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Are you a teacher, student or parent and looking for free zero waste education resources, or ideas to keep your kids happy? Here are a range of lesson plans, printable worksheets, patterns, recipes, games and fun ideas that can be used for learning at home, online learning, small children and general household use.

The first free zero waste resources are two lesson packs are based around Home Bin Audits and Fabric Reusables. These lesson plans are mapped to the Australian curriculum and can be used for most ages from kindy to early high school, so they’re also great for homeschooling a group of siblings. The printable worksheets are designed to be low-ink and can be printed in black and white, and can be used for reluctant writers. Activities include a movie review with suggestions, rubbish walk, bin audit (with different methods depending on age and ability), designing and sewing six fabric items, brainstorming solutions and a fibre bingo game. Students are prompted to think about ethics of single use plastic and use systems thinking, as well as math, English, design & technology, HASS, arts and science skills.

Home Bin Audit Lesson Plan

Home Bin Audit Worksheets

Fabric Reusable Lesson Plan

Fabric Reusables Patterns

Fabric Reusables Worksheets

Fabric Reusables Fibre Bingo

If you have small children at home, you are probably struggling to avoid plastic toys and sensory play! Some children love to play with oozy slime and goo, but all the commercial versions are packed in plastic and even the homemade recipes use PVA glue and other ingredients you probably don’t want on your child’s skin. Here is a recipe sheet with four fun sensory things to make, a list of ideas to make a sensory tub and a simple sheet of seasonal play activities.

Four Plastic-Free Play Recipes

Plastic-Free Sensory Tub Ideas

Seasonal Play Activities

And here’s one for the adults – did you do more cooking in 2020 but find that you were missing just one ingredient for the recipe? Print this out for your pantry door. It’s a list of food substitutes so you can make that recipe with whatever you have in the cupboard.

Food Substitution Chart

Did you use these for your class? Let us know at Green Skills Albany.

These resources were created with support from the Waste Authority of WA.

On October 1st, the Containers for Change launched over 200 depots across Western Australia.
One of these depots is run by Green Skills at their new location – 93 Stead Road, Centennial Park.

We hit the ground running, and honestly have not stopped.
It has been fantastic to see so many people sorting, collecting and bringing in their containers for recycling.

So how does it all work?

The consumer gets 10c per eligible container.
Green Skills (or the Operator Refund Point) gets 6c per container for processing.
Essentially, the more containers delivered to a particular Authorised Refund Point on a regular basis, the more people that can be employed.

How do I get my money?

There are two ways:

1. Cash: For a cash refund, you need to wait whilst we sort and count your containers.
   This can only be done during our set operating hours, and please note: sometimes we only have smaller change if we have been really, really busy!
   
2. Scheme ID: To set up a scheme ID, you go to the Containers for Change website. www.containersforchange.com.au
   When you come into the depot, you can leave a bag with your Scheme ID inside and then we have 3 days to count this. When they have been counted you get an email with a breakdown of the types and numbers of different containers you have had counted. In future we will have 24 hr Bag Drop facility where you can drop off these bags outside of our regular opening hours.

What if I want to donate my containers to Green Skills or another charity / community group but I live in another area?

You can donate using a Scheme ID.

In the same way that individuals set up a Scheme ID, community groups and fundraising bodies can also set up a Scheme ID.

If you are needing a hand or not sure how to do this, please reach out to Kate or Laura at the Green Skills depot via email: [email protected]

At the Container Recycling Depot in Albany we also have a list on the board of the Scheme IDs of many local groups and charities. You could add your group to this list and make it easier for people to know how they can donate to your group.

Have you considered how much you could fundraise?
If 50 people donated 20 containers every single week for a year that would be another $5200 of donations received for your cause in 12 months. (Most people tend to donate more than that or are able to pick up 100+ containers at a time simply collecting litter from road sides or the beach! A litter collection spree could fast become a major fundraising event, benefiting you and the environment at the same time)

When are you open?

We are currently open:

• 9am – 3pm Weekdays
• 11am – 2pm Weekends
• Closed on Public Holidays

Please Note: If you need to drop off outside our regular hours or arrange a pickup please contact Kate Ryan-Taylor on (0409) 462 450 or [email protected]. Please allow a few days for this to be organised as this is based on availability of staff & volunteers.

As we get busier and grow we will look to extend our hours. We welcome your feedback and input to this process.

Green Skills is very happy to open up our Denmark Tip Shop to customers again after 9 weeks of closure due to the Covid19 crisis. The Tip Shop is back to its normal 7 days per week operating hours of 12 – 4 pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am – 1pm on Sunday.

Lots of work by our Tip Shop staff and volunteers has been done during this time of closure to revamp and tidy the shed spaces and install new flooring in sheds. Big Thanks to all who have done such a great contribution to making this happen. The Tip Shop is looking fantastic and is ready and welcoming for you to come and donate goods and re-usable household/garden/building items, or browse for that special something at an excellent bargain.

Please remember that we do have to continue to respect physical distancing and stay at home if you are sick messages to stop the spread of contagious illness and please be considerate and understanding of staff who will need to ensure that relevant maximum customer number regulations are adhered to.

The Denmark Tip Shop, which began in 2001 as a single shed, has grown into a thriving community centre with 8 sheds, and continues to provide one of the best in West Australia for community waste reduction, recycling and sustainable re-use of goods. The Tip Shop is a flag-ship enterprise of Green Skills Inc. Green Skills is proud to announce that we were recently selected as the winner of the 2020 WA AIM RAC Pinnacle Award for Green Business Excellence.

We look forward to seeing you having a browse for that “special” item, turning trash into treasure at the Tip Shop.

The 2020 Sustainable Community Festival in Albany is shaping up to be an absolutely amazing event.
Green Skills are welcoming new supporter Sustain: Community Food Events Food for Thought Festival PLUS the City of Albany South West Street Fest in addition to the Rainbow Coast Neighbourhood Centre Harmony Day.

West Australia’s premier sustainable living event has evolved to include cultural diversity and sustainable economies, held in the Albany Town Square during Harmony week on Saturday 21st March.

York Street will be buzzing with everything from:

• local markets
• a cultural array of music
• kids activities
• street food
• Hands-on workshops for both kids and adults
• presentations on everything from gardening, re-gen Ag and the Regional School Cook-off
• and more

Leading the presentations will be Sabrina Hahn.

Sabrina is a whole lot of Hort with Heart – a master gardener, horticultural professional, award winning radio presenter and writer. She has passion for the creation of sustainable landscapes that make cities more live-able. Her aim is to educate listeners in the importance of creating biodiversity in their own backyards. She believes that the diminishing green spaces in urban areas are making our cities sterile hot spots. Urban gardens play a vital role in returning biodiversity into our cities and offering people a space for physical and mental well-being.

You won’t want to miss this event. Mark it in your diary NOW!!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/227-york-st-albany-wa-6330-australia/sustainable-community-festival/1244045182458605/

Click on the sessions to register, and see how many tix are available:  Ellenbrook, Beechboro, Guildford.