Do you keep worms in your fridge? We do!

Did you know, old refrigerators make perfect worm habitats? And did you know, for many years, composting worms have been thriving in one of these recycled fridges, right here at SPW? This is thanks to the generosity and expertise of Christoph (Stophie) Prior, grandfather of SPW students Maggie and Ava.

In 2018, when Year 1 students were learning all about sustainability, he cleverly converted an old fridge for our school to use as a worm habitat. Ever since, SPW students have been doing their bit to stop food waste ending up in landfill by feeding fruit and vegetable scraps to some very hungry composting worms.

Now, in 2023, as part of the ‘Holdfast Bay Greening our Communities Grant’ the school received from the Holdfast Bay Council, our fridge worm farm has received a make-over. A striking, and very wiggly mural has been painted by a handful of very wiggly SPW students, under the watchful eye of the very slimy Josh Pearce (Reception Teacher). So next time you visit our wonderful chickens, keep an eye out for our freshly painted worm farm.

Environmental Committee & Holdfast Bay Grant
Thanks to many hours of hard work by some of our environmentally-minded SPW parents, our school won a grant in 2021. The school matched the value of the grant and since then many great green initiatives have been developed or further built upon around the school. We thank Holdfast Bay for this important opportunity.

Our green initiatives include:

• Extending the outdoor enclosure for our chickens
• Customised Nature Guardian vests and stickers
• The purchase of garden tools, buckets and tongs to clean up the school and local community
• Working with KESAB to improve our sorting of rubbish, recycling and reducing where possible
• In-class rubbish sorting bins (watch this space!)
• Worm Farm painting and improved signage

Get Involved
Nature Guardians – There are a number of ways students and families can get involved in caring for our environment, including our Nature Guardians Program. Once a week during lunchtimes, our Nature Guardians are responsible for ensuring the chicken coop is clean and there is sufficient food and water for our chickens. They also help clean the school and sort any rubbish collected from the grounds. We are so proud to see our students take ownership of caring for their environment.

Clean Up Events – Last year we held our inaugural Community Clean Up. This year we are pleased to be part of the nation-wide Clean Up Australia Day – click here to find out more.