green kinders - city of hobsons bay · with chocolate frogs when they are observed making ... green...

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A Guide to Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Child Care Centres

Green Kinders

Green Kinders: A Guide to reducing the environmental Footprint of Child Care Centres

COnTenTs paGe

01 EnErgy 4-7

02 watEr 8-9

03 wastE 10-12

04 wHat Can yOU DO at yOUr CEntrE? 13

Hobsons Bay City Council is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations to zero net by 2020 and to help the community reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero net by 2030. The Council has also committed to reduce potable water consumption by 30 per cent by 2015 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings by 25 per cent by 2013.

Green Kinders is a guide for child care centres that will assist them to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste production associated with their buildings.

Green Kinders shares the experiences of the Altona Meadows and Altona north Child Care Centres which have developed and implemented environmental Action plans to use their buildings more sustainably. it is estimated that the actions these centres have taken will save them 24 per cent of their greenhouse gas emissions and hundreds of dollars in energy bills.

reducing the environmental footprint of your child care centre will contribute towards creating a healthier environment for everyone. it will also help to ensure the Council achieves its greenhouse gas emission and water use reduction targets, while also reducing your energy and water bills.

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Keep heating and cooling where you want it.

Keep yourself comfortable and make sure heating and cooling is not being lost by closing windows and doors to heated or cooled areas, installing insulation in roofs and walls and plugging up air leaks.

Only turn on your heating and cooling when you need to.

You may find that your room temperatures do not need as much adjustment as you think. Air conditioning systems use a lot of electricity and create a great deal of greenhouse gas pollution. Switching off the air conditioner or heater during indoor/outdoor playtimes is estimated to save Altona North and Altona Meadows child care centres an average of $520 and 16 per cent of their greenhouse gas emissions every year.

Know how to use the sun’s heat and light.

If the winter sun’s out, let it in! Let winter sunlight into rooms to make use of passive solar heating which can raise a room’s temperature by several degrees. On hot summer days, do the opposite – keep the hot sun out by closing blinds and blocking out the heat with external eaves. Try opening windows to let cool breezes in or use ceiling fans before turning on the energy-hungry air conditioner.

REALITY: While there is a surge of electricity used for the ignition of a fluorescent light, this only lasts 0.0003 seconds. So you save energy if you if you turn the lights off for more than 0.9 seconds.

MYTH: Leaving a fluorescent light on uses less energy than switching it off and back on again.

enerGY60 per cent of the energy used in an average Hobsons Bay home is used to heat and cool rooms and to heat water. Like at home, simple changes in your child care centre can enable your heating and cooling systems to use less energy and reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and energy bills.

did YOU KnOW?

• Gaps around the windows and doors in an average house lead to heat losses and air flows equivalent to a one square metre hole in the wall!

• Every extra 1°C of room heating or cooling can increase heating and cooling costs by ten per cent

• The correct temperature for a hot water heater is 60°C.

turn off unnecessary lights.

The Altona Meadows Child Care Centre’s laundry and storeroom lights have sensors that automatically turn off when the rooms are empty.

think strategically about how much lighting is actually needed in your centre.

Try locating activities in naturally lit areas and opening curtains or blinds to make use of sunlight. The Altona Meadows and Altona North Child Care Centres removed some fluorescent lights in over-lit areas and added reflectors to the light fittings. This has improved the efficiency of the remaining tubes and is saving an average of $194 and 8.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

If it blinks – turn it off!

10 per cent of Australian household electricity is used for standby power. Turning power off at the wall for most appliances (but not refrigerators and freezers) is an easy way to save energy. The average household could save $180 and 8.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas every year!

Make sure your appliances are efficient.

When shopping for new appliances, ask for appliances with high energy star ratings to reduce ongoing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

set your thermostats correctly.

A room temperature of 18-20°C is best in winter and 24-26°C is comfortable in summer. Dressing for the weather instead of relying on heaters and air conditioners can increase your comfort and reduce heating and cooling demands too.

Hot water heating accounts for 21 per cent of residential energy use. Check that your centre’s hot water heater is set at the correct temperature of 60°C. Any temperature higher than this means that extra heating energy is used unnecessarily, while also leading to increased water use as cold water is used to cool the extra hot water. Insulating the hot water heater and pipes will reduce the amount of energy used to produce hot water.


