B&B Highway Schools Program
The Landscape Foundation of Australia (LFA) is delighted to support the not-for-profit organisation PlantingSeeds to help expand their innovative ‘B&B Highway Program’.
Newington Public School students receiving planting instructions.
Newington Public School Students receiving guidance during planting.
Launched in 2019, the B&B Highway Program (Bed and Breakfasts for Birds, Bees, Butterflies and Biodiversity) has established pollinator garden projects in more than 100 schools in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. Through this program students learn about the critical importance of pollinators and the actions needed to protect them.
Ultimately, PlantingSeeds aims to create connected corridors of restored habitat and pollinator gardens in all schools around Australia. The program is underpinned by experiential learning activities for students at pre-, primary, and high schools. PlantingSeeds’ educational programs instil awareness and concern for protecting nature, restoring biodiversity and developing real world skills. The program increases scientific literacy and generates community engagement in environmental initiatives associated with schools.
Newington Public School Students planting.
The B&B Highway Program assists schools by:
involving students and staff in establishing and sustaining pollinator garden habitats in their school grounds
teaching students ‘citizen science’ skills to identify and monitor the key native, endemic, and threatened species in their area and assess the effectiveness of the restored habitats
running programs and providing resources for ‘host’ schools and their associated communities to nurture their commitment to enhancing biodiversity.
The LFA has assisted PlantingSeeds by facilitating arrangements with Andreasens Green wholesale plant nursery to redirect surplus plant stock for use in planting pollinator gardens at schools participating in the B&B Highway program. The Foundation is drawing on its network of contacts to identify potential volunteers, including parents and friends of school children and practitioners with the knowledge and expertise to assist with planning and planting activities. We are delighted to report that several AILA Fresh NSW members have already volunteered to assist with the program.
LFA’s collaboration with the B&B Highway Schools Program aligns with all three our Strategic Priorities, which include: Investing in Knowledge, Enabling Communities and Valuing Nature.