2025 ResourceSmart Schools Awards finalists

Partnering for impact with environmental advocates

Aitken College has worked together with many leading environmental organisations to become a leader in sustainability education, under the guidance of sustainability coordinator Dwayne Ganci. 

This 5 Star school partnered with Melbourne Water on the Brodies Creek Revegetation Project to improve stormwater quality and reduce erosion, and received a Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant to regenerate local wetlands. 

Their Bush Tucker Garden project connects students with First Nations culture and increases biodiversity, while staff received WaterWatch training to monitor wetland and creek health. 