Resident Initiatives

Monash Residential Services encourages the residential community to participate in various environmental activities within the residences as well as in the wider community.

Clayton Residential Lake Clean Up

The Clayton Residential Lake Clean Up day has been an annual event since 2004.  Organised advertising campaigns and encouragement by the Environment Coordinator and each Hall’s Environment Representatives motivates a substantial group of residents to brave the elements and an early start to help beautify the lake environment.

Participants focus their efforts around the edge of the lake, gathering rubbish from the rushes, the grass and the rocky retaining wall. Resourceful residents have been known to use sticks and a variety of implements to retrieve items such as plastic bags and even a television set from the water. Most are surprised at the amount of foam ear plugs and cigarette butts found.

Melbourne Water Contractors are usually present to assist the residents; they donned waders and used pitchforks to remove the rubbish collected in the reedy area closest to the stairs up to halls. At the conclusion of the environmental event the contractors assist in removal of all rubbish collected and participants gather for a well deserved BBQ.

The success of this event resulted in the de-sludging of the lake during summer 2005/2006, during this process 2000 cubic metres of low level contaminate sludge was removed.

Clean Up Australia Day

In 2007, no less than 60 residents from across all halls turned up to participate. Being the largest turnout in the last two years, the day’s efforts yielded some impressive figures with just under 30 large bags of rubbish being collected from as far afield as the Monash tennis courts. In addition, two bags of recyclables, a shopping trolley, hundreds of cigarette butts and a container of sump oil were collected. As in previous years the majority of rubbish was located along fence lines, in garden beds and around the lake.

‘Clean Up Australia Day’ is the largest community environmental event in Australia and it is very encouraging for MRS to be counted among the thousands of other sites taking part across Australia each year.  This initiative is the event which kick-starts the Environment Program at MRS each year.  Student numbers taking part in the event have been steadily growing over the past two years due to advertising and growing residential community awareness.

Clayton Residential Vegetable Garden

The Clayton residential vegetable garden launched at the start of autumn each year.

Environment Reps from each Hall decide what gets planted.  Participating residents work in small groups, planting over 25 varieties of vegetables using small gardening tools supplied by MRS.  It is hoped that having had a part in the planting, residents would take an active interest in the garden and in the grow process.

There are resident gardens also at Berwick, Gippsland and Peninsula Residential site

National Tree Planting Day

Since July 2006, the Environment Coordinator together with the Environment Representatives and interested residents participate in the annual National Tree Planting Day.

The tree planting is usually held at a community planting site at Fairway Reserve, Mt Waverley with the Monash Council. Nearly 8,000 native grasses, trees and shrubs are planted along the banks of Scotchmans Creek where residents work together in smaller teams and have fun along the way! Fairway Reserve is part of an important corridor of green that runs alongside the Monash Freeway. Scotchmans Creek bike trail can be followed all the way into the city where the creek ultimately feeds into the Yarra River and by ensuring the health of upstream catchments, the water quality downstream can be improved. Be sure to visit the area and check on the progress of trees they planted!