chicken coup designs

i HAVE AN AWESOME CHOOK HOUSE AT HOME. But there's no need for me to shout about it.

Leave links here to online plans for chicken houses or sites that have info about raising free range, organic chickens or sustainable backyard setups.

Did you think the greenhouse area was a good site for us to start our venture?

Have fun!

I took these photos at the public Permaculture Garden at Hamilton Gardens. Here is a link to their website so you can contact them for more information about permaculture:

http://www.permaham.boo.co.nz/3103/html/prepage.html

Beaut Mid Winter Weather to Make a Lizard House

This lovely sunny weather has invigorated me and i am dealing with my garden, and noticing lots of wildlife around town - bats, tui, bellbirds, etc.
I love our native flora and fauna and would like to keep chipping away at my impact on the earth and it's resources so as not to contribute to the destruction of more habitat and species. Afterall, there is only one earth and we need to look after it - especially as our consumption and population growth spiral out of control.
Check out this website for practical advice on how to live more sustainably.

Learn how to attract lizards to your home - but beware of your cat!

Hooray for the gardener!

Wow - Mrs Barham must have saved the day by getting the gardener to mow down the yucky weeds that were/are strangling parts of the potentially fabulous Peachgrove native bush gardens.
These latest pics show an elite band of keen eco-warriors who are keen to help look after the native gardens.

Wow - it's so lovely to see the plants again now that the weeds are mostly gone. Now tese kauri have a chance to grow up tall and strong like mighty Tane Mahuta.
I'm sure the rest is soon to follow. Once it is down to mulched up weeds and grass who will maintain it? Surely the Peachgrove students could. Many hands make light work.
Well done Mrs Barham.
:-)

Below: Head and shoulder height knightshades still to be dealt to...

Cool organic gardening resources

Here are some resources to check out relating to organic gardening...

http://www.edutopia.org/edutopianews.html

check it out - there are little videos and info

Other Enviroschools in action

St Joseph's school also has an interest in sustainable gardens and chickens.

Here is their website:

http://www.stjosephs.school.nz/page/183

Checkout the links in the sidebar menu - they have many similar interests and have been making things happen.

Can you find websites or blogs from Hamilton schools that also have similar projects ?

I hear Hukanui is a cool school and I saw another school on TV who have sustainable gardens and their own flash kitchen for the after school kids to make food in.

Forests of Life

Forests of Life is a NZ website dedicated to the collaborative learning of students teachers and scientists in relation to forests and the issue of sustainability.
Check it out...

San Francisco Academy of Sciences

California Academy of Sciences Aims to Be the Greenest Museum on Earth:

What a great idea. We also have greener work environments being developed in Hamilton East - Kakariki House is a newly designed sustainable, green work place.

Could our school be greener? It sure could. I wonder why we continue to develop old fashioned buildings and work places...

soil, mulch, compost, worms, dirt!!

YUM YUM! Composting is fun. It's also important for sustainability, good for your garden and really quite satisfying.

Its not as easy as just dumping kitchen and garden waste in a bin though. It is a science! Anyone interested in being a soil maker? Rich fertile soil makes for productive gardens.

Follow the links to find resources about this topic:

http://www.reducerubbish.govt.nz/compost/index.html

http://www.reducerubbish.govt.nz/compost/mulching-101.html

http://www.reducerubbish.govt.nz/compost/composting-101.html

DID YOU KNOW?
If you're filling one wheelie bin of rubbish a week, you could be throwing away enough garden rubbish and kitchen scraps to make one and a half trailer loads of compost a year.

Sustainable Room5ians

Room5ians have expressed an interest in sustainable farming, growing 'clean, green' food and raising free range organic chickens for eggs.

If we can plan and implement a realistic programme for developing an area of the school as an organic, sustainable "farmlet", and we are prepared to stick with it and follow it through, we have permission to do so.

Please state all the positives, potential barriers, solutions and innovative ideas you have.

Why should we? How can we? Do you want to? What will we do to make it happen?

Add as much information here as possible and make posts on your own blogs to add further info. If we really want to we can make this happen.

Go for it!

Enviroschools philosophy is:

"Imagine...a generation of innovative and motivated young people, who instinctively think and act sustainably.
Enviroschools is working towards this vision through a whole school approach to environmental education. Students develop skills, understanding, knowledge and confidence through planning, designing and creating a sustainable school. Action projects undertaken by enviroschools have both environmental and educational outcomes that benefit the school and the wider community."

The Story of Stuff

this is a 20 minute movie of "the story of stuff"
it is probably quite important that you watch it...

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

[we will watch this in class so don't waste your bandwidth at home unless you really want to - i suggest you try to watch it with someone else so you can discuss it and ask questions]