2020 HANDBOOK www.ecomarines.com/ssp - Tangalooma EcoMarines

2020 HANDBOOK
www.ecomarines.com/ssp

ABOUT ECOMARINES
Tangalooma EcoMarines began in 2014 with a goal to educate the wider community about the importance
of protecting Moreton Bay. Now, we’re a non-profit organisation providing programs to assist students in
primary and secondary schools across Southeast Queensland to learn about and take action to help
protect our environment.

We enable our wonderful ambassadors and support crew
students to work with other schools, connect with local
businesses, and learn from traditional owners and
environmental experts. Student ambassadors encourage
their school network to identify and tackle challenges
impacting their local community in a fun and creative way.

We’re all on a mission to save the bay, and would like to
thank you for being a part of EcoMarines! This year we
have over 60 schools and 250 ambassadors!
Points in blue show our secondary schools. Can you find
your school?

EcoMarines Secondary Schools
Anglican Church Grammar School       Genesis Christian College       St Columban's College
(Churchie)
Brisbane Bayside State College       Hillbrook Anglican College      St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace
Brisbane Boys' College               Islamic College of Brisbane     Whites Hill State College
Brisbane Grammar School (Boys)       Mt Maria College Mitchelton     Wynnum State High School
Clayfield College

OUR TEAM
Our team is small but mighty made up of Penny, Kylie, Hannah and Dini. We’re all passionate about
making our world a better place, and we love working with you to do this! As we are only a team of 4, we
need your assistance to increase our environmental impact.

                                                              Hannah Elias
 Penny Limbach                  Kylie Roche                                         Dini Kanagaratnam
                                                            Events and Program
 General Manager             Operations Manager                                     Program Coordinator
penny@ecomarines.com
                                                                 Manager              dini@ecomarines.com
                             kylie@ecomarines.com
                                                        hannah@ecomarines.com

ECOMARINES ONLINE KIT
We have designed the EcoMarines online kit to help you with your efforts. You can access the online kit at
www.ecomarines.com/ssp. This has everything you need including information on:

   •   EcoMarines 2020 challenges and activities
   •   Action Plan
   •   Resources
   •   Support EcoMarines (including donating with our Containers for Change code: C10041492)
   •   Events
           o Ambassador Training Day (Term 2)
           o Care 4 Country (weekend event as part of the Quandamooka Festival)
           o The Wave (Term 4)

OUR ENVIRONMENT
Our local environment is beautiful, special and important. Southeast Queensland has important farmland,
forests and waterways where native birds and wildlife live. Moreton Bay is just 14km from Brisbane City, yet
it is home to 2,344 plant species, and many different species of marine and wildlife.

Moreton Bay is an important place for
biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as
for people! It is very special to the
Quandamooka people who have taken care of
Moreton Bay for over 22,000 years using the
diverse resources of the area to sustain
themselves. It also provides us with a beautiful
place to go swimming, snorkelling and explore
under the sea

FUN FACTS: MORETON BAY

   •   There are 360 islands in Moreton Bay and the area is a protected Marine Park
   •   Moreton Island was formed approximately 183 million years ago
   •   There are 9 whale species
   •   You can find 6 of the 7 marine turtle species
   •   There are over 120 species of coral
   •   There are 800-900 dugongs in Moreton Bay- the largest population of dugongs close to a major city
   •   600 to 800 inshore bottlenose dolphins
   •   2000 loggerhead and over 10,000 green sea turtles
   •   Moreton Island is the 3rd largest sand island in the world! It’s 98% sand and 2% rock.

FUN FACTS: ANIMALS

   •   Did you know stingrays’ eggs incubate and hatch inside their bodies? They give birth by making a
       little pit in the sand for 2-6 babies that look like tiny tacos!
   •   Humpback whale calves drink up to 600 litres of milk… per day!
   •   Humpback whales have a life expectancy of around 48 years
   •   Dolphins do not have a voice box. Sounds come from within their blowhole on the top of their heads,
       not from their mouths.
   •   Turtles only start breeding when they are 30-50 years of age.
   •   Did you know the temperature affects the gender of turtles at birth? Warmer beaches produce more
       females while cooler beaches produce more males.
   •   Octopuses have 3 hearts and the colour of its blood is blue
   •   Jellyfish don’t have brain and have been around for 650 million years!

