Costa Georgiadis and Junior Landcare are encouraging Aussie kids to get outside and explore ‘What’s in your backyard?’
This September, host of Gardening Australia and Landcare champion Costa Georgiadis is joining forces
with Junior Landcare to ask Aussie kids ‘What’s in your backyard?’
Junior Landcare understands that children can’t be involved in caring for the environment if they don’t
love it – and one way to do this is for children to get their hands and feet in it. Throughout National Biodiversity Month and the school holidays, children are encouraged to grab a camera, or use a mobile phone camera, to capture photos of the flora and fauna in their backyard, and then share them with Costa and Junior Landcare, explaining why their backyard is important to them.
“We’re calling on all Aussie kids to get outside and explore their local environment,” says Costa. “Your backyard might be a garden. If you live in an apartment, your garden could be plants on your balcony. You may live near a park or bushland area, or a river or wetland. You may live on the coast close to the sea, or on a farm – these could all be your backyard!”
Children (via their parents, carers and educators) can submit photos to the Junior Landcare website, under
one of four themes including biodiversity, food production, First Nations perspectives and waste management, to be in the running to win one of nine cameras (RRP $250), book hampers and other great
prizes. One school or youth group will also win a visit from Costa to check out their environmental projects.
Joining Costa as a campaign supporter and host of Channel 10’s The Living Room, Barry Du Bois, says that
he wants his ten-year-old twins, Bennett and Arabella, to experience the same sense of wonder around
nature that he had when he was young.
‘What’s in your backyard?’ is a key activity of Junior Landcare’s Learning Centre. The online platform
features fun, easy-to-use learning activities developed by education professionals to help children be
aware, empowered and active in caring for their local environment.
The ‘What’s in your backyard’ campaign opens on 6th September, as part of National Biodiversity Month, and closes on 31st October, so grab a camera, get outside, and snap photos of the flora and fauna in your backyard to share with Costa and Junior Landcare.
Find out more at www.juniorlandcare.org.au