Students at Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Buderim joined with Ken Mills Toyota to get their hands dirty planting 80 new trees on campus to celebrate Schools Tree Day last Friday, 26 July.
The collaboration was part of Australia’s biggest community tree-planting and nature care event, National Tree Day, which took place on Sunday, 28 July.
National Tree Day encourages communities to help preserve the environment for future generations.
Flinders Head of Primary School Trudi Edwards said the College was happy to partner with Ken Mills Toyota to celebrate Schools Tree Day as the event recognises the positive impact that nature has on children’s wellbeing and ability to learn.
“Our Flinders campus is surrounded by lush rainforest and we encourage our students to learn from and in nature with regular lessons in our Outdoor Classroom and opportunities to join co-curricular clubs such as our weekly Edible Garden Club,” Ms Edwards said.
“Connection with nature is one of the greatest learning opportunities we can offer our students and we embrace this at Flinders for our students’ happiness and growth.”
Ken Mills Toyota Dealer Principal Brett Mills said, “Schools Tree Day is a great way to teach kids about caring for the environment and actively creating a greener future.
“We supported the students to plant a mix of 80 native and edible fruit trees at Flinders - trees which have been specifically sourced to match this particular area of the Sunshine Coast - so we look forward to seeing them thrive over time.
“The tree planting event was also a great opportunity for Flinders’ students to have a hands-on experience with Hybrid Technology and we enjoyed a very inquisitive Q&A session, which kept me on my toes!”
Special guest, Nick Shumba Lyons from Treeco Arborists & Climbing Adventures was also on hand to answer all questions ‘green’ as a specialist in edible gardens and all aspects of tree care.
2019 is the 20th anniversary of Toyota Australia’s support for the national campaign with over 2,000 schools involved last year as part of National Tree Day.
Schools Tree Day is organised by Planet Ark in partnership with Toyota Australia and its Dealer Network which provides on-the-ground support at tree planting sites across Australia.
