EcoMarines lead change in Moreton Bay schools

Words by Moreton Daily

Photo above: Students from Albany Hills State School. 

EcoMarines Ambassadors across the City of Moreton Bay are doing their bit to save endangered animals and protect the environment.

We shine a light on the work of students from Albany Hills State School, Bounty Boulevard State School, Narangba Valey State School and Jinibara State School.

EcoMarines CEO Angela Massy says the program aims to give young people the tools they need to develop sustainable practices for their schools and communities.

“The program is presented free to schools, so it doesn’t cost schools anything to be part of it. We provide quite a lot of support,” she says.

“We provide a lot of resources for the teachers to help them engage the students and engage the wider school community.

“We also have very strong connections to a range of sponsors and partners that we work with, so we can link schools up with their local council, their local waste management companies, their energy companies, and their water companies.

“These experiences can help kids to understand what happens to our water when it rains, where it goes, and how it gets cleaned. What happens with our sewerage systems and the sort of things that you can put down the toilet, for example,” she says.

Albany Hills State School

The newly sworn-in 2025 EcoMarines Ambassadors at Albany Hills State School have pledged to forge ahead with plans to save endangered animals and raise awareness of recycling.

Bonded by a passion for koalas and birds, the pupils have a full year of projects ahead.

They want to spark their colleagues’ curiosity with debates about the environment, spanning climate change, endangered species, recycling, and composting.

“I have joined EcoMarines because I want to save the koalas from being extinct. I also want to pick up rubbish and save more animals from becoming extinct or endangered. We all should try to save all the animals,” says Ambassador Noah, Year 5.

They hope to use bush walks to learn how to identify plants and animals in nature. It ties into a broader plan to ‘plant up’ the school community with native plants and making it a sanctuary for local animals.

Bounty Boulevard State School

EcoMarines Ambassadors at Bounty Boulevard State School have launched a proactive sustainable campaign to tackle environmental issues.

Led by their teacher, Breanna, the group has initiated discussions about organising rubbish clean-ups, recycling initiatives, and composting to identify alternative waste streams.

One of the key objectives of the Ambassadors’ 2025 project is to increase “the number of environmental presentations within the school, fostering a broader interest in pollution, marine conservation, and animal welfare”.

“We could research what to do when finding an injured animal and educate our peers on the topic,” Ambassador Pietra says.

The Ambassadors aim to engage their fellow students and parents.

“We’re considering hosting a sale during pick-up and drop-off times to connect with parents and showcase our fundraising ideas, such as a gold coin donation for Green Shirt Day, bake sales, toy and clothes swaps, and more,” says Pietra.

Narangba Valley State School

With a clear agenda for 2025, EcoMarines Ambassadors at Narangba Valley State School are prepared to put into practice their sustainability plans, while looking after a magnificent garden.

Chap, as she is called, is a vast garden in which strawberries, tomatoes and carrots are being grown. The food harvested is shared in the classrooms and the school cafeteria.

“We have put a compost bin in each classroom, and, in addition, we bring compost to the garden,” says Ambassador Ramona.

“It is so important to help the environment and reduce waste.”

Waste has been classified as the ‘common enemy’ and students have bold plans to phase it out from the school surroundings.

The idea of collecting rubbish and showing students the amount of waste produced has had impact.

“Showing visual evidence can motivate students to reduce waste. We need to show them what has been happening and how much rubbish we are producing. This idea can be taken to one of our assemblies,” Ambassador Alice says.

Students are also analysing the implementation of a water audit and ‘Wrapper-Free Wednesday’, offering rewards for the class with the fewest wrappers.

“Funding prizes can be arranged if we use the money we get from Containers for Change after exchanging plastic,” Ambassador Alanah adds.

Making the school a waste-free space aligns with their plan to plant native trees and improve animal habitats in the area.

The Ambassadors want to ensure animals are not consuming harmful debris.

“We have seen the presence of possums and a variety of birds in the area. Let’s work together and make them feel safe,” Ambassador Maya completes.

Jinibara State School

EcoMarines Ambassadors at Jinibara State School for 2025 are committed to taking decisive action to save endangered animals and amplify awareness about the importance of recycling.

“I am glad to be part of EcoMarines. We’ve got lots of plans, including cash for cans and taking away all the plastic materials,” Ambassador Aaron says.

“”We will try to reduce the use of plastic as much as we can from the tuckshop or try to make students take less plastic to school, which would help our environment because animals are harmed by it. We need to save all of them, including the birds that are common around here.”

To find out more about the EcoMarines program, visit the website