In June each year we all celebrate World Environment Day and reflect on how we can contribute to a more sustainable planet, today and for the future.

At Day One ELC, our centres have developed Sustainability Action Plans to help us identify and take action in a meaningful way to reduce our impact on the planet.

Some of the initiatives at our services include:

• Including sustainability ideas and principles into our educational curriculum
• Providing opportunity to venture out of the centre into the environment to experience it first hand
• Including natural materials and resources into our learning environments
• Using natural materials we might find in nature to build our artworks and projects
• Engage children in discussions about sustainable practices. Such as noticing how a garbage bin is full, how food and scraps left over after meal times.
• Encourage children to participate in a recycling program (recycling bins for cardboard, plastic and paper) or involve them in developing new strategies for recycling materials (using donated materials for art n craft or donating materials to council clean ups etc.)
• For older children, environmental issues such as drought or daily weather reports including updates on air quality and pollution levels are discussed from time to time.
• Role model energy and water conservation practices (turning off lights and a/c when room not in use, emptying water play containers into gardens etc.)
• Purchase less paper, convert to electronic journals, email newsletters and re-use one sided paper.
• Re-use materials such as cardboard boxes, one side paper, shredded paper, bottle tops etc.
• Teach and educate children on water saving (turning taps off, using half flush).

We welcome any bright ideas for ways that our centres can become more sustainable in the future too!