13 November 2007

Students from Woree State School have taken water conservation and water quality improvement into their own hands.

As part of the school’s commitment to the environment, students and staff have installed water saving devices on water taps, set up rainwater tanks, developed stormwater management systems, built waterless urinals and installed rubbish traps on their stormwater drains to prevent litter from making its way to the Great Barrier Reef.

Ms Megan Sperring from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Reef Guardian Schools Programme said the school was being awarded the Reef Guardian Schools ‘Water Warriors Award’ for water conservation, water quality improvement and for an innovative approach to preserving the Reef.

“Woree State School is near a local creek which connects the students directly to the Great Barrier Reef and makes a wonderful living classroom,” she said.

“The school has really taken important steps to manage their stormwater systems and to ensure that no litter from the campus makes its way into the creek and out to the Reef.

“By protecting their local waterway, Woree State School is providing a great example of what we as a community can do to help preserve the environment.”

Each class at Woree State School completes a sustainability-focused unit on topics ranging from pollution to energy use, to endangered animals and habitats.

The school has also implemented veggie gardens, worm farms, recycling programmes, and litter free lunches and has a team of students called the Woree Sustainability Warriors who help keep students and staff motivated.

Woree principal Mr Paul Campbell said he was proud of what his students and staff had achieved.

“Receiving the Water Warriors Award is wonderful because it provides encouragement for all of us and reinforces the value of what we are trying to do,” he said.

“This is great recognition for the hard work of our students and staff and the additional funding will enable us to take our projects further and to look for new ways in which our school can become more sustainable.”

Representatives from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will present the students with their award and personally thank them for the efforts in helping to conserve the Great Barrier Reef for future generations.

Eight of the 30 Reef Guardian Award winners are located in the Cairns region.