For the Love of teaching is a podcast brought to you by teach starter. We say teachers hours each week by bringing them quality downloadable teaching resources for their classrooms to make your classroom. Buzz got to teach stutter.com Need a little motivation on a Monday. Hi, I'm Jill and I'm Ron and we're experienced Primary School teachers. We get it join us for inspiration and encouragement to get you buzzing through the school week. This is the buzz. Hi and welcome back to today's episode of the bars. I'm here with Jill. Hi Braun and Jill is AKA known around teachers data as the sustainability Queen actually, not really. I just gave her that title, but she really is the sustainable take it easy take it easy because I'm always like that could be reused guys. I love those the other side of that or I've learnt so much making notebooks out of scrap paper. I saw those this did you grab one by one you can have one. Thank you. You're welcome. Of the environment and being sustainable in the having a sustainable business as well. You've put a lot of time and effort and thought into the weight each stanza operate as a business and what's really important to us, you know that we want to reduce our carbon footprint and we want teach started to not leave. We want to leave a positive Mark. So we also have our million trees by 2033. We want to plant a million trees to every time a member signs up we plant a tree. So we're working with carbon neutral Fund in. Wh Do that which I absolutely love and we're almost ready to just get them to plan our next 5,000 trees. So we're I'm up to almost up to 25,000 tree so excited. Yeah, I want to go over and like see them. Yeah visit them as I said we can come over but I want to go visit our trees. Yeah put a little plaque or something even then the flights over there kind of cancel that out. Yes, so that's all right, because flights are something that we think about being there. Not just ya love ya how much time we spend? Yeah, but you can buy that extra, you know where you offset it but So we do that through our business so we buy carbon credits to offset if we fly somewhere or something like that would teach data we have carbon credits that we bought for the Amazon rainforest. So yeah, it's this whole system that they have basically you can offset what you're producing by giving back to other businesses and places that are doing really great things. Yeah. That is awesome. So it's a whole thing. Yeah. It's a whole thing. Yeah. It's a whole thing and it is all way of thinking it. Yeah, really change your your whole perspective. Yes working at a business like teach starter where every day we're making changes. Like for example, we have a waste management system in the office, which is really really easy to use but it did require a little bit of education for staff at the beginning and now everybody's on board with that. Yeah. It's one of those things that you can really easily do in your classroom as well. Oh most definitely so we have our recycling we have our soft Plastics recycling because We ate chocolates at teacher we how compost which we use a service which comes in does like commercial composting and we have our landfill and I really feel it's important to call it. Learn Phil. It's not just rubbish its landfill. So everyone knows and that's the one that we aim to have the least amount in and at this is actually quite funny because I do see when we have someone new start and maybe I'm in the kitchen or something. They need to throw something out. Yeah, and they open up in there. The four bins there and I can I can kind of feel a little bit of panic coming back looking at it like oh, I'm sure she's right there. How do we and it popped back? So is it soft and I'm watching yeah just know I'm watching very caring environment. I mean yes appreciative way. I will help you. But if you put in the wrong PIN, I'll go and take it out. That's right. There are some people that are absolute. Aces at recycling and yeah, they are always available to answer questions and I think that in any workplace even schools, there will be people who have who already have an interest in sustainability that you can consult on things like this and you know kids pick this up so fast. Yep, because even my four-year-old is like, you know, so conscious of where he put in what Ben's he put me tell us about is his thing on the beach. Oh my gosh. We went check Christmas and we're walking so I actually really enjoy going to the beach mainly because I love to just like save the rubbish that's gonna end up out there. And so he was walking we walk them down. He's like and all these people around us like turned and looked and he's like microplastics. They were all along that was like all along the beach. It was actually really horrible, but it was every way alone right that he is for that is a big issue. So he's their pit. We're picking them all up. It was like a beanbag had opened and it was all the little things in the van. The polystyrene somewhere. Yeah, so we were picking them all up and he's so dangerous. Oh my God, everyone thinks that's like a crimes being committed as a yes. I'm Margaret exactly. So yeah, like kids really pick up on it and I've seen some schools that are doing amazing things and I would love to get someone in to talk more, you know, maybe we can find someone to interview to sort of bear setup amazing composting systems that the kids manage themselves and they the compost in their school Gardens, then they use those Foods in the canteen. I mean what an amazing system for the kids to learn about and learn of that compost how to do it. But then that in the end you get something that's a cycle. I bet you get it. Yeah just keep and then you get those scraps from that food you've made and it's funny isn't it? But it's something that I think kids need need to experience. Yeah, because and we consciously need to teach them about that because it's yeah things that's been lost. Maybe over a generation of actually, yeah, I'm growing your own produce and understanding where things went from where it's gonna go because and I mean when you said about the landfill been at work even just using that word, it's an emotive word when you might have been you think I actually think where is this going to go? Yeah, and I don't her nose really add the way things are going at the moment. I know it's a bit terrifying where things can go but anywhere, can you can you tell us a bit about how you practice sustainability in your classroom? If you're welcome, when I was teaching it was just really basic things to start off with and then