Come along to Earth Hour and see the 17 giant Kreative Koalas, in the birch grove at the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens (SHBG), for one final event on Saturday 25 March 5pm-9pm.
The Koalas were created by primary students across NSW, who participated in the competition and will be on display till the end of March 2023.
15 of them are at the SHBG and the other two are displayed at two locations, Springetts Arcade in Bowral and Wingecarribee Shire Council offices in Moss Vale.
Charlotte Webb, CEO of SHBG, says the koalas add another dimension to the experience of the gardens. “It’s wonderful that the gardens can provide a background to the inspirational artwork of the school children,” she said. “Last Saturday we had a plant sale here and parents were bringing their kids specifically to see the koalas. They are proving a wonderful attraction.”
Kreative Koalas is an action learning program that engages primary school students in sustainability awareness, understanding and action through art, design, creativity, teamwork and project development. Students use their Koala artwork to shares their big ideas for a sustainable planet and base their research on the United Nations (SDG).
For this special event, new SDG signs accompany the koalas, providing a snapshot of the student’s inspiration and links through to the United Nations SDG pages, should you wish to find out more.
Koalas from local schools are on proud display. You can meet “Akuna” from Hill Top Public School (representing climate action and clean energy), “Koala-T” from Robertson Public School (representing all the SDGs) and “Mr T B Kind” from Tarrawanna Public School (representing feeding community and wildlife).
Wander the gardens to meet the likes of “Clancy” from Newcastle’s Hamilton Public School who investigated the importance of bees to the ecosystem and biosecurity, or “Dusty Paddocks” from Caragabal Public School who looked at the effects of drought in their backyard.
The Kreative Koalas will be on display at the Southern Highland Botanic Gardens until the end of March.
Earth Hour
25 March 5-9pm
Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens
1 Old South Road, Bowral, 2576