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MYTH: Screensavers save energy.

REALITY: Screensavers are energy wasters! To save energy, switch your screen off when you’re not using it.

in The alTOna nOrTh Child Care

CenTre 0-2 Yard:

On a warm Friday, Glenn hung string

outside and brought out a basket of washing

and a bucket of pegs. annalise came over,

grabbed a peg and a face washer and handed

them to Glenn. Then Ben walked over and

got a face washer and gave it to Glenn.

“Yes we can hang some more face washers

on the line,” Glenn said. Cormac walked

over to the washing basket and said,

“Me help too?”

set the computer to hibernate.

Computers at the Altona North and Altona Meadows Child Care Centres are set to ‘hibernate’ automatically after 20 minutes of inactivity. Setting computers to hibernate saves energy and is more time-efficient than shutting down and restarting them. Furthermore, an LCD monitor uses as little as 10 per cent of the power of an old CRT monitor, though laptop computers are even more energy efficient.

wash in cold and wash full loads.

The majority of the energy used in a dishwasher is for water heating. Washing full loads of laundry in cold water reduces water heating costs and is friendlier to clothes. Use the dishwasher and clothes washer economy cycles to save energy (and time!).

• Make use of natural air flows – open windows on hot days and enjoy the cool breeze.

• Close curtains and blinds to keep heat out during summer and retain warmth during winter.

• Turn off automatic heating and cooling – switching off the air conditioner or heater during indoor/outdoor playtimes is estimated to save child care centres $520 and 16 per cent of their greenhouse gas emissions every year.

• Make sure the water heater is set at 60°C and your room thermostat is set at 18-20°C in winter and 24-26°C in summer.

reduce lighting energy use:

• Remove or turn off unnecessary lights.

• Replace old incandescent light globes with modern compact fluorescent bulbs.

reduce appliance energy use:

• Switch appliances off at the power point when they are not in use.

• Set computers to ‘hibernate’ automatically after 20 minutes of inactivity.

• Use a clothesline to dry laundry.

• Encourage each other with fun incentives!

try the ‘wind powered’ clothes dryer!

Altona Meadows Child Care Centre is using a clothes horse and Altona North Child Care Centre is using an outdoor clothes line to dry some of their washing. Reducing the use of the electric clothes dryer is estimated to be saving these centres $135 and 1.4 tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution a year while also providing opportunities for constructive play with the children.

reward good behaviour for all ages!

Staff at Altona North and Altona Meadows Child Care Centres have been encouraged to keep up their environmentally friendly and energy saving behaviours by the ‘Green Fairy’. Staff members are rewarded with chocolate frogs when they are observed making conscious choices to save water, energy and waste. Turning off unnecessary lights, switching appliances off at the power point and reducing heating and cooling has earned them many yummy rewards!

renewable Energy

There’s more to do once energy efficient products and behaviours are in place. Further reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by using electricity from renewable sources – talk to your energy supplier about switching to Green Power. More information is available at www.greenpower.gov.au

reduce heating and cooling energy use:

• Use seals, weather-strips, door snakes and sweeps to close gaps and stop air leaks around windows and doors.

• The installation of door strips on playroom doors is estimated to save the child care centres an average of $82 and three per cent of their annual greenhouse gas emissions every year. Install ceiling insulation

• Seal gaps around loose window panes, plumbing penetrations or ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures.

• Cover bare floors with padded rugs for added insulation.

did YOU KnOW?

• Wind, solar, mini-hydro and biomass are all accredited sources of renewable energy.


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aT The alTOna nOrTh Child Care

CenTre Children’s rainwaTer TanK

desiGn wOrKshOp:

shiraz said, “we can catch rain with (the) blue

bucket.” dan added, “You can use little pipes to

put water in it… connect the tap with the pipe.”

abagail summed up by saying, “The water from

the sky goes into the white bucket and then we

put it in the blue bucket.”

in The alTOna nOrTh Child Care

CenTre 3-5 rOOM:

The children were worried about the drought

and decided they needed to do something

to save water. a water recycling station

is now in every learning room.

• Install tap aerators.

• Only run full loads in dishwashers and washing machines.

• Purchase water efficient (three star rated or higher) dishwashers and front-loading washing machines.

• Regularly check for and repair leaking taps and toilet cisterns.

• Grow native, drought tolerant plants.

