EcoConference

= About the EcoConference = The EcoConference was held at Vision Valley on Tuesday 2 November, 2010 and gave student representatives from all of the learning communities an opportunity to share their experiences and outline the sustainability actions they have planned to take in the future. The conference included presentations from students in the Riverina about working with Landcare, TAFE and Charles Sturt University to revegetate a neglected bushland reserve. Inspired by the wisdom of Dr Seuss’ The Lorax, students from four Catholic schools in Liverpool will present their research into illegal dumping, graffiti and water pollution in the Georges River. Students from the Illawarra discussed coastal sustainability and stormwater management, while students from New England, through music, are raising awareness of species loss and the impacts of over-consumption.

EcoConference program
Learn about species loss, over consumption and rehabilitation of the local creek || Learn about how schools in Wagga Wagga are partnering with the local community to revegetate a neglected bushland reserve. || Learn about Keira’s investigations into sustainability, stormwater and coastal management || Media groups work together || Learn about Liverpool’s investigations into illegal dumping, graffiti, air pollution and water pollution in the Georges River ||
 * 10.00am || Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country – Roz Hall (DECCW) ||
 * 10.15am || Telling the Story – Glen Innes cluster presentation
 * 10.45am || Morning tea ||
 * 11.15am || Telling the Story – Wagga Wagga cluster presentation
 * 11.45am || Telling the Story –Keira cluster presentation
 * 12.15pm || Lunch and visit displays
 * 1.30pm || Telling the Story –Liverpool cluster presentation
 * 2.15pm || Media group presentation/summary ||
 * 2.45pm || Conclusion ||
 * 3.00pm || Afternoon tea ||

==

[[image:Uncle2.jpg align="right" caption="Uncle Greg"]]
=Reports from the Media Team=

