Sustainability a winner for Steiner School HOTY

When 2003 bushfires charred the Orana Steiner School on Canberra’s western flank they lit the spark for a teacher to become Australia’s Horticulturalist of the Year. Drawing on an understanding of the Australian environment and its unique methods of water harvesting, the regeneration of the 13-hectare site includes holding the school’s runoff underground in sand-filled trenches, effectively beating evaporation. Today, trees planted by students in 2005 have reached sizes normally expected after 20 years of growth. Tim suspects it is the future for inland Australia because the embedded energy is “highly effective and can sustain large numbers of people”. Read the full story here.