• Mulch the garden.

• Contact the Council to obtain an application to install a rainwater tank and to find out about rebates.

recycling

waTerVictoria’s water storages are at an all-time low, making it essential to conserve this precious resource.

slow your tap down.

A running tap releases about five litres of water every minute. Placing aerators inside taps can save up to four litres per minute of use.

Only run the dishwasher when it is full. This will save 200 litres of water per day. When you’re shopping for a new dishwasher, make sure it is water (AAA or three or more stars) and energy (four or more stars) efficient.

Check taps and toilets for leaks and repair them.

To test for a leaky toilet, place food dye in the cistern, wait 30 minutes (without flushing) and check to see if coloured water has leaked into the bowl. If so, you’ve got a leak to fix!

grow native plants and use mulch. In an average household, 20 per cent of water is used on the garden. Try growing native plants that do not need much water. Remember to water plants near their root systems and in the early morning or evening to minimise evaporation. Using mulch can reduce the need to water the garden by 30 per cent.

did YOU KnOW?

• 40 per cent of the water used to water gardens during the day evaporates.

• Most new dishwashers use only 11 litres of water, which is less than a sink full of water.

• A leaking tap can waste up to 2,000 litres of water a month.

Contact the Council to obtain an application for installing a rainwater tank. Services operating within Council owned buildings must complete an application to install a rainwater tank on Council property. Rebates and incentives may also be available to help your centre start to collect rainwater for garden watering, toilet flushing and laundry water use.In the Altona Meadows Child Care Centre playground, the children use the rainwater tank tap to water the garden and for water/sand play. The children designed the Altona North Child Care Centre’s first water tank. Now there are two other conventional rainwater collection tanks that provide water to the children and staff toilets as well as to the centre’s washing machine.Since the installation of a rainwater tank in 2007, the Altona North Child Care Centre staff toilets have only been flushed with mains water once!

Green Kinders: A Guide to reducing the environmental Footprint of Child Care Centres 09

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in The alTOna nOrTh Child Care CenTre 3-5 rOOM:

adele and Jacob: “we have four chickens at home. we

recycle our food scraps to feed our chickens. They love

corn and watermelon skins and lots of veggie peels.”


recycling bins are located near the art tables so children

can reuse and responsibly dispose of their art supplies.


recycle Ted is an old teddy bear that was mended by

staff and now goes home with the children on weekends.

when recycle Ted is returned, the children share

stories and photos of the weekend’s visit and

recycling activities. Tara shares about

her weekend with recycle Ted saying, “here

i am with a bag of old clothes, we are recycling

them so someone else can wear them.”

Composting organic materials ensures that oxygen is accessible for the decomposition process, greatly reducing methane production and waste to landfill, while also creating rich garden fertiliser. Reduce landfill use and enrich your garden soil by using a compost bin, worm farm or bokashi bucket to dispose of garden debris, food scraps, shredded paper, coffee grounds and grass clippings. The Altona Meadows Child Care Centre uses a small bokashi bucket to compost staff food waste and a larger one for the children’s food scraps.

Worm farms are great for sustainably handling food waste, while also giving children the opportunity to see nature (and worms) at work. Worm farms are great for small spaces, require very little maintenance and are odourless.

wasTePurchasing

Purchasing second-hand or recycled products is just as important as sorting waste into the right bins. By reducing the amount of things we buy new, we can reduce the need for raw materials for the manufacture of goods.

Double-sided printing

Make double-sided printing the default setting on your office printer. Double-sided printing saves the average office 195 reams and $975 per year while also saving valuable energy, water and natural habitat resources. Save even more paper by using the blank sides of used sheets of paper for note-taking and printing drafts.

Feed your food waste to worms or compost bins.

40 per cent of the average Hobsons Bay household rubbish bin is made up of food scraps. When these materials decompose in landfills without access to oxygen, methane gas is produced. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

recycling

recycling uses much less energy than the mining and manufacture of new materials. There are energy savings of 95 per cent when using recycled aluminium, 85 per cent for copper, 80 per cent for plastics, 74 per cent for steel and 64 per cent for paper. each tonne of 100 per cent recycled paper saves 13 trees, 2.5 barrels of oil, four cubic metres of landfill and 31,780 litres of water. every tonne of aluminium recycled saves 13,300 kilowatts of electricity, four tonnes of chemical products and 95 per cent of the air pollution associated with aluminium production.

did YOU KnOW?

