Litter Leaders lead the way – Reef Guardian Schools
receive a boost to tackle the issue of pollution
Leonie Maddigan from the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority
with Wulguru State School Captain Anura Burling
Three lucky schools recently got a boost to their Reef Guardian
programs from NQ Dry Tropics through the Litter Leaders awards.
The awards came with a $500 grant to implement a
sustainability project and Hermit Park State School, Burdekin
Christian College and Wulguru State School were the proud
recipients.
The Litter Leaders awards were part of the marine debris program
delivered to around 900 primary school children across the Burdekin
Dry Tropics NRM region. This program was delivered through
the Reef Guardian Schools partnership with the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority and 23 schools participated.
The program, designed to teach children about the importance of
coastal and marine habitats and the effects on incorrect litter
disposal on those habitats, featured an appearance by current
television star and mascot for the program Duey the Dugong.
All participating schools were invited to put forward a project
proposal on how they could improve waste management at their
school, thereby keeping our catchment and Great Barrier Reef
healthy. Wulguru State School took out first prize for
their project on organic waste recycling. The $500 funding
grant has allowed the school to begin composting and worm farming
their lunch scraps and other organic waste. As
number one award winning recipients, one class of Wulguru State
School students will be visiting the new Turtle Hospital at Reef HQ
this year so they can see first hand the effects of marine debris
on our marine fauna.
Burdekin Christian College will be using the $500 to construct a
Resource Conservation and Waste Management Centre on the school
grounds. This will allow the refuse, reduce, reuse and
recycle pyramid of activities that are occurring at the school to
be housed at one central location. This new Centre will be a
unique facility and one stop shop where students can participate in
all forms of waste management.
Hermit Park State School are getting creative with their
$500. Their project, Get R.E.A.L (Removal from the
Environment of All Litter), will see the construction of a litter
collection device specifically for popper straw wrappers, a
particular problem for the school. Year 7 students have been
set the assignment of designing such a device and the most
effective student design will be turned into a real life working
model to combat the problem.
NQ Dry Tropics is proud to provide the opportunity to facilitate
these fantastic projects. The Reef Guardian Schools in the
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM region are truly inspiring with their
ongoing commitment to protecting our environment.
