Beresfield Public School students have pulled on their gardening gloves for a hands-on lesson in urban biodiversity delivered by City of Newcastle Council to mark World Environment Day.
Twenty-five members of the school’s Student Representative Committee helped plant 18 trees, including Smooth-Leaved Quandong and Black Gum, as well as 20sqm of small flowering plants along Boomerang Street, adjacent to their school.
The students learned how street trees can help reduce the impact of heat stress and climate change in urban environments and will continue to care for the plants with the help of their teachers.
Lord Mayor, Nuatali Nelmes said it was important to teach children about the value of the environment from an early age.
“The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is land restoration, desertification and drought resilience, with the slogan ‘Our land. Our future. We are generation restoration’,” Lord Mayor Nelmes said.
“Through events like this we aim to educate students on the importance of street trees and gardens and the biodiversity they support, as well as increasing Newcastle’s urban forest, mitigating urban heat impacts and encouraging community stewardship of public land.
“City of Newcastle has a proud track record when it comes to environmental initiatives and will continue to work with our community to create a legacy for future generations through the implementation of our 10-year Newcastle Environment Strategy.”
The tree planting was delivered as part of Council’s Living Streets and Street Garden programs, which aligns with a key priority of the Newcastle Environment Strategy by helping to increase community connection with the urban forest.
“This month we’ve launched an awareness campaign to support the Strategy, which features residents, community groups and small-to-medium businesses and highlights how everyone in the community can help us reach our goals of net zero emissions, reducing, reusing and repurposing waste; and protecting our local environment,” the Lord Mayor said.
Beresfield students will join forces with other local primary schools to help City of Newcastle plant even more trees in nearby Tarro Reserve on Friday 26 July as part of Schools National Tree Day.
Native species will be planted at Tarro Reserve and students will learn about bush craft and study waterbugs, while also connecting to culture thanks to the visit of a National Parks and Wildlife Aboriginal Ranger.
This will be followed by a community event at the Reserve on Sunday 28 July to celebrate National Tree Day.