the kids got really into it and they run it themselves then so it was stuff like, you know, whenever we left to go to an assembly or something. Turn the lights off. Yeah. So simple we would turn our block would be the only one that had the lights off everyone else who would have lights and fans going and all sorts of things and we were to and my kids would be like which in turn the lights off, you know, someone runs back and does it but they learn that habit and so they knew You whenever we weren't even if you went to the library the last person out turn the lights off. It was just an automatic reaction for them. I wish to teacher would teach my kids that oh, it's on my gosh. We've got a big house and every light is usually weighs on and my husband and I really stingy so for us, it's more about the electricity bill. Yeah, but we walk around turning lights and fans off and people say I was still using that room. All right. Well you weren't in there nowhere. Do you know what we have it's all automatic. So if you leave and it doesn't sense motion, it turns them off. Fancy, yeah, it's actually pretty good. It's really easy. You can just get them in these little things from like Bunnings. Oh, yeah, but anyway tonight's for another day, but then we don't have any lights going. Yeah, that shouldn't be yet. They'll turn off because yeah, my son will generally leave them on yeah and keep us he can't reach them pretty much. Yeah, which sign and we told you about the patrolling baby here. No. No, the thing is interactive whiteboards like we have a lot of G now in our classroom and their it chews up the power and a lot of schools now have solar panels which is fantastic. That would be great. We didn't at my school. So even you know, we were lucky enough to have air conditioning yet our school, which I know not many do but we were lucky to and my poor kids they knew in our classroom. They knew you had to be breaking a fairly big sweat and some people had to be dizzy before we would put it on like you drink your Frozen water bottles. That's what we had to do kids than 90 / some water. In fact not too much water though because that's wasteful but until the jump off properly. Yes, exactly. But you know, they had to be a few that were yeah sort of getting a bit woozy before I put the egg God that at home too. I know but he's to remember because I was really lucky my school was fully air-conditioned as well Super Lucky, but at the same time there was always one or two kids if you had the are common with their jump on I know they can all be like if there's someone with a jumper on it's going off. Yeah. There's a breeze. The breeze and we can handle this. No when I'm the same at home. We've got solar at home and I'm still like I don't know we could be feeding that back into the grid if we don't put yeah, it was our aircon on it's just a mindset thing. Yeah, it's just thinking about these things that you can just be oblivious to and hoping that hoping that nothing bad happens or you can actually be mindful of these. Yeah making a contribution, but I think it's just, you know conversations with the kids too or I would Model it. So like I said if I we had scrap paper I would turn because I loved I loved a list. I will make daily a list and carry over most of the things from the list before but it's a new list. Yeah the day it's a new day. It's a new life style of a list. But so I would then take the scrap paper and cut it in half and put like one of those Bulldog clips. And that was my I don't need a notebook. I've got those little do that and I even saw actually some of our designers at work. We using our scrap paper because I went through and clean All the scrap paper and stuff and said I did you see my message. I said no more notebook to be bought. Yeah, don't order any more notebooks we have so you can have a recycled notebook that you can't have one. That's got the plastic on the front or the spiral exactly. Why doesn't need to sew but I even saw that they were using the scrap paper on clipboard our designers to like mock up there. That's really drawings and stuff. Yeah idea was this let me congratulate those Carlos Frey Chuckles. Yeah. And he is one of the people on the environmental team at work. Yes employee reference group just for environment teacher. Yes, and Carlos is a driving force in there a long yourself and about probably 10 to 12 other people and and me. Yes, yapping in that group where we try to just find ways that we can cut back wherever we can but I did see actually funnily enough our video this morning and they had instead of eliminating because eliminating is basically just plastic and it's such a toss-up because you go well if I lemonade it will last longer. So I don't have to print it as much Which is less ink less paper. Yeah, but it's plastic and you'll be there all the way all the time. So what's what's better? What's worse? You know, sometimes you have to have these internal struggles, but I saw one which was using like the kids bring in cereal boxes. Oh, yeah like that and then they just stuck the cards the task cards onto the cardboard. I'll call so cut it to the right side. Yeah, it was sturdy. Earlier than paper. Yeah, it was it was going to last longer. Yeah, and I was like brilliant. That is so cool because the kids can actually see it goes from this to this right in front of their eyes. It's not like yeah, it's going to a processing center somewhere and what's going to happen to it. It's actually like something usable for them. I love that idea and I think you know, we've got an investigation on the website, which is about how much waste do we use now classroom doing something like that. It's a learning activity because they're looking at you know weight volume all they're measuring their graphing they're doing Things but at the same time they're looking at what waste were using in our classroom and then working together to find a way to cut yet back on it. I mean it's a class goal and sure you're not going to have everyone on board. I understand that even you know with what we're doing not everyone is into sustainability. I understand that but with kids if we can make it part of their learning. Yeah, but also unless we get them to understand why we're cutting back on our waste and seeing the problems that we have now and why we need to do that. I feel it's only a good thing. Yeah, exactly. And if that becomes the norm where people are thinking that way it's actually in thinking exactly. Yes, even like the other day. I was throwing away some pouches, you know, like those baby food pouches. Yeah have the cereal