Students lead the way to a greener, wetter future
By Jessica Braithwaite
To increase cultivated spaces at Trinity College Gawler, headmaster Luke
Thomson needed to find ways of making water go further. But instead of
going through the headache of a tendering process he opted for a
different tactic, enlisting the help of a group of UniSA students to
develop a cheap and sustainable irrigation solution.
Nicole Banson, Spencer Burgstad, Tim Ellis and Alison Vidal have been hard at work this year developing an environmentally friendly irrigation concept for the college.
The new system allows water from nearby rooftops and rivers to be collected in a wetland area, where the natural life cycle will treat the water. The water can then be stored in an aquifer, from where it is pumped back up when needed to water the school grounds.
“It was a matter of nutting out everything that we saw to make the best decision,” says biodiversity and management student Nicole Banson.
The college is already implementing the students’ recommendations, and the process of building the holding dam has begun. Applied science student Spencer Burgstad says the ideas can be applied to many situations. In another project, a second group of students has worked with the college to establish a teaching centre on the college’s Blackham bush site.
“I’m just thrilled with how things have gone”, says Thomson.
“The students were enthusiastic, and keen to explore options conventional industry are not thinking of.”
Thomson is keen to continue working with UniSA students in the future, following the success of the project in which all involved have come out on top. The ultimate winner however, is the environment, which will remain that little bit healthier thanks to the students’ efforts.