• Find a quick and easy composting guide at www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/for_households

• Recycling is not just for paper, glass and plastic! You can recycle fluorescent light globes, batteries, mobile phones, car tyres, corks and much more in Hobsons Bay. Contact Council or visit www.recyclingnearyou.com.au for more information.

• Steel and glass are 100 per cent recyclable. They can both be recycled over and over again without reducing the quality of the end product.

• 2.7 billion juice boxes end up in Australian landfills every year.

• The oil used to produce one plastic bag could power a car for 11 kms.

REALITY: Modern equipment does not have this problem. Most manufacturers will specify brands of recycled paper they approve for use in their machine.

MYTH: Printing double-sided and/or using recycled paper causes photocopiers to jam.

11Green Kinders: A Guide to reducing the environmental Footprint of Child Care Centres

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nOw It’s yOUr tUrn!

Sign up to reduce your centre’s energy and water use and waste production

1. Create an environmental Action Plan

Work with the staff at your centre to determine what actions you can take to reduce your environmental footprint. Create an Environmental Action Plan to start working towards improving the sustainability of your child care centre.

2. Learn more about how to reduce your environmental impacts

Come along to the Council’s free training sessions to learn more about climate change, water use and waste production and how you can reduce the environmental impact of your child care centre.

3. Track your energy and water use

Set up a spreadsheet to record and monitor your energy and water costs and use. See the effects of your sustainable behaviour changes on your bills. Note: remember to account for seasonal fluctuations.

4. Talk to the Council’s environmental Planning team

Register to receive ongoing advice and support in reducing the environmental impacts of your centre.

Contact the Hobsons Bay City Council Environment Team on 9932 1000 or email: [email protected]

whaT Can YOu dO aT YOur CenTre?The Altona North and Altona Meadows Child Care Centres have experienced many benefits from creating and implementing Environmental Action Plans. Staff report seeing a growing continuum of change from the centres to the children’s and staff homes and back. Parents have comment on their children’s desire to recycle at home and staff have implemented energy efficiency tips like turning off unnecessary lights and using clothes lines to dry laundry in their own homes too!

• Choose to purchase products with less packaging.

• Use cloth hand towels instead of paper towels.

• Try modern cloth nappies – disposable nappies account for about 20 per cent of landfill waste generated by households with babies and young infants. It takes several hundred years for disposable nappies to decompose. It’s also much cheaper in the long term to use cloth nappies rather than disposable nappies.

• Get groceries delivered in reusable or washable bags – and reuse them!

• Use reusable cups, cutlery and crockery. Keep a ceramic mug for water or coffee at work rather than using disposable paper, plastic or foam cups.

• Use rechargeable batteries.

• Encourage the use of reusable or washable containers for lunches and snacks – for both children and staff!

• Refill or recycle office printer ink cartridges.

• Make double-sided printing the default on the office printer.

• Purchase products with recycled packaging or packaging that can be recycled.

• Purchase toilet paper made from recycled paper.

• Use recycled and natural materials as art supplies.

• Furnish rooms with used and repaired furniture.

• Place recycling collection bins in convenient places, such as near the art tables.

• Compost organic materials like food and garden scraps in a compost bin or worm farm.

• Contact the Council to get a recycling bin at your centre.

when developing your Environmental action Plan choose sMart actions.

sMArT Actions are:

Specific – state exactly what you will do.

Measurable – a target with numbers that will let you know you have achieved your goal.

Achievable – you have the authority and capability to achieve you goal.

realistic – you are prepared to spend the time and necessary effort to make your goal happen.

Timeframed – create a timeline or due date.


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nOtEs nOtEs


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Hobsons Bay City Councilis committed to protectingand enhancing our environment.This publication, when printed,is printed with vegetable inks on recycled, non-chemicallybleached stock.

For more information visit:www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/environmentandwaste Contact Hobsons Bay City Council Environment team on 9932 1000 or at [email protected]

Hobsons Bay City Council115 Civic Parade, AltonaPO Box 21, Altona 3018Telephone: (03) 9932 1000Fax: (03) 9932 1039TTY: 9398 8504Email: [email protected]: www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au

green kinders - city of hobsons bay · with chocolate frogs when they are observed making ... green...

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