Coles and Junior Landcare
 Since 2008 Coles has been providing School Garden Grants of up to $1,000 to schools and youth groups to help create gardens in their grounds or community, such as bush tucker gardens, waterwise gardens or vege gardens.These programs encourage students to learn about the environment through “outdoor learning” and interaction in developing their own school gardens. This year Coles will embark on a special Indigenous gardens project with Junior Landcare. This project will help to establish bush tucker and vege gardens in 30 Indigenous pre schools all over New South Wales. The bush tucker garden programs aim to assist indigenous students and communities through developing vege gardens to learn about the importance of nutrition and fruit and vegetables in lead a healthy lifestyle. For more information on how Coles and Landcare are working together head to the Coles website for more information. NOTE: All schools, kindergartens, daycare centres, and youth groups (i.e. Scouts) are eligible to apply for a Junior Landcare grant. |
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| Grant round closing dates Example Project Previous Grant Recipients More about Biodiversity More about Gardening
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Case StudiesThe Silver Tree Steiner School The Silver Tree Steiner School applied for a Coles Junior Landcare School Garden Grant in Round 2, 2008, to play a part in the funding of their Kitchen Garden Scheme – A large project costing over $15,000.A big part of the project itself is building a kitchen where the students can use their produce in cooking, as well as setting up a garden shed, water tank and irrigation. The Junior Landcare grant will help fund an educational, organically managed food garden, which will be maintained by students teachers and parent volunteers. Produce grown in the garden will be cooked in the new kitchen so students can learn about healthy cooking practices. It will benefit the environment by managing the school grounds in a sustainable way, using organic and biodynamic gardening practices, which will reduce water consumption and improve soil quality. They will also implement a new waste management system of composting and a worm farm. Initially, the new waste management system will handle the school’s organic waste; however, their goal is to set up a local waste centre for the community as a source of pesticide-free compost for their local area. The grant funds will be used to assist with developing a kitchen wet area, purchasing tools, gardening equipment, shed, soil, fencing material, waste management equipment and seedlings. The school has over 120 parents and community volunteers contributing to this project, and is a real team effort. Peregian Beach Community College (P-12), QLD
Peregian Beach Community College on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast used their School Garden Grant to fund a sustainable permaculture food garden.The school used their $1,100 to purchase wheelbarrows, seeds and seedlings, a worm farm and worms, a garden shed and books on permaculture for their school library. The students used permaculture techniques such as companion planting to keep weeds down and control pests, as well as using species native to the area. The school now uses food harvested from their garden in home economics and the project coordinator teaches students about sustainable gardening practices and growing and preparing your own food. Produce from the garden is also used in the school tuckshop. The year one class even made a scarecrow as an elective. The school’s new permaculture food garden adds to the college’s existing environmental initiatives, such as using rainwater tanks and composting. Red Hill Primary School Red Hill Primary School in ACT applied for a Coles Junior Landcare School Garden Grant in Round 3, 2008, to help fund school grounds improvement and plant native vegetation.The project aims to increase native flora and fauna, build students’ knowledge of sustainability and the environment, as well as creating a ‘waterwise’ garden and vegetable garden in school grounds. The school used their grant money to purchase plants, soil and mulch, as well as their own contribution to pay for sleepers, a horticulturalist and labour (to lay the sleepers and prepare garden bed) The project will increase native vegetation in the school grounds, which will increase bird life and biodiversity. They also plan to create an indigenous garden with drought tolerant plants to reduce the consumption of water. Students will work a horticulturalist and learn about plants and how to maintain them whilst working together in developing and improving gardens. |
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