Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith welcomed the announcement that the Sustainable Schools Grants program is now open, a program that supports students to develop innovative sustainability projects at their schools
Schools in Penrith can now apply for grants of up to $15,000 to assist in developing innovative hands-on projects to make their school environment more sustainable.
Stuart Ayres said he was excited to see the second round of applications open, assisting in developing students with hands-on projects.
“The Sustainable Schools Grants is providing schools in Penrith with the opportunity to learn about being sustainable with hands-on experience,” said Stuart Ayres
Under round one of the program, two local schools received grants including:
Leonay Public School received $10,449 for its Sustainability Hub. The school has developed a sustainability area with 11 worm farms and 7 irrigated garden beds, including a bush tucker garden, which is now producing organic food.
Penrith Public School received $15,000 for its 2020 Kitchen Garden Teacher Program. Funding, which was used to employ a specialised Kitchen Garden Teacher. Students have learnt how to grow, harvest, prepare and share meals following the Stephanie Alexander method on a shoe-string budget.
The NSW Government is committed to $10 million over four years to support hands-on sustainability projects for our NSW public schools.
The school projects funded by the grants must be interactive for students to assist in students learning about sustainability, linked to the curriculum, and improved the sustainability of the school environment.
These grants aim to inspire students and school communities to develop ideas and implement plans that will benefit the environment.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell expressed her excitement of round two as she discussed innovative ways schools used the funding.
“Last year we saw 194 school projects receiving the sustainability grant, these included a variety of kitchen gardens, water storage strategies, and even bee highways to improve biodiversity,” Ms Mitchell said.
The second round of grant application can be submitted until 5 pm, 11th December, and the successful applicant will be notified Term 1 2021.
The NSW Government is investing $6.7 billion over four years to deliver more than 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.