WHY IS ECOMARINES IMPORTANT?
EcoMarines is important because it is a driving force of change, led by students, that combats a range of
environmental problems found in schools and communities across Southeast Queensland.

Here are some of the reasons we do what we do:

   •   The average plastic bag is used for about 12 minutes but can take up to 1000 years to decompose.
   •   Every year plastic debris kills more than a million seabirds as well as 100,000 marine mammals.
   •   Did you know 80% of marine pollution comes from land (and 80% of that pollution is PLASTIC)?
   •   Did you know there are 5 giant garbage patches in the ocean? One is as big as Queensland!
   •   Over 200 turtles wash up on
       Moreton Island every year,
       and it is estimated that 30% of
       turtles in Moreton Bay have
       eaten some form of plastic
   •   1 billion disposable coffee
       cups are used in Australia
       every year.
   •   Deforestation is one of
       Australia’s biggest threats to
       our warming planet.

2020 ENVIRONMENTAL DAYS
FEBRUARY
2nd – World Wetlands Day
11th – International Day of Women & Girls in Science
26th – Business Clean Up Day
28th – Youth and Schools Clean Up Day

                            MARCH
                            1st – Clean Up Australia Day
                            3rd – World Wildlife Day
                            7th – World Parks Week (7- 15 March)
                            8th – National Ground Water Awareness week (8-14 March)
                            21st – International Day of Forests
                            22nd – World Water Day
                            30th – Earth Hour

APRIL
18th – World Heritage Day
22nd – Earth Day
27th – National Sustainability Conference – Brisbane (27-28 April)

MAY
3rd – International Composting Awareness Week (3-9 May)
9th – World Migratory Bird Day
18th – National Volunteer week (18-24 May)
22nd – International Day for Biological Diversity
23rd – World Turtle Day

                                                JUNE
                                                5th – World Environment Day
                                                8th – World Oceans Day
                                                17th – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

JULY
5th – NAIDOC week (5-12 July)
31st – Schools Tree Day
15th – National Science week (15-23 August)

AUGUST
2nd – National Tree Day
4th – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day
9th – International Day for World Indigenous Peoples
17th – Keep Australia Beautiful week (17-23 August)

SEPTEMBER
1st – National Wattle Day and beginning of
Biodiversity Month (1-30 September)
4th – National Walk to Work Day
7th – National Threatened Species Day
8th – National Bilby Day
16th – International Day for the Preservation
of the Ozone Layer
20th – Sustainable House Day
22nd – World Car Free Day

                                  OCTOBER
                                  5th – Australian Wildlife Week (5-8 October)
                                  7th – World Habitat Day
                                  16th – World Food Day
                                  19th – Aussie Backyard Bird Count (19-25 October)
                                  21st – National Ride2Work Day
                                  24th – United Nations Day

NOVEMBER
8th – Australian Pollinator Week (8-15 November)
9th – National Recycling Week (9-15 November)
21st – World Fisheries Day

                                                   DECEMBER
                                                   5th – International Volunteer Day and World Soil Day

TOP 10 WAYS PEOPLE CAN HELP
   1. Pick up litter! This is so simple yet has a huge positive impact on our environment
   2. Use a reusable water bottle, cups, and shopping bag
   3. Wrapper free lunches
   4. Compost organic waste
   5. Recycle items like batteries, mobile phones
   6. Get a bamboo toothbrush. These are a great alternative to traditional plastic toothbrushes. When it’s
       time for a new toothbrush, simply remove the plastic bristles and then the handle can be put in the
       compost where it will decompose!
   7. Ask for your drink without a plastic straw. You can purchase reusable straws made from bamboo or
       stainless steel as an alternative
   8. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products which contain less harmful chemicals
   9. Most sunscreens contribute to coral bleaching… choose sunscreens that are better for the
       environment and you!
   10. Get the conversation started! Help educate and spread awareness about making better choices for
       our environment!

To stay connected, ask your parents to follow us on Facebook and Instagram! And don’t forget to check out
our website www.ecomarines.com/ssp.

          @Tangalooma EcoMarines                                 @ecomarines_

Let’s have a wonderful year and work together to help save the bay!