Planting seeds to blossom the green heart

As we roll out the new Grade 9 and 10 courses, there is more scope for ambitious teaching and learning. The nursery at the Green Heart provides both a location and cause that educators can use to create real-world learning experiences for students facing relevant problems in our community.

 – Judson Tomlin, Rainforest Restoration

The Green Heart is a multi-purpose outdoor learning space supported by community giving, and intended to be the pulse of sustainability programming on Dover Campus. This vision moved into high gear this past year, setting the stage for more to come.

Our community may recall the celebratory news that the Rainforest Restoration nursery has made the permanent move to the Green Heart. Home to more than 200 indigenous and endangered plant species, the relocation to the prominent space gave the nursery and the incredible work happening in the programme more visibility on campus.

This move spurred new activity and engagement across the Rainforest Restoration team. UWCSEA Rainforest Restoration members and Facilities staff attended a 4 day reforestation workshop hosted by NUS Professor Siu Chen and NParks. UWCSEA members learned from university students and professionals in the community about important reforestation techniques, including nursery management and tracking, developing skills beyond what they would learn in the classroom. As mature woodlands like Dover Forest are set to be cleared for development, the reforesting of buffer zones with the endemic species raised in the UWCSEA Rainforest Restoration nursery becomes increasingly important to maintain the area’s rich biodiversity. NParks also approved UWCSEA’s Rainforest nursery to be integrated with its own – allowing our team access to invaluable information on the right cultiavtion techniques to successfully grow seedlings and saplings for sensitive biodiversity zones.

“The overall insights on how to manage a nursery in an efficient manner, especially in data collection, is something we can apply to
our nursery,” shares Sidek, our Facilities Executive for Campus Landscaping. The Facilities team also created a rainwater capture
in the space to ensure sustainable and controlled watering. Plans are already underway for a learning classroom and further
signage to come in the new year. Stay tuned for more impact and engagement stories to come!