AUSMEPA 2014 school grant: Looking for signs - what’s left behind?

AUSMEPA is proud to announce the recipients of the 2014 Rhondda Alexander Memorial Environmental Education Grant.

Stella Maris Primary School and two other schools skirting the shores of Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, are taking up a challenge to discover what stories, new and old, can be read from what is left behind. The project will be coordinated by Andrea Eales of the Port Phillip EcoCentre, St Kilda.

Students from each school will begin by studying an Aboriginal kitchen midden, guided by an Aboriginal educator from the Boon Wurrung Foundation. 

Courtesy of Bob Winters

Having gained an understanding and a sense of what was common in an earlier time the students will learn about local birds followed by surveys of marine molluscs and marine plastics to see how things have changed over the years. 

Courtesy of Bob Winters

The scientific data collected will contribute to ongoing scientific surveys of marine life and plastic debris in Port Phillip Bay.

Plastic nurdles courtesy of Pt Phillip BayKeeper 

Afterwards the students will meet at each of the schools to create a film focusing on Port Phillip marine life and plastic debris that will be available to an online community with more than 1000 schools, the ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic. The film will also be provided to Bayside Council for inclusion the Brighter Schools e-newsletter sent to 34 schools in the municipality.

Project partners are; Stella Maris Primary School and Beaumaris Primary School (Beaumaris) and St Joseph’s Primary School (Black Rock), plus Port Phillip EcoCentre, Port PhillipBaykeeper and the Boon Wurrung Foundation

www.ausmepa.org.au

Rhondda Alexander Memorial Education Grant now open

Following Rhondda Alexander's tragic death in July 2010, the Australian Marine Environmental Protection Association (AUSMEPA) Board agreed to establish a memorial to Rhondda in the form of an annual Grant.

AUSMEPA is proud to announce the second round of grant nominations is now open. We invite Australia schools to submit applications. 

The 2012 closing date for applications will be in midway through Term 1, and received by close of business Thursday 1^st of March.

ABOUT THE GRANT

The following information and criteria will be helpful to those schools considering projects for submission during 2012.  A grant amount of up to $3,000 will be awarded to a school marine education project that leads to students actively improve the marine environment. This can include educating the local community and other behaviour change activities.  

Main criteria:

1.      Students must have a major role in organising the project.

2.      On completion of their project the students will create a video clip communication product suitable to be placed on the AUSMEPA website. Permission slips will be required.

3.      The project must have a major coastal conservation application either by direct action or involvement with community education (they have equal weight).

4.      The innovative approach to the project has application to other schools.

5.      The quality of the project content, outcomes and outputs.

6.      The grant money should used for resources not already available at school however may be used for example to go towards purchasing or hiring equipment that the school would not normally have.

7.      The application must be fully completed, signed and dated by the school Principal.

Other important information

1. All applications must have both a concise and a detailed description of the student project. Details of expected educational outcomes for students and how this project links to marine conservation must be outlined.
2.  An individual teacher needs to be designated as project leader and primary contact between AUSMEPA and the school.
3. There must be a budget showing how the grant will be spent. There is no requirement to find matching funding. It is anticipated that some projects may find small unexpected variations in expenditure. Please note there is no requirement to obtain any additional funding however if other sources of funding are made available these should be detailed in the budget.
4. The project may be undertaken with a community partner. If there is a partner, details of their role and support needs to be included in the application
5. Supporting documentation can be provided as an attachment however the primary assessment will be restricted to the application information.  NOTE:  The application may also be supported by a presentation prepared by the students using one media of their choice to explain why their project is important. Examples of media could include video clip, PowerPoint presentation, song, poem, poster, or postcard etc.
6. Principal’s signature is required to confirm that the project has the full support and encouragement of the school community. The Principal will supervise the expenditure of the grant taking into account there may be variations that the school will be responsible for resolving.
7. The project will be considered to be concluded upon confirmed receipt of the student’s video clip communication about the project, accompanied by Parent Permission Slips for student images and budget sign-off by the Principal.

To register your interest please email education@ausmepa.org.au to register your interest and an electronic application form will be sent to you.

www.ausmepa.org.au

HEALTHY EATING, HEALTHY PLANET?

Red Paw Paw, fresh local Queensland fruit

What makes a healthy life and how does taking care of ourselves affect the planet? Every human activity from basic provision of food has an impact on nature. As our numbers grow the effects are intensified. 



Food choices also trigger trends in  how and what food is available to us. While working towards a healthy body you can also reduce the impact on the planet. 

Do we need to eat as much as we do? Sometimes just eating less can improve our health. Lower food intakes draw more lightly on our resources with less waste products produced. 


Highly processed foods often strip away desirable properties including fibre, vitamins or minerals (sometimes being added back later). The more highly processed foods are the greater the environmental impact -- more energy and water are used and emissions from processing, handling and transportation are created. 


Where we choose food that has been changed less usually less changes will occur to the environment. 


We are increasingly aware that chemicals used in the primary production of food can accumulate as toxins in our bodies. Some chemicals pass through our bodies before eventually being expelled through ocean outfalls joining other pollution entering from the land to the sea. 


Eating fish? Many top choice fish from the wild have depleted in alarming numbers however you can make sustainable fish choices. For easy reference download Australia's Sustainable Seafood Mini Guide at the Australian Marine Conservation Society here. If you are a school you may be inspired to see how Palm Beach Currumbin Senior High School students are working on a local communication project related to sustainable fishing here


Be healthy, make healthy choices for yourself and the environment. Keep it simple, natural, fresh, local and as sustainable as possible to tread more lightly on our injured planet. 










www.ausmepa.org.au