in them some yes my kids if we're busy they get a fruit pack fruit pouch like that and I thought this is actually really wasteful so I actually rinse them out. Yeah, I'm planning on recycling. There are companies that do this. But yeah, it's just amazing how much we consume as like purchasing things for our families and the ways that we can reconsider stuff. Yeah, you know, I have taken the bin liner. I've had been at home. So then we have to you can't put anything you can't put compost or any meat products or anything in there because it's going to go straight and T and we have very minimal waste in our landfill been it takes a lot of thought and a lot of of I guess preparing you have to be organized to take your produce bags to get your fruit and veg. So you don't you look in the plastic that all of those things but at the same time it's very rewarding when you get to the end of the week and I'm like we've got like the smallest amount in our landfill going to be one of those families that can fit a years waste into a small jar. I wish I want to see it happen. I wish I think those people are amazing. I'm yet to work out how to do that. It's so great though. Like I'm just always Gob smacked at that. Yeah, I think the narrative changing. Yeah about sustainability from it being like, you know, it used to be this room hippie you kind of to now this is just what the right thing to do and I can die again. I understand that. It's not for everyone but it's very important to me and my family so it was also very important in my classroom. Yeah, and the kids are newer, you know, I even saw another thing which is about not using glue sticks. Okay. It was putting you know, like the glue that comes in. Like a big the clan like kind of like that the white stuff that then goes clear of the PVA glue that could be there. Yeah. Thanks and you put it on a sponge. I'll kinda kids can just dab it in there. So it stays and then you put the lid back on the container. So because then once you finish the PVA glue the big bulk one you can wash it out and recycle it but you can't recycle glue stick, right and they are like a massive single use plastic because you can't you can't refill them you come they don't last for at the amount of glue that kids put on things. I'd always be like, it's too much. You go through them so quickly. I think I bought eight per. Yeah this year at the start and you'll probably need more and that's that's really sad. Yeah, let's do something about that. Let's do that. I mean I work with just you've brought in the refillable whiteboard markers, we how amazing and teachers can use those in their classroom. Yeah, we should put up a post about those because actually there is what they're in they're in this house that I'm looking at on the on the restart of our own eyes. So yeah am has done this amazing post. One of our bloggers and if you go onto the teach data Apple website, you can find it. It's called 45 sustainable practices for the environmentally friendly classroom. And she lists all these Amazing Ideas that you can get into practice so easy. Yeah, really easy stuff. Yeah really good and that you can actually get the link to those whiteboard markers in that post and a whole heap of other things that you can just make small changes. Yeah pass room. Yeah, it might cost a little bit to set up to start with but in the long run. Yeah, it's going to it will work out probably cheaper. Yeah, exactly and I think I saw something. Might shared it in our green future post on our internal messaging what it was that like 40 million whiteboard markers are thrown away in Australia each year. That's insane 40 million little plastic tubes. I'll double-check that number, but I'm fairly sure. It was 40 million it because I remember sending it going bats why we're getting the reuse the refillables because we're not going to contribute to that and that just blows my mind. And even that would even blow kids Minds like if you tell your justification for doing this they're going to get on board because that's a huge number and that's I mean, And you could even go into some maths work with that with you know, definitely 40 million. What is that? Yeah, seven digit number like but how many how many students there are so how many wife at markers is that per student in Australia per teacher per school like you could do so much but every kill for me everything is a learning activity are definitely going to like the grocery store and I'm like, oh there's an activity there's an activity room. Yeah, something like that. Yeah would be or even, you know, make your own produce bags. That's a design and Technology. Yet activity where you can go. Okay, we need a sturdy. What should we make it out of should it be able to be seen through? So the people, you know working at the grocery store can see it to do it like exactly and it's making those personal connections and links them really had that really makes the learning stick for kids. Definitely. Yeah, I could go on and on and on and if you want no, okay, I've had enough I could never have enough. But anyway, we might talk about this again in another episode of the bars. Sounds good. I'll think of some more. Okay, bye guys. Bye. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the buzz by teach starter. We look forward to bringing you. Next week's dose of teacher inspo until then. Just remember you've got this.
How can we, as teachers, minimise our impact on the Earth? It's Plastic-Free July, so this week on The Buzz, we talk about all things green. Jill is passionate about creating a green future and loves supporting and informing others at Teach Starter when it comes to sustainability best practice.Listen in for some amazing, easy tips for creating a greener Earth, one school at a time.Our FREE resource, Classroom Practices to Promote a Green Future, is an 18-page guide for teachers on how to drive a sustainability friendly classroom.Need a little motivation on a Monday? Jill and Bron are experienced primary school teachers; they get it! Join them for inspiration and encouragement to get you buzzing through the school week!Have you tried the new Teach Starter App? We'd love to hear your thoughts so please leave us a review in the Apple App Store!Download the app for free now in the Apple Store or Google Play.Have you subscribed to For the Love of Teaching? It means you'll be the first to know whenever a new episode of The Buzz goes live.For the Love of Teaching is a podcast by Teach Starter. We make quality, downloadable teaching resources that save teachers hours of time and make their classrooms buzz! 