Sustainable Business of the Year teaching good habits for life

Woden Valley Early Learning Centre has been providing care and education for 0- to 5-year-old children since 1992.

When Izabela took on the role of Director in 2015, she made changes to increase its sustainability and help children form sustainable habits for life.

In 2022, the Centre’s work was recognised at the Climate Choices Business Awards.

The challenge

“As early childhood educators we have an opportunity, even an obligation, to impart values and behaviours that will give children a solid foundation for life." said Izabela, former director of the Woden Valley Early Learning Centre.

“I’m passionate about sustainability and I believe that respect for the earth is an important value to instil – there is no Planet B.

“When I became the director of Woden Valley Early Learning Centre, I decided to make changes to increase its sustainability while also providing an environment in which children could form environmentally sustainable habits.

“I knew there’d be some challenges along the way, like getting the Parent Committee (that owns the centre) on board and making sure that everything in the garden was safe for the children, but I also knew those efforts would be worthwhile.

The action

“In 2016, staff and parents worked together to create the Narragunnawali garden on the Centre grounds. This included a chook house, compost bays and garden beds.

“I put forward the idea of creating a Nature Pedagogy Leader role. The Parent Committee was happy to approve the allocation of funding for the position.

“Since then, under the direction of the Nature Pedagogy Leader, our outdoor and nature-based spaces have flourished.

“Our workplace practices have become more sustainable too. For instance, we reuse any paper waste (such as shredding paper for animal bedding) and then compost it on-site. Food waste is composted or fed to the animals.

“Building infrastructure, such as solar panels and a rainwater tank, is also helping.

“We water our beautiful gardens with rainwater from our existing tank. And we are working towards adding more tanks with pumps.

“We’ve also installed 31kW of rooftop solar. We aim to eventually supply 100% of our energy needs from solar power with battery backup.

The benefit

“Sustainability is apparent in everything we do."

“The outdoor spaces that we have created foster sustainable workplace practices, like composting and growing food. They also provide enriching educational experiences for the children.

“By spending time in this environment, children learn sustainable ways of living. For example, producing their own food and caring for the soil.

“I’m really proud of the contribution I’ve made. Especially seeing the Centre awarded with the Sustainable Business of the Year award.”

Is your business, organisation or event making efforts to reduce waste, increase sustainability and lower its carbon footprint? Get recognised with a Climate Choices Business Award!