Sustainability Environmental Education Program

Upcoming Events 

The Shire of Denmark co-ordinates a community-oriented Sustainability Environmental Education program annually, facilitating and funding a variety of sustainability and biodiversity workshops and educational events and resource materials in collaboration with a number of local not-for-profit and small business organisations for the community aimed at promoting sustainable behaviour change.

Following an expression of interest, the Shire received a number of submissions and was able to support proposals that met the criteria by local community organisations including Green Skills, Denmark Environment Centre, Totally Renewable Denmark, the Denmark Bird Group, Great Southern Living Soils, Plastic Reduction Denmark and South Coast Bush Care Services. The community-oriented environmental education programs for 2022-23 include:

• Showerhead Swap - replacement waterwise showerheads, 2 per household on scheme water to reduce water usage - with Green Skills and Water Corporation
• Home Energy Audit Kits - development of kits and promotional materials (instructional booklet and video) made available to community - Totally Renewable Denmark
• Save Our Snake-necked Turtle project - information session and field survey with report on population findings - with Murdoch University
• Cloth Nappy initiative - one free cloth nappy to every child born in Shire of Denmark to encourage zero waste collaborative initiative between WACHS and Plastic Reduction Denmark
• Worm Farm and Composting workshops - teaching how to set up and maintain a healthy aerobic worm farm - conducted by Great Southern Living Soils
• Community Garden workshops - at the Community Resource Centre including provision of tutor fees and garden resources - facilitated by Green Skills
• FOGO Forum - co-contribution of funding towards FOGO forum as part of Waste Not event - with Green Skills and WA Waste Authority
• East Australasian flyway migratory bird signage - interpretive sign development and production as part of new Prawn Rock Channel Djerrt Mia Bird Sanctuary - with Denmark Bird Group

The community-oriented environmental education workshops are aligned with the endorsed Shire Sustainability Strategy 2021-2031 key principle of Culture and Community 3.7 to “Promote partnerships with not-for-profits to deliver Shire activities… that support sustainable principles” and Sustainability Action Plan action item LN15 "Provided educational resources to the broader community on protection of the natural environment.”

Photo: CRC Community Kitchen Garden. Photo courtesy of Green Skills Basil Schur.

Environmental education projects in previous years have involved:

• Dual naming calendar to be produced along with educational material promoting the six Noongar seasons and incorporating local Noongar artwork - collaborative project undertaken by Denmark Environment Centre
• School environmental educational workshops working with local schools to undertake environmental educational activities including plant identification, weed control and site monitoring - conducted by South Coast Bushcare Services
• Foreshore vegetation workshop aimed at local residents learning the importance of maintaining riparian fringing foreshore vegetation - conducted by South Coast Bushcare Services
• Worm Farm and Composting workshops teaching how to set up and maintain a healthy aerobic worm farm - conducted by Great Southern Living Soils
• Habitat Gardening workshop where you can learn how to create a habitat garden based on science, experience and culture - conducted by The Frog Doctor Johnny Prefumo 
• Community Garden workshops at the Community Resource Centre including provision of tutor fees and garden resources - facilitated by Green Skills

• production of 6 part series of short instructional films on Plant Propagation tips produced by Earthrise Productions featuring the Shire’s Revegetation Officer Mark Parre
• 3 x guided walks and production of Peri-urban Reserves brochures on the flora, fauna values and cultural significance of 3 of our peri-urban natural reserves 
• production and reprint of brochure on Birds of the Wilson Inlet and Denmark area 
• conduction of a Mini Eco-Film festival promoting biodiversity values and sustainability initiatives as part of the South Coast Festival of Birds
• production of an educational short film on the Denmark Wetland Centre focusing on wetland and weed management
• contribution of funding towards Elders field trip and production of short film on the Cultural values of Nullaki
• Waste audit conducted on household and local small business with data obtained utilised for a Consumer and Retailer workshop on waste education and alternative product use to single-use disposables towards zero waste initiative
• conduction of five x Community Garden Workshops at the Community Resource Centre including provision of tutor fees, garden resources, an arts project installation, and contributions towards a South West Community Garden forum being co-ordinated by Green Skills;
• an Owl Friendly Denmark Region Campaign including development of information stalls with display material and best pest control methods, a walk and workshop, and design and production of an information brochure on Secondary Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARS) co-ordinated by the Denmark Environment Centre;
• contribution of funding towards Elders Gathering Koorabup Beelia: Kwoorabup Park elders gathering to show respect for culture and waterways to the broader community being co-ordinated by Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee;
• conduction of two workshops by the South Coast Bushcare Services on Garden Escapees and Local Native Weed Look-alike Plants;
• conduction of two Plant Propagation workshop held by the Shire's Revegetation Officer on seed propagation techniques and growing plants through clonal techniques (cuttings) of local native plant species
• four movie screenings of the movie entitled 'Blue'; public screenings and screenings to local primary and high school students. The movie Blue is about plastic pollution and over-harvesting of our oceans, and what we can do to protect this precious environmental resource into the future;
• conduction of a FoodScraps to Fertiliser workshop presented by Green Services, on twin bin composting, wormfarming, and bokashi fermentation composting.