Brookton District High School awarded $5000 from Coles and Planet Ark for sustainability garden project

A Wheatbelt high school is one of 20 schools across Australia to win a share of $100,000 in sustainability project funding, with the successful school using the funds to create a student-led garden. Brookton District High School was awarded $5000 from the Coles and Planet Ark Sustainable Schools Competition for National Recycling Week. The funds will turn students into growers as they establish their own vegetable and fruit garden to bring fresh produce from the soil to local plates. Partnering with the Brookton Community Garden, students will supply produce to the canteen and the primary school’s Crunch and Sip program, an initiative encouraging primary students to eat fruit and vegetables during class to improve concentration and promote healthy habits. Excess produce will be donated to the local giving pantry. The idea stemmed from the weekly volunteer work students have undertaken at the Brookton Community Garden since the start of the year, a project designed to promote engagement and productivity within the community. Located on White Street, the garden was established in 2019 to foster community connection and access to fresh vegetables. Working alongside other local volunteers and school staff, students have helped with spreading, mulching, planting, watering, and weeding. They also removed an old barbecue. Brookton DHS parent Joy Reiter said the project connects students with the community and where their food comes from. “Students will get their hands dirty at the community garden, then return to school with the knowledge to plant fruit trees, vegetable gardens and run composting programs across the kindy, primary and high school,” she said. “Everything they grow will stay local, going from the school canteen to families across Brookton and teaching students the simple act of sharing homegrown food creates the kind of connections that make a community feel like home.” Students will take part in a composting workshop with Permaculture West in March next year to aid in the mission of making this a sustainable venture for the school. The three other WA-based schools awarded were Wanneroo Secondary College, Coolgardie Primary School, and Christmas Island District High School. Planet Ark co-chief executive Adam Culley said the competition, run in partnership with Coles, unlocked the potential of young people who are eager to tackle sustainability head-on. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and this competition gives them the chance to bring their boldest sustainability ideas to life,” he said. “We’re giving students the chance to see change in action, think big and lead with energy and determination. “This funding is providing schools the opportunity to act now and set their school communities up for continued impact in the years to come.”