An update on Brocco

Wow time is certainly flying and thankfully we are well on the way with our Archibull project.  As a group we decided that we wanted Brocco to really stand out because there are a lot of additional fixtures to our art work.  We decided that our cow should focus on the way in which Australia is an island and all parts are interlinked.
We are proud to live in a country where farmers are using sustainable farming practices too feed its people. Our cow explores the nature of Australian waterways and the fact that they are interlinked.  Essentially what happens to our river systems in Queensland effects rivers in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.  Brocco focuses on the importance of all Australians looking after our waterways by reducing the amount of waste that enters the river systems.  Our finished cow will also include some special Aboriginal Art work to remind us of the special relationship Aboriginal Australians have with the land.  When viewing our cow please remember to look at the symbolic patterns the shells form on 'the beach', which represent waterways and keep an eye out for the fabulous art work done by Shane in year one.

A sneak peak at Brocco

The Tree (natural resource management)

We have been working on a large tree that will feature as part of our finished project.  The tree is designed to raise awareness about the importance of planting trees on farms, which dairy farmers recognise as an important sustainable practice.

The tree in the process of being made

The biggest environmental challenges that dairy farmers face are:

• managing soil nutrients
• stopping nutrients escaping into waterways
• protecting waterways and bush land
• avoiding to much water use

Planting trees on farms is a great way to address all these problems!
In the past 200 years many trees have been removed from the Australian landscape to create farms and provide space for the growing population.  Dairy farmers are constantly improving their practice to repair and improve their soil quality.

Dairy farmers plant trees, shrubs and grasses near water ways to decrease soil erosion  This improves soil quality and stops nutrient run off into rivers, keeping both soil and waterways healthier. 

Trees are used to provide shelter belts for animals and people.  This makes the farm a more comfortable place during heat and cold.

Shelter belts also help improve soil quality by keeping salt and water levels stable and reducing soil erosion.  Healthier soil means that crops are better quality which helps keep animals in better condition.

Shelter belts also provide shelter, protection and food for native animals.

A leaf sprouting from our tree

Our tree will provide information to the viewer on the importance of planting trees on farms.  All of the materials used on the tree (excluding the glue , wire and tape) have been made from recycled materials.  Not only is our tree educational but it is environmentally friendly.   In our Archibull project we are aiming to use mostly recycled material, excluding glue and paint.  

Supporting Local Farmers

As part of our Archibull project we are trying to educate our school community about the dairy industry. We are hoping that the staff and students will use their new knowledge to make changes that matter in our community.

Now we all love a bargain, but as consumers it is our responsibility to ask what is the cost of this bargain to the producer.  After the deregulation of the dairy industry major supermarkets dropped the price of milk and engaged in a pricing war in an attempt to attract more customers.  This has resulted in farmers receiving a very low price for their product, as low as 12c a litre.
Our staff have a communal coffee and tea fund which supplies milk for the staff to have with their coffee or tea.  We have in the past purchased milk from major supermarkets at a reduced cost.  After some research into the low cost of milk and the effect on farmers Mrs Harris decided that a small change could be made by buying local or dairy farmers milk.
At the weekly staff meeting Mrs Harris discussed with the staff the fact that cheap milk at the supermarket means lower prices for our farmers.  After a lot of agreeing nods and platitudes the staff decided to support our local farmers by avoiding purchasing milk unlabeled milk from supermarkets in an effort to support our local farmers in obtaining fair prices for their product.

At the meeting it was also suggested that staff who purchase cheap supermarket milk support companies such as Pauls who purchase from farmers at fair prices at home.  Every small step helps to make a difference.
I would like to challenge all our readers to think about the choices you make when purchasing milk and switch to Pauls milk (which is available in most supermarkets) in the near future.

Recycling - managing waterways

We have been focusing on recycling and the way in which dairy food is packaged  in recycled packaging.  Most dairy foods are packaged in recyclable material, however Australians recycle less than 50% of material that is able to be recycled.

Much of this rubbish ends up in landfill or worse left in the environment.  Living in a coastal community we have been researching the effects of rubbish that ends up in the ocean, through rivers and drain emptying into the ocean.

Many dairy farmers look after their waterways by:
•    Fencing rivers and streams so that animals are unable to defecate or access the rivers
•    Planting trees on their farms to keep water tables stable
•    Reducing effluent and fertiliser run off into the river system.
•    Using recycled packaging for their products.

We feel as a community that we also have a responsibility to look after our waterways and keep them rubbish free.  We have been educating our school community on the importance of placing rubbish in bins, recycling and reducing waste.
Some interesting facts about recycling
•    In Australia, 376,000 tonnes of plastic packaging is used every year. In 2010 we recycled 288,194 tonnes.
•    Over 5.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard was used from 2006-2007, with only 2.5 million tonnes of this recycled.

Plastic takes a long time to break down in the environment and we are concerned about the amount of plastic in our environment.
Did you know:
•    It is estimated that there are up to 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in each square mile of our oceans.
•    It takes 500 years for plastic bottles to break down in the environment.

Each year over 2.7 million tonnes of paper ends up in our environment.  Did you know:
•    Recycling 1 tonne of newspaper saves 3 cubic metres of landfill space
•    Paper breaks down slowly in landfill due to lack of oxygen.  As a result large amounts of methane (a harmful greenhouse gas) is produced.

As part of our Archibull journey we have started to educate our school community on the importance of looking after our rivers, oceans and waterways.  The responsibility of caring for our environments is not just the farmers, but all Australians.
We recognise the good job that dairy farmers do to protect our rivers.  However we feel that more education is needed to keep our waterways and oceans, clean and rubbish free.
Please view our movie in the previous post about the amount of rubbish that ends up in our ocean.  Remember to recycle all your materials that can be and reduce the amount of non recyclable material you purchase.

The Movie Project

This movie is part of our project to educate our local school community on the effects of not recycling packaging and leaving litter in the environment.

We hope you enjoy our movie and remember to reduce the amount of litter you are leaving in the environment.