IDEAS TAKEN FROM MANY PLACES ON THE WEB
So what are some ideas for being sustainable?
· Use recycled paper for drawings: get families to donate paper that’s been used once, to re-use again at your service one more time!
· Use recycled gift wrap for collage – encourage families, staff, community members to donate wrapping paper from festivities or special occasions! Perfect for collage.
· Use old children’s books, that aren’t good enough to read any more – run through a shredder and use them in collage. Or cut them up into bits – make sure that the children just don’t use their scissors on books that are still good! That’s why the shredder is great.
· Use old magazines for collage – images that aren’t entirely appropriate for the children – such as advertisements that might have a bit too much leg or cleavage – are also amazing through a shredder.
· Recycle all used paper.
· Recycle in EVERY area of the centre – from the children’s rooms to the staff room and kitchen! If you proclaim that you’re sustainable and you don’t get your team to recycle in the staff room, well, that just looks lazy and superficial.
· Avoid products with excess packaging.
· Use food boxes in your home corner as resources
· Use old food that is out of date, in plastic (yeah I know, not sustainable perse BUT safe for children of all ages to use).
· Use recycled furniture from the Salvos, St. Vinnies and other opportunity shops.
· Get families to donate old clothes for dress-ups or buy them from the op-shops.
· Grow vegetables!
· Grow veggies in raised garden beds (search for No-dig-gardens)
· Grow veggies and herbs in containers! Recycled containers even! I’ve used old water troughs, plastic tubs, buckets,
· Have a worm farm
· Use fans rather than air-conditioning.
Compost your scraps
· Keep your aircon at 24-27°C for summer cooling and 18-20°C for winter warming. It will save electricity and money and for every degree above or below you are using up to 10% more energy.
· Grow plants in your outdoor spaces! Make sure you’re not growing any that might be toxic to children!
· Buy local where you can.
· Re-use items such as glass jars for paint pots! Other trays and containers for playdough, home corner, water play, sand play, mud play etc. Then when its served its purpose, recycle it!
