CERES is an award-winning not-for-profit sustainability centre located on Wurundjeri land, by the banks of the Merri Creek in Brunswick. It’s a rare Melbourne schoolchild who hasn’t enjoyed an excursion or outing to CERES, or been involved in one of its wide range of education programs.

CERES has a broad, multi-faceted reach, with an overall mission to maintain a practical conversation about how we can live well together in a sustainable way. As one small part of this, it encourages schools to offset their CERES excursion travel emissions by contributing to the purchase of two trees per excursion – and many do. From this small gesture of mindfulness on the part of students and their teachers, a living, breathing change can be created hundreds of kilometres away. And this is the message that sustainable ethical businesses and their not-for-profit partners, like CERES, want to get across – no one is tackling climate change on their own.

In 2022, 76 schools purchased 2 native trees which equated to 152 trees. These trees were planted in the Mallee district of northwest Victoria at Raakajlim, A Mallee Conservation Sanctuary (490 ha) adjoining Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. The property is under management of Fiona and Phil Murdoch. This couple are preserving an important ecological area for numerous desert mammals, reptiles, birds and insects such as the Arid Bronze Azure butterfly. They are also designing and building water points and soaks as drought refuges for wildlife.

We are passionate about the environment and our vision is to restore a functioning, semi-arid landscape. A diverse habitat and sanctuary for threatened plants and animals. Thank you everyone for your support. We are so very grateful.

Fiona Murdoch | Manager | Raakajlim

Thank you to all the schools who chipped in to purchase 2 trees, your generous contribution is helping to complete this beautiful project. And thank you too to Fiona and Phil whose love of desert regions has meant a huge tract of rural land is now under protection for generations to come.

There are individuals and organisations at all levels, in all parts of the country, taking steps to protect our environmental inheritance. We can all join in. By taking many small steps, and working together, we truly can grow change.

If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable organisation please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.

Writer: Colleen Filippa

With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.