Sustainable school winners celebrated at 2024 ResourceSmart Schools Awards

This year, Sustainability Victoria’s ResourceSmart Schools Awards marked 15 years of celebrating sustainability leadership and action in Victorian schools.

The annual ceremony is Victoria’s largest sustainability awards for schools, applauding their efforts to create a lasting impact on campus and in their local community through environmentally considered initiatives and learning opportunities.

Beach monitoring programs, kitchen gardens, outdoor classrooms, community clean ups and YouTube channels exploring local flora and fauna were among the many projects celebrated on the 4 June at an awards ceremony at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Around 125 students from across Victoria attended to hear the winners across the 12 award categories. Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos presented the ResourceSmart School of the Year Award to Chewton Primary School.

The school was commended for its sustainability-focused curriculum and student-led action campaigns, as well as its engagement with local Elders to enhance First Nations knowledge on land management.

Matt Genever, CEO at Sustainability Victoria, was impressed by the dedication of students, teaching teams and community volunteers:

'Our ResourceSmart Schools have shown that they are not only participants in sustainability but are leading the way as custodians of the future environment. Their initiative, creativity and dedication has allowed sustainable practices to flourish on their campuses and into their local communities.'

The annual ResourceSmart Schools Awards are made possible with the generous support from sponsors Bank First, the Victorian Department of Education, and Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic).

The ResourceSmart Schools program supports all Victorian primary and secondary schools to embed sustainability across school facilities, community and curriculum.

Since 2008, the program has reached over 1,600 Victorian schools. Participating schools have planted more than 5 million trees, saved over $60 million through energy, waste and water savings and avoided over 74,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

2024 ResourceSmart School Award Winners

• ResourceSmart School of the Year: Chewton Primary School, Chewton.
• Emerging School of the Year: Wandin North Primary School, Wandin North.
• Campus Infrastructure and Operations School of the Year: St Michael’s Grammar School, St Kilda.
• School Volunteer of the Year: Port Melbourne Primary School, Port Melbourne.
• Teacher of the Year (Primary): ‘The Green Gals’ – Gillian Davey, Sarah Chamings & Erin Salm
• Teacher of the Year (Secondary): Andrew Feher, Mt Lilydale Mercy College, Lilydale.
• Student Action Team of the Year (Primary): Castlemaine Steiner School & Kindergarten, Castlemaine.
• Student Action Team of the Year (Secondary): St Monica’s College, Epping.
• Community Leadership School of the Year (Primary): Joint winners – Tecoma Primary School, Tecoma & St Patrick’s Primary School, Port Fairy.
• Community Leadership School of the Year (Secondary): Mt Lilydale Mercy College, Lilydale.
• Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Primary): Heathmont East Primary School, Heathmont
• Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Secondary): St Monica’s College, Epping

To read about the sustainability strides taken by all finalists, visit 2024 ResourceSmart Schools winners and finalists

Register to become a ResourceSmart School for the chance to be recognised for your school’s sustainability efforts.