Staff members and students plant trees of dedication
Chelsea Mitchell
Public relations editorial intern
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
As the rain falls, a man kneels to plant a tree for the two women in his life—his wife and his daughter—and his dog.
Pre-loved clothes about to find new home: Items donated from the wardrobes of students added to Danii’s Collection as Cafe Rejuve played host to the alfresco op shop. Credit: Sonja Larsen.
Dr Jason Morton joins other Avondale College of Higher Education staff members and students to plant 400 trees in four hours over two days. Girls Walk and the dam between the Cooranbong Community Services Centre and Avondale Springs, both on the Lake Macquarie campus, are the beneficiaries of the regeneration, which comes as part of Avondale’s Green Week.
“My wife, daughter and I are frequent users of the Avondale walking tracks,” says Jason, a senior lecturer in biology in the School of Science and Mathematics and the deputy chair of Avondale’s Sustainability Committee, “so I thought it would be wonderful to dedicate a tree to both my girls and to our pet.” Jason says the tree will remind he and his family of their bond.
Not-for-profit community organisation Trees In Newcastle donate the trees—all are natives. About 120 are Swamp Mahogany, a type of eucalypt. These grow up to 30 metres and for at least 60 years.
Students plant saplings: Sonja Larsen holds one of the 400 natives donated by Trees in Newcastle. Credit: Krissie Hopkins.
Jason hopes the planting will revive the natural state of the targeted areas to “promote an increase in flora and fauna on campus” and even the “return of species such as kangaroos.”
Organiser Jedda Britten, advocacy leader for student club COSMOS, talks of Green Week as “raising awareness of environmental issues and suggesting ways to live more sustainably.”
Cafe Rejuve, playing host to an alfresco op shop, welcomes Danii’s Collection plus the pre-loved clothes of students on day one of Green Week. The theme, “Reuse. Recycle. Relove.,” challenges students to think about the impact—on the environment and on other people—of their purchases. “If we decrease the demand for unethical clothing, we lessen the environmental impact of textiles,” says Jedda. This initiative raises more than $250 for a student-run project that will help feed the homeless in Sydney.
COSMOS sells bamboo toothbrushes and cardboard pens during Green Week. “The beginning of limiting earth’s plastic usage is saying no to plastic,” says team member Karli Borresen. “This will hopefully make way for a sustainable world for future generations.”
Modelling environmental stewardship at Avondale is important, says chair of the Sustainability Committee Brad Watson, “particularly because we believe God made earth and gave us the responsibility of being ethical caretakers.”
Visit www.avondale.edu.au/greenavondale for more information about Avondale’s green initiatives.