Citizen Science

Countering climate change is often perceived as the holy grail of environmental aspirations. While  PlantingSeeds’ programs focus on urban regeneration – planting, habitats and citizen science included – we also address climate change by teaching about it and countering the urban heat island effect. We were fortunate enough to receive permission from @NASA Kids to adapt a brilliant activity to enable school children to measure how urban heat impacts school grounds – and how this can be countered with real and not synthetic materials. That is, grass – not fake grass, shrubs – not concrete, etc. The images below at…

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While we feel the urge to hibernate or at least retreat inside when the temperatures drop, there are many native pollinators that continue their work in the cooler months to ensure plants, including food plants, are germinated and flourish. Research has found that the native stingless Tetragonula carbonaria bee instinctively knows that 18ºC is the point at which it’s indoors’ time - however, above that and especially in the warmer parts of Australia, it continues to fly and pollinate.  And there are many Australian pollinators that continue working through the colder months to ensure that a diverse range of fruit…

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The online site iNaturalist (https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/) could possibly be the most notable enabler of citizen science at present. And with the current age of technology we live in, the contributions from citizens are vast and various. The iNaturalist site allows a community of observers, identifiers and taxonomy curators to record an encounter with an organism at a particular time and location. They have the option to upload their gathered evidence of an observation through image, video or sound format. All of this information is not necessary to make a post on iNaturalist, however it is necessary if the submission is to…

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At PlantingSeeds we are all passionate about what we do. We know the threats to our environment, to our native plant, insect and animal species and we know that there are immediate practical actions we can take to mitigate the harms and build a diverse and secure future. But there’s a further challenge: how do we get this information out to the broadest possible extent? How do we alert our communities without alarming them to a point of inaction and despair? How do we let them know that solutions are possible, and give them the tools to help implement those…

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By increasing biodiversity and pollinator numbers through the B&B Highway program, PlantingSeeds aligns with the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Direct Alignments SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being Supporting physical and mental health through connections with nature Improving wellbeing through community action Greening initiatives to reduce urban heat island effects SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Digital tools to support citizen science and data collection Improving urban resilience through planting native vegetation SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities Ecological initiatives for underutilised urban areas Green spaces as platforms for education and community participation Sustainable solutions to urban greening…

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In case you needed convincing - or if you need some research to convince others of the benefits of outdoor learning, some recent studies present compelling evidence of why we need to get students outdoors. Brain development, physical development, emotional regulation, appreciation for nature that is urgently needed in a world where disconnection is rife… just a few reasons why we at PlantingSeeds and our B&B Highway program stress that outdoors reduces stress about these issues. For organisations like PlantingSeeds, the classroom extends beyond four walls. Our B&B Highway program enables students to plant, make habitats, do biodiversity audits and…

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