Progress is slowly being made on the productive garden at BMG, with two raised no-dig style vegetable beds installed, with more to come next term. Students from both Year 8 and 9 have helped put together the panels of the garden beds and Year 9 Mathematics students used their trigonometry skills to ensure the beds were installed square and true. Next the Gardening Club in the Primary School, created the no-dig garden beds using plenty of lucerne hay, well composted mixed animal manure, rock dust, lime, dolomite and newspaper. With a salad mix now planted, the BMG Sustainability Hub is well on the way to supplying the school canteen with fresh organically grown produce, reducing our food miles and carbon footprint.

Rather than use timber to build the beds, it was decided that they would be constructed from a recycled plastic product, which is not only food grade, but is designed and manufactured using plastic that what would normally go into landfill. This product can be used just like timber, however, it does not need a yearly application of linseed oil and mineral turpentine mix, does not contain copper chromium arsenic (CCA) found in treated timber products, does not leach (food grade plastic) and is UV resistant.

Next term, we will be installing the much anticipated solar powered Aquaponics system, as well as completing the remaining beds and preparing for the next growing season. There is plenty still to do, but luckily we have an amazing group of students, student leaders and staff dedicated to sustainability.