Report on ISASA/CCT sustainability Initiative on 5th May 2017 at Bishops:

Particulars: Bhavika Kalan, Saara Abrahams, Tamiya Safodien​.

Three grade elevens from Life Sciences​ were given the opportunity to participate in an sustainability project. The project ran over a period of 3 months. The task that we were given was to pair up with a partner school - in our case this was Pelican Park High School. Pairing up with another school was one of the best learning and collaborative spaces as we could widen our horizons with this project. The main purpose of this project was to look at 3 selected topics within our school and our partner school. The particular circumstances we experience and identification possible improvements we could introduce was part of the brief. The topics that we looked at werewater, loss of biodiversity and solid waste disposal.

Before we began exploring these aspects in our respective schools, we spent a day at Rondevlei Nature Reserve and False Bay Ecology Park to examine the human impact on the environment. We also were given the opportunity to visit exclusive places such as: Philippi Horticultural Area, Coastal Park Landfill, waste water treatment works and Pelican Park housing development. The experiences were eye opening and helped examine our particular circumstances with ease.

With various WhatsApp chats as a communication tool and three meetings , we managed to show each other’s school what we had and what we needed to improve and implement. The three of us decided to do the following at our school:

Water:

  1. Create awareness of current circumstances (via posters in bathroom)
  2. Plant more water wise plants at our school (succulents)
  3. Improve grey water system at hostel and implement new systems in our school.
  4. Introduce hand sanitizer as a substitute for washing hands uneccesarily.

Loss of Biodiversity:

  1. Expanded ​and renovated the fynbos and succulent garden.
  2. Put up a bird feeder (attraction of birds-pollinators)
  3. Put up a bee bath- attracts and helps keep bees hydrated so the can pollinate.
  4. Used bottles to plant succulents .
  5. Put a poster in messages for donations of plants(form of awareness)
  6. Invited people to help be part of this project by planting our new plants.

Solid waste disposal:

  1. Further expanded eco-bricks.
  2. Maintained paper recycling
  3. Use of bottles for a green succulent pot.

These are few of the ideas executed, but many are still in progress.

On the 5th of May , along with pelican park we presented all that we have doneat Bishops. Many other schools involved with this project and various UCT students who explore this field were present. Schools such as : Islamia college, South Peninsula, Table View, Sans Souci, Christel House, Ilingelethu.

Our presentation was successful and Tamiya was one of the six candidates to receive a wonder bag prize for her efforts and musical performance​.

We would like to thank the Enviro members and Mrs Smith and Ms. Underhill for being the backbone of this project.

All three of us have been shaped by the experiences: much has been learnt and it expanded our knowledge of life sciences and taught us good collaborative skills. We believe that we have grown enormously.

Many thanks

Bhavika Kalan.