We started this program in 2007 with funding provided by the state government under the “Go for Your Life” banner.  However, the initial funding amount has now run out, and it is up to our school to make the program sustainable into the future.

Our Principal and all of our staff realise how important the kitchen garden program is for our children so it is now funded directly from school funds.

We have seen over the past two years how this program is changing the eating habits of a lot of our children. We watch kids getting involved in and excited about gardening and cooking, knowing in our hearts that this is such a positive step forward for the future health and wellbeing of these children.

The world is changing, and one day we may not have the same structures in place that we have grown up with and have come to rely on for so many things in life. For example, the supply of food from all over Australia and right across the world to supermarkets and supply chains is not guaranteed in a future where the worlds resources are fast running out.

Peak oil and climate change are very real issues, and we would be naïve to assume that life as we know it will go on forever or even until our children reach adulthood.

The kitchen garden program we have running at Wesburn Primary School right now is one of the very real, grass roots ways we can tackle these bigger issues in order to impact positively on our children and their future livelihoods. If they can competently grow their own food and be confident about how to cook it, they have a big head start by having a ready supply of fresh food grown locally and a better chance at pursuing a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Sharyn Morrice

Kitchen Garden Coordinator

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Students in grade 3/4 test the PH level of the soil

The grade 3/4 students at Wesburn are testing the soil for it’s PH level. The PH measures the level of acidity or alkalinity in the soil, which directly impacts on the plants ability to access nutrients. Vegetables generally thrive in a neutral soil with PH levels of between 6 and 7.5.

After testing the soil the students recorded the results in the garden diaries and reported back to the class. This is just one of the many fun and educational activities which students in grades 3 to 6 participate in each week during garden class.

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Where do all these emissions come from?

The average Australian produces 18.9 tonnes of greenhouse pollution each year (compared to just 1 in India). These emissions can be divided into two categories, “direct emissions” and “indirect emissions.”

Direct emissions refer to greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by personal consumption like using electricity derived from the combustion of coal, or driving a car powered by the burning of petrol.

Indirect emissions are embodied in the products that we use in day to day living that have used energy in their manufacture, like all the energy required to mine ore, process it into steel, then assemble it (along with all the other components) into a car.

We can control and reduce our direct emissions relatively painlessly as they are emissions we have direct control over. That is, we can reduce our consumption of energy, and we can make use of “Greenpower” and carbon offset schemes to compensate for the CO2 emissions that remain after we have reduced consumption as much as possible.

Indirect emissions are not quite so simple for us to rein in because they are not as obvious. All the goods and sevices we consume in our daily lives represent some energy use and therefore carbon emissions. We can bring the yearly levels of greenhouse pollution produced by our consumption of goods and services down by choosing products that represent lower energy consumption. Governments can legislate for carbon taxes, and provide incentive schemes to encourage businesses to produce products with lower embodied emissions, and consumers (that’s us) can buy goods and services that represent a lower carbon future. Remember, consuming less of everything means less emissions!

Cut emissions by growing your own

Our food consumption currently accounts for 23.3 % of the average annual greenhouse pollution of 18.9 tonnes a year, which means we each produce an average of 5.35 tonnes a year of greenhouse gases to put food on our tables. As you can see there is a great deal of energy used in food production using the current industrialised farming system.

Don’t underestimate your own capacity to reduce your impact on the planet that supports us all. Compost your garden waste and your kitchen scraps, use local organic sources of fertility, use hand tools and a bit of muscle in the garden, and avoid heavily packaged and processed foods. Start small and build up your production as your skills increase and you will soon discover the unbridled joy that growing your own food can give – and you can bask in the glow of knowing you are doing your bit!

During Volunteers Week, 18-25th May, we presented our volunteers with a ‘Star Volunteer’ certificate and a cup cake each to show how much we appreciate them.