Every year the IEU invites members at schools, colleges and early childhood centres to apply for grants, sponsored by Teachers Mutual Bank, to develop sustainability initiatives.
Teachers Mutual Bank and the IEU have a proud history of funding education projects focused on sustainability.
Past grant-winning projects include habitat and biodiversity conservation, tree-planting, composting and vegetable gardens, water and energy saving initiatives, waste and recycling.
Grants have also been awarded to projects that draw on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connections to land, community and the local environment.
Applications for this year’s environment grants are now open until 10 October.
This month, we meet another recipient of a 2024 Environment Grant to find out how they used the grant to implement their sustainability project.
Native Bees in Schools Stingless Bees, Hive and Annual Flowers
A saint’s determination to live her life “doing the little things really well” prompted St Therese Catholic Parish Primary School in West Wollongong to apply for an environment grant to create a home for native bees.
Visual Arts teacher Susane McGoldrick said the Native Bees in Schools project, which received a $2500 grant last year, was based on the belief that authentic environmental education should be hands-on, deeply connected to nature and promote sustainable lifestyles.
“By introducing a stingless beehive, we have deepened students’ ecological awareness and empowered them to take action,” she said. “With this grant we have set up the program with the purchase of the bees, hives and annual flowers for the bees to pollinate.”
The grant enabled the school to run the Sydney stingless bee school program, which provides children with the opportunity to safely learn and experience the social behaviours of bees.
It also enables school children to develop an awareness of the impact of humans on the environment and the interdependence of living things.
Enhance learning
An IEU member since 2020, McGoldrick said the beehive project enhanced learning by allowing students to closely observe and study behaviours in a bee colony.
“Through this program students explore the importance of biodiversity and the impact of human actions on ecosystems,” she said.
McGoldrick said the presence of the bees offered opportunities for inquiry and reflection, “encouraging students to see themselves as caretakers of creation”.
The hive has been installed in the grounds of the school, close to existing garden beds. Students have been introduced to the bees, learning about their behaviour, life cycles and environmental significance.
“One key challenge has been ensuring the hive is placed in an optimal location for both the bees and student access for observation,” McGoldrick said.
“There has been learning with how interconnected our garden systems are.”
McGoldrick also described “a wonderful discovery” about the calming effect that observing the bees has had on some students, which she said showed the benefits of the project on wellbeing and mindfulness.
“Our beehive is a living classroom and a reminder of our call to ecological stewardship,” she said.
“As the hive thrives, so too does the school’s commitment to fostering a community of sustainability, reflection and care for our environment.”
