Explore
Sustainability action process – Step 2
Explore actions and behaviours that students and teachers can adopt to improve the biodiversity of the school and local environment.
Record your ideas, proposals and reflections in your learning journal.
The greater variety of plants, the greater diversity of animals that will use it.
Generate ideas and explore options for actions
Generate ideas and explore options for actions
- What have other schools done to improve biodiversity in their school or local environment?
- What types of action could we undertake?
- What are the advantages or disadvantages of these different options?
- How will we know if the changes we make have been successful in increasing biodiversity?
When planning habitat projects, include logs, rocks, mulch and fresh water as well as a variety of plant layers.
Case studies
- Read case studies in Eco-schools – biodiversity oulining how some schools have improved local biodiversity.
- Read about a biodiversity audit by students at a northern Sydney primary school.
- View habitat garden photos in schools and yards by the Habitat Network.
Ponds can provide habitat for frogs and provide fresh water for birds and other animals.
Action projects
- Learn how to create habitat for small birds from Backyard buddies.
- Read the Guidelines for the development of bird habitat by Birds in Backyards.
- Learn how to make a Frog bog from Gardening Australia.
- Refer to the Landscaping for sustainability guide by Sustainable Gardening Australia.
Identify resources and constraints
Identify resources and constraints
- Who might be available to help us?
- What resources are required to increase biodiversity?
- What time and finances are available for the project?
- What might limit our actions?
Create a project mind map
- Map out different aspects of your project, the information or knowledge you need and the people or locations that can provide support.
List people who can assist
- List your team and those in the school that will help and provide advice. Remember your school's Parents and Citizens (P&C) Association, local businesses and local council.
Identify costs
- Do you have a budget or have you worked out any costs?
- Check to see if there are any grants available you could apply for to help your project.
- Create a spreadsheet listing actions with corresponding costs and resources needed.
Identify issues
- Consider and list issues that may arise that could affect your plan.
Select ideas for action
Select ideas for action
- What are the different ways we could make improvements to local habitats, the environment and biodiversity?
- How can we come up with a great idea?
- Can we identify which actions are more likely to achieve our objectives?
- How can we use the evidence from other projects to support our idea?
- What will we do?
- Have we clearly stated the type of action to be taken, the resources that are available and the criteria to be used to judge the success of the change?
A biodiversity project was planned for a bare area beside the Bournda Environmental Education Centre.
Case studies
- Read case studies in Eco-schools – biodiversity oulining how some schools have improved local biodiversity.
- Read about a biodiversity audit by students at a northern Sydney primary school.
- View habitat garden photos in schools and yards by the Habitat Network.
Plants, water and mulch surrounded by paving improves biodiversity as well as the appearance of the area at Bournda.
Action projects
- Learn how to create habitat for small birds from Backyard buddies.
- Read the Guidelines for the development of bird habitat by Birds in Backyards.
- Learn how to make a Frog bog from Gardening Australia.
Have you now decided your team's proposal?