DATTA Vic is the professional association for teachers of Design & Technologies in Victoria. The Design & Technologies learning area seeks to empower young people to develop solutions for a sustainable future.

DATTA VIC is a member-based organisation who provide advice and support for teachers through:

• Fostering the study and teaching of Design & Technologies,
• Delivering professional learning workshops and conferences,
• Creating teaching resources,
• Offering networking opportunities,
• Supporting pre-service teachers with placements and mentors,
• Developing partnership programs and
• Advocating with government, industry, and the tertiary sector.

Most speakers at a conference will receive a gift such as a bottle of wine, a big bunch of flowers, which are very sweet gestures. But we are loving new requests from organisations and companies, who instead ask us to organise the gift of trees planted on behalf of their presenters.

One such company is DATTA Victoria (Design and Technology Teachers Association), who have committed to funding the planting of native trees for their teacher conferences.

Glendaruel, VIC | 45 trees | 2025

Thirty (30) trees were planted on behalf of the 2025 Professional Learning Programs and another fifteen (15) for the 2025 Mission:Innovate Conference.

The project at Glendaruel began three years ago as a collaboration between neighbours who shared a common vision – to rehabilitate the degraded Glendaruel Creek and restore it to a thriving natural corridor. By working together across property boundaries, these landholders have ensured that a much greater stretch of creek can be revegetated, creating a continuous green ribbon of habitat. This cooperative effort has not only transformed the landscape but also built a strong sense of community among those involved.

Each year, a small but dedicated group of between five and ten people gather to continue the work. Over time, the annual planting days have become more than just environmental action – they are social occasions, building a connection over a shared commitment to care for country.

A wide variety of native plants have been chosen to bring biodiversity back to the creek system. Larger trees such as River Red Gums, Swamp Gums and Manna Gums now stand alongside smaller shrubs and groundcovers, creating a layered habitat. Over time, these trees will play a vital role in stabilising the creek banks against erosion, provide shelter from wind, and offer essential food and habitat for local wildlife.

Many thanks for your generosity. You are helping rehabilitate a degraded waterway that will have lasting and positive impacts on the surrounding environment, particularly by way or erosion control and habitat for local fauna.

Lachlan Andrews | Consulting Arborist | Glendaruel Creek Revegetation Project

Already, the benefits are visible. Local birdlife is thriving, with species such as magpies, galahs, rosellas, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, wattlebirds, wrens and honeyeaters frequently sighted along the waterway. Each new planting strengthens this ecosystem.

Barrabool, VIC | 45 trees | 2024

We recently planted 30 trees on the behalf of DATTA for The Movers & Makers Conference.

To thank our amazing presenters, we are planting a tree for each of you. We know you already make the world a better place through your work, so we hope this is a fitting gift that embodies the positive impact you have on the planet.

Laura Murphy | Executive Education Officer | DATTA VIC

And another 15 trees for The DATTA VIC Professional Learning Program.

We’re so grateful to all the educators who have run professional learning programs for us throughout the year.  We are planting trees for you all, both to thank you for your contribution and as a reminder that sustainability is the foundation for all Design & Technologies education.

Laura Murphy | Executive Education Officer | DATTA VIC

This year, working with Geelong Landcare, we organised the planting of  DATTA’s 45 native trees on Wadawurrung Country along Tea Tree Creek at Barrabool. This area was once dominated by an Eucalypt and Drooping Sheoak woodlands with a grassy understory. However, over the years, the area has been largely cleared and taken over by introduced pasture grasses. The aim of the planting group is to restore the site to past biomes with the planting of  species such as indigenous Manna Gums, Swamp Gums, narrow-leaf Peppermints, Drooping Sheoaks and Black Wattle.

Enhancing what native vegetation still remains and providing critically important animal habitat will see an improvement in both the local fauna species as well as those species (e.g. kangaroos, echidnas) using this area as a corridor or stepping stones between native reserves. There is a large diversity of fauna in the area, with animals such as Growling Grass Frogs, Platypus and Rakali.

Geelong Landcare Network was so thrilled to be given plants for this project. We thank all our supporters. Our aim is to restore and enhance our natural environment and your contribution has directly contributed to this aim. Thank you once again.

Bronwyn Merritt | Facilitator | Geelong Landcare Network

Mallee District, VIC | 30 trees | 2023

At the 2023 conference Tomorrow’s Innovators, DATTA explored how schools can create environments where young individuals are encouraged to think critically, challenge conventions, and pursue their passions. It is only in Design & Technologies and related VCE subjects that students get to combine creative thinking skills in making and cutting-edge technologies which prepare them to become future leaders, problem solvers, and sustainable innovators.

To thank our amazing presenters, we are planting a tree for each of you. We know you already make the world a better place through your work, so we hope this is a fitting gift that embodies the positive impact you have on the planet.

Thank you also to Fifteen Trees! We can’t wait to work with you again.

Laura Murphy | Executive Education Officer | DATTA VIC

Whilst a bottle of wine or flowers is a lovely gesture, we love the idea of giving a gift of native trees planted by our local volunteer planting groups. A gift for the future.

If you would like to know more running sustainable conferences and events, read our blogpost on this very topic where we give you 15 suggestions and ideas.

Writer – Lou Ridsdale

Lou a green thumb, Earth Lover, big-hearted nature freak, plus a savvy media and horticulture expert, who passionately believe that everyone can lead a more nourishing and sustainable life. Lou founded Food Is Free Inc., a unique grassroots food security platform specialising in food security education. She fell in love with trees after reading The Magic Faraway Tree as a child. You can find Lou here