sustainable gardening

Environmental sustainability is the responsible interaction with the environment to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources and allow for long-term environmental quality. Gungahlin Kinder Haven is committed to increasingly underpinning its services and practices with this value of living sustainably. One way we are achieving this is through sustainable gardening.  Using techniques to produce food and other vegetation which not only protects the environment but also enhances it.  Central to this is our commitment to reducing waste, reusing materials and recycling resources.  While also dedicating ourselves to educating and inspiring all who visit.  Leading with the confidence that what they witness at Kinder Haven may be replicated at home because it is simple.


A significant focus is to redesign our streetscape and upstairs raised garden beds as farmspaces.  Connecting how children percieve the world with lifecycles, healthy eating, and the needs of local biodiversity.  We are starting by ensuring every room has access to a compost bin and worm farm.  Therefore, linking every farmspace directly with the kitchen and with ACTSmart recycling program.  Also offering opportunity to utilise the their produce for craft and cooking experiences. Importantly, we include children and their families in planning what is grown to encourage engagement.  Likewise, we are develop excursions and incursions in partnership with local farms, cummunity gardens, suppliers, and park rangers.  With everything tying together to sow seeds of understanding for where their food comes from.

Additional action we intend to take in 2020:
  • Planting trees within the grounds (to store atmospheric carbon into the soil) and partner with a local Landcare group.
  • List the weeds of our area and encourage staff and families to remove them around the Centre and at home.
  • Minimise the use of powered tools
  • Join local groups to increase our skills and knowledge
  • Only use renewable resources ... Reuse. Recycle. Renew.  Also, check the source of gardening materials (e.g. where they come from and how they’re manufactured).
  • Create a haven with a diverse range of plants to increase plant biodiversity and provide habitats for animals, beneficial insects and birds.

Benefits

Gardening sustainably may take some effort.  But every step is worth it when we remember that we are seeking to:
  • Improve air and soil quality
  • Improve soil water infiltration
  • Strengthen local biodiversity of plants and animals
  • Reduces neighborhood waste
  • Increases physical activity through garden maintenance activities
  • Improve dietary habits through education
  • Improve mental health and promote relaxation
  • Contribute toward meeting our environmental commitments
  • Promote Kinder Haven as a community leader

Why Follow the Sustainable Path? 

Our planet can only produce a finite number of resources and can only withstand a certain amount of greenhouse emissions to stay healthy. The biggest cause of environmental damage is we humans use resources unsustainably. With food being central to many environmental issues.  For instance, the need for more agricultural land results in the loss of more forests.  The result is biodiversity loss and climate change.  Today's agricultural methods also rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides which put high demands on our soils, waterways and their ecosystems. These methods can lead to water pollution when chemicals run off into waterways, deplete the water resources due to overuse, and soil erosion and poor soil quality due to aggressive planting.

Growing to Learn

Most children enjoy being outdoors and love digging in the soil, getting dirty, creating things and watching plants grow. The sustainable, play-based practices Kinder Haven is implementing, are designed to encourage our mini-farmers to minimise water use and soil tillage, improve soil quality, and avoid chemical pesticides and fertilisers.  We seek to foster their enthusiasm so they are more receptive to learn and develop new skills, such as:
  • Responsibility ... From caring for plants
  • Understanding ...  As they learn about cause and effect (e.g. plants die without water, weeds compete with plants)
  • Self-confidence ... From achieving their goals and enjoying the food they grow
  • Love of nature ... A chance to learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and enjoyable place
  • Reasoning and discovery ... Learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction
  • Physical activity ... Doing something fun and productive
  • Cooperation ... Shared play activity and teamwork
  • Creativity ... Finding new and exciting ways to grow food
  • Nutrition ... Learning about where fresh food comes from

Age-based Activity

  • Digging, watering, weeding and picking
  • Seasonal planting vegetables, fruits and flowers
  • Gathering seeds and dried flowers
  • Deadheading flowers
  • Replanting and re-potting
  • Composting, recycling and mulching
  • Feeding the worms and using the ‘worm tea’ from the worm farm as fertilizer
  • Craft activities using harvested seeds, plants and flowers
  • Preparing healthy food, such as making salads and preparing school lunches

Plant Selection

The variety of plants selected are aimed to be attractive to the senses and attention spans of children.  For instance quick growing vegetables and plants with sensory and textural qualities:
  • Touch: succulents and woolly lamb’s ear
  • Sight: brightly coloured marigolds and rainbow chard
  • Smell: lavender and native mint
  • Taste: cherry tomatoes and basil
  • Sound: corn and bamboo which rustle against each other when the wind blows).

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