and the high standard of the finalists banners, this competition is underway again and will be conducted in a very similar way to the 2006 competition.
- One free calico strip will be provided per school
- Great cash prizes to be used towards an Ecological Footprint reduction program in the school for the winning primary and secondary school banners
- A Peoples Choice Award
- The opportunity for your work to be viewed by thousands of people when the finalist banners will be dsplayed at Southgate
- Entries close Friday 31 August 2007.
Please read all of the guidelines for this year's banner competition.
To maximize your chances of winning and to make this a meaningful activity for your students please use look at some of the other material on the EPA website about Ecological Footprint. Maybe timetable World Environment Day to be a focus day when students learn about and further explore the Ecological Footprint concept and then set aside time to finish off the banner project during Science Week.