Coledale Public School is weaving a Sustainable Future with 'Connecting Threads'

Release date: 30 October 2023

Textile waste is a significant issue. The Australasian Circular Textile Association's 2021 report for the EPA revealed that in NSW alone, nearly 80 percent of discarded textiles find their way into landfill.

Coledale Public School set out to change this with a textiles and plastics upcycling project, they call Connecting Threads.

Thanks to the support of a Sustainable Schools Grant from School Infrastructure NSW, Coledale Public School received funding to organise excursions, invite guest speakers and bring in specialist educators to teach staff and students about textile waste and how they could upcycle in fun, creative and meaningful ways.

As well as creating large scale artworks for their school and community, students are crafting sensory aids for dementia patients at Coledale Hospital using recycled textiles.

Diversional Therapist at Coledale Hospital, Laura Handley says, “Sensory aids can help in a whole heap of ways: bringing out positive emotions, providing a buffer for stress, improving mood and improving communication.”

Artists from the local area imparted their knowledge to students on the art of transforming discarded fabric and plastics into unique creations. This hands-on experience not only teaches valuable life skills such as design, weaving, and sewing but also promoted sustainability by using over 90 kilograms of donated fabric sourced from the community.

Coledale Public School’s SSG project serves as a powerful reminder that we can turn waste into something that’s beautiful and sustainable.

Video:

Connecting Threads - Coledale Public School Up-cycling Project

Video transcipt

Coledale Public School Connecting Threads Video

(Music playing)

Location: Coledale Public School

Text: Coledale Public School are engaging the creative minds of students while reducing waste through a textiles and plastics up-cycling initiative.

00:13

Bernadette Stephens, Principal: Environmental Education is really important at Coledale Public School, it’s interwoven with all of the key learning areas. And parents and community are very involved.

00:22

Tracey Gould, Teacher: At our school, our students are really aware about sustainable practice. The Sustainable Schools Grant came up last year and so that's how connecting threads was sort of born at our school.

Text: Students are creating large scale artworks and sensory aids using recycled materials with help from the Sustainable Schools Grant.

00:38

Colleen Lux, P&C Member: We knew we had a massive waste stream of school uniform; people buy a secondhand and give them back. But kids clothes often have a usable life. So the idea of upcycling our uniforms grew into Connecting Threads. So we came up with an idea of how we could do something with that way. So that was creative, and a skill building activity for the students, and that had a bigger purpose.

Text: It’s estimated that in NSW alone almost 80% of unwanted textiles end up in landfill.

01:08

Tracey Gould, Teacher: The sustainable schools grant really was instrumental in providing the finance for us to fulfill the project.

01:15

Imogen Ross, Artist and Educator: Colleen who runs the P&C got in touch with me, and she said, “Look, I know that you run an art school in our local community, and I know that you work in sustainability, would you come to our school and help us run this project?” And I was like “You beauty! Yes, I would love to do that”.

1:32

Noni, Student: So there's so much waste, especially textile waste, that's being thrown away.

1:37

Finn, Student: So people bought them in, and we cut it into strips, we cut it into circles, and then we’re reusing it in a different way.

1:46

Imogen Ross, Artist and Educator: We've made what we call the reading nook out of 24 by wheels. And we've created a very special place for the kids to sit and read books.

1:58

Noni, Student: I learned so many things. We made little pillows and I learned how to stitch.

2:01

Finn, Student: It’s stuffed with some lavender in it, and then it has the little fiddly things and it's good for people with dementia.

Location: Coledale Hospital

02:12

Tracey Gould, Teacher: A lot of them have older grandparents and some people that they knew that have dementia.

2:20

Colleen Lux, P&C Member: I've really been interested in connecting our school to the hospital in some way.

02:25

Laura Handley, Diversional Therapist: I was contacted by Colleen and invited to be a part of the Sustainable Schools project and in partnership started from there. I'm really passionate about seeing people with dementia live well. So it's really important that we educate the next generation. The students have been making some small sensory pillows and some sculptures for our garden out of repurposed plastics. Sensory aids can help in a whole heap of ways: bringing out positive emotions; provide a buffer for stress; improving mood; and improving someone's communication.

03:06

Amy Geddes, P&C Member: They knew they were making the pillow for someone else.

03:09

Bernadette Stephens, Principal: Empowering your children has been a really important part of the whole project. This has given them an opportunity to do something.

03:17

Laura Handley, Diversional Therapist: The students have been able to create things and it gives them a sense of purpose that they're helping people in their own home community. They have been able to benefit our patients as well by gifting them with these sensory items. But it's also helped the environment by reusing and repurposing all these materials that otherwise would have gone to landfill.

03:36

Noni, Student: I think it really helps for children to learn about this but it’s also amazingly for the earth.

03:40

Alice, Student: This is the only planet in our solar system that we can reach that has water and plant life.

03:46

Mabel, Student: And so we just need to take care of this planet.

03:51

Amy Geddes, P&C Member: All the kids have just been so enthusiastic.

03:53

Imogen Ross, Artist and Educator: The students are really proud of what they've done.

03:57

Tracey Gould, Teacher: They're not just doing it for fun, but they're actually doing something that's going to help somebody else.

03:58

Alice, Student: I think it's really fun and it gives you a whole different perspective.

04:06

Amy Geddes, P&C Member: I'm immensely proud of all of the kids who have been involved. I can't even describe how it's made me feel. Honestly, I'm okay every Tuesday and Wednesday just feeling on top of the world.

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We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.

We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.