Sustainability

The first thing you’ll notice, as you approach the Preschool is our grey Thermatech Colorbond roof and solar panels. Our 13.2KW solar panel system generates clean, renewable energy for use throughout our Preschool.

The Thermatech solar reflectance technology is designed to reflect more of the sun’s heat on hot, sunny days, which means less dependence on air-conditioning and reduced heat stress for our roof. These two elements combined not only reduce our electricity costs but also help to reduce carbon emissions, bringing down our dependence on fossil fuels and reducing our carbon footprint.

To maximise the use of natural sunlight we have utilised beautiful large windows, doors, and skylights in our classrooms. This abundance of natural light has allowed us to significantly decrease our need to use indoor lighting on most days as well as provide significant benefits to the children in our care.

On those gloomier days, LED globes help to light the way, using 75% less electricity and lasting 5-10 times longer compared to halogen globes, reducing replacement costs and the number of light bulbs that end up in landfill. Not only that the natural light warms the air, which helps to promote airflow keeping the air in our classrooms fresh.

Rainwater tanks, storing 90 thousand litres of water, have been creatively hidden in the corner of our playgrounds and under our carpark. These tanks allow us to harvest this precious resource to use in our laundry and Preschool toilets as well as decrease stormwater runoff. Importantly, this water supply also feeds the Preschool Garden irrigation system, ensuring year-round garden health and growth, no matter the season. All the faucets, shower-heads and toilets in our Preschool also use water-saving devices to reduce our overall water consumption and help to keep our reserves at sustainable levels.

As self-confessed compost fanatics, we have integrated two composting areas into our Preschool. The Preschool Garden is home to our Tumbleweed Worm Buffets, Australian made from 100% recycled plastic. These are the perfect solution for our service, providing a place for us to compost our organic waste while allowing worms to freely come and go. In 2022, we also repurposed old timber pallets to create a larger open-air compost system for our plant and food waste and for recycling organic materials.

Scattered throughout our Preschool grounds you’ll find vegetable and herb gardens, bush tucker plantings and bountiful fruit trees thanks to our Garden Educator Linda from Oz Tukka. Maintained daily by our Preschool Educators, and the children, they provide the perfect place to connect with and learn from nature.

They also supply delicious produce that we use in our learning program and plant-based meals. Our bush tucker plants specifically help to facilitate a range of garden to kitchen experiences allowing children to learn about their traditional uses by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Opened in 2022, our mini-community seed bank improves access for our local residents to a range of different seeds and plants – conserving agricultural biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and contributing to community-based strategies for adapting to climate change.

We hope this Seed Bank will continue to expand and flourish in the years to come.