Wetlands, streams and rivers are key sites for environmental action and education (Somerville and Green, 2012). In this multi-council and school environmental education project 300 school students were empowered to learn about environmental sustainability through taking action in their local area. Each of the proposed shire councils - Camden City Council, Wollondilly Council and Campbelltown City Council - were partnered with local schools to work with UWS and community and government organisations, to undertake a participatory action research study of place based wetlands education in local primary and high schools. This assisted in the preparation of teachers for the introduction of sustainability as a cross-curriculum priority area (ACARA, 2012).

Highlights and successes

1. Participation

a. Engagement

Interest from schools was high. The number of schools wishing to attend the planning day exceeded the 340 maximum capacity of the main UWS lecture theatre. Approximately three hundred primary and secondary students from three local government areas of the Macarthur region attended the planning day on 18 February 2014 with their class teachers and community educators.

b. Sustained interest

After the planning day, nine schools were offered and six schools actively took up the research project opportunity to integrate sustainability into their curriculum through investigating a local wetland.

c. Extension to wider groups of students

Mt Annan and CPAHS high schools chose to extend Love Your Lagoons activities to all students at a particular year level; eg Mt Annan at Year 7 and CPAHS at Year 9.