More than 300 students from 22 Sunshine Coast schools have taken their first steps towards being ‘biosHEROES’ of the future.
Ideas big and small were explored as the bright young minds converged for the Kids in Action Environmental Projects Day at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Funded by the Sunshine Coast Council Environment Levy, Kids in Action is an environmental program for school-aged children that aims to grow a culture that values caring for the natural world.
The Environmental Projects Day was held in partnership with UniSC and was the first of three events to take place across the year.
Students were engaged in a variety of workshops to explore the theme ‘biospHEROES: connecting, caring and co-creating the future’.
Council’s Environment and Liveabilitiy Portfolio Councillor Maria Suarez said the event was buzzing with energy.
“Spending the day at UniSC was a perfect backdrop for the event and provided a meaningful connection to the theme,” she said.
“UniSC is a sustainability hero and the only university in the world to have campuses which span across three consecutive UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.
“The young delegates rotated through workshop activities led by a wonderful group of artists, scientists and ecologists.
“They explored topics from macroinvertebrates to koala-detection dogs, worms, ecology, vibrations in nature, art, music and fungi.
“Students also spent time with Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Traditional Custodians who shared their knowledge with the students.”
UniSC Vice-Chancellor and president Professor Helen Bartlett said students from primary school to university could benefit greatly from living in a biosphere.
“We have three connected UNESCO Biospheres on our doorstep, with Sunshine Coast recently joining Noosa and Fraser Coast to create three interconnected biospheres stretching 222km,” she said.
“This doesn’t occur anywhere else in the world.
“If a student or researcher is interested in sustainability from any perspective – that could be commerce, engineering, health, tourism or ecology – there is no better place to learn and apply those findings and make a difference in the world.
“We are proud to work with the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, to ensure the community benefits, learns, contributes and continues to live sustainably in this unique corner of the world.”
Students will select a topic to work on, to showcase the ‘heroes’ of the biosphere, to present to fellow delegates at the Kids Teaching Kids Conference on September 6.
See Sunshine Coast Council – Kids in Action to learn more about the program.
The schools involved were Baringa State School, Baringa State Secondary College, Blackall Range Independent School, Free2Learn Sunshine Coast Homescholing Collective, Golden Beach State School, Immanuel Lutheran College, Kin Kin State School, Maleny State School, Maleny State High School, Mapleton State School, Matthew Flinders Anglican College (P), Matthew Flinders Anglican College (S), Natureweavers, Noosa District State High School, North Arm State School, Pacific Lutheran College, Peachester State School, Peregian Springs State School, The River School, Sunshine Beach State School, Talara Primary College and Woombye State School.
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