Uncle Greg gave an Acknowledgement of Aboriginal land and country //(pictured on the right)// Students have picked issues that are important to their communities and have put together presentations to share their stories. Hopefully students will be able to continue this after this conference and pass on their messages to others. Roz Hall, from the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water opened the EcoConference, welcoming all the students, teachers and guests. = ﻿ Glen Innes cluster:  = =Wagga Wagga Cluster = Their story is about **connecting to mother earth **. They started off with a traditional Gerrima song. They had a plays about **composting ** called composting the **worlds first sustainable reasturant **. It was very funny. Their play was about composting and ** worms **in the resturant, would you like some compost soup with worms?Their next years idea is to **make things grow **. They really entertained us with a **rap song and some traditional Aboriginal dancing **. They also talked about some of the **plants in their school **like how hard it was to maintained it because of the drought and how they struggle to made it beautiful. They made an outline of a goanna in their playground, searching for water, surrounded by garden beds and vegetables. They also performed an **Aboriginal dance **with trees and some music. They are in the process of inventing **an Indigenous **using recycleable materials. They also had an Aboriginal talk and a wonderful Aboriginal painting representing the creek they want to regenerate and the ideas they have. They talked about the painting in the eco forum and they all came up with **excellent ideas **to finish off they sang Gurriballi the same one they sang at the begining. They all loved hands on stuff. =Kiera Cluster = First they presented a **poem **, they sang beautifully. Next they did a presentation on the project, talking to their peers about what they thought and questions about **sustainability**. They created great** movies! ** One showing Barbie H2O, who helped people understand how to save water. After the video was over they did a play saying they were in 2060 and that the **<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">beach was polluted **and it was dangerous to go outside because of heat from the sun. Then they showed what they had done back in 2010, showing the **<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">kids of the future ** ﻿ ﻿ that they should do what they did. Then back in 2010 they talked about **<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> ﻿ ﻿ what you could do to change the enviroment .** They made a model version of a sustainable town. Their focus is to **<span style="color: #00ff00; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Weed out bitou bush and help stop erosion of the sand dunes. ** =<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Liverpool Cluster = First they did a play based on ** Dr Suess **the Lorax is the speaker for the environment. A beltzac chops trees down to make a profit, to sell goods and the Lorax and the Beltzac agrue. The animals die one by one because the trees get chopped down and the environment is ruined. It was great! They then told us a bit about each school and about where they were from and what they are doing about sustainability at their schools. They then chanted SOE ** save our enviorment **BTF beyond the fence!! and made us do it too! Then they talked about jacks day and a song about it. They told us about what they will be doing in the future. They would like to invite all Catholic schools to ** participate in the sustainablility challenge **. They would create a play about Spongebob and his friend Patrick. Then they performed a little verse about the environment.They then ask some questions at the end. They also want to help out in the ocean/sea to help the sea creatures.They said that the best part of performing was doing the Lorax play and also the Spongebob play. Today there are 5 eco rangers here. One of the students asked what does the green vest mean and the answer was green for the environment and also for the earth. Their main issues were **<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pollution, restore the reserve, water quality, and air pollution. ** =<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Photo Gallery = ||
 * <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Celebration of journey. Kids working with kids, school with schools and communities with communities. **Tree that represents groups and individuals that helped produce the project. Talked too about **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">biodiviersity and how to improve it. ** Set up a local species list. [[image:GI_mob.jpg width="179" height="147" align="right" caption="The tree representing their learning journey."]]**<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Excursions ** to find out about environmental issues around their **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">local area **. Investigated water quality, examined weather and researched effects on their area. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Soil qualities **were tested with a **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">hands on workshop **. ** Researched **weeds and helped control them. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Regenerated a creek area **. Worked together with a high school to **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">reduce waste **and participated in Clean Up Australia Day and held **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">waste free days **. Eco forum was a major highlight for them. Took part in a quiz about the environment around them. Researched native frogs in the area. Found major problems in their area including threatened species, native vegetation, waste management and water quality. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Planted native trees **. Presented an eco-rap. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Checked water quality **and **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">biodiversity in a creek **out the back of their primary school. Realised the importance of the ecosystems. Plan to continue their efforts on that creek. Learned about **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">global issues in water quality **such [[image:GI_BtF.jpg width="186" height="144" align="left" caption="The Glen Innes group"]]as [[image:GI_kidsonstage.jpg width="236" height="149" align="right" caption="Glen Innes students on stage!"]]chemicals and how to dispose of them correctly. Endangered species and plants studied, **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">found the reasons **for this endangerment and tried to help **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">repair the damage **to let species return to the area. Within the schools and local area, recycling was studied and recycling bins were introduced into the school community. Composting was also brought into the school. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Investigated waste products **around the school and used this **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">information to reduce wastes **. Staff and students encouraged to be **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">waste free and recycle ** as much as they can. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Newsletters ** were used to convey information to staff, students and the community. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Applied for grants **to continue their efforts towards the environment. Convey their message of improving the environment and sustainability to others around them. Aboriginal community members were involved in their projects. Presented a song suggested to them by an Aboriginal community member. **<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Enjoyed the hands on activities **.
 * [[image:GI_prep.jpg width="233" height="180" align="center" caption="Glen Innes getting ready to present"]] || [[image:lunch2.jpg width="191" height="173" align="center" caption="Lunch on the grass"]] || [[image:lunch.jpg align="center" caption="Some of us found shade to sit under"]] ||
 * [[image:research.jpg width="229" height="148" align="center" caption="Student work on display"]]

|| || <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">If you have a photo for the gallery please send it to me (sally.blackwell@det.nsw.edu.au)
 * [[image:media_group.jpg width="293" height="169" align="center" caption="Media team briefing"]] || [[image:RIMG0020.JPG width="275" height="171" align="center" caption="The media team reported back on the days events"]] || [[image:RIMG0014.JPG width="200" height="220" align="center" caption="I made this!"]] ||
 * [[image:GI_tree.jpg width="224" height="181" align="center" caption="Glen Innes used a tree to represent their learning"]] || [[image:GI_botgardens.jpg width="260" height="186" caption="Glen Innes visited the Botanical Gardens on the way home."]] || [[image:GI_leaving.jpg width="287" height="178" caption="Glen Innes ready to leave"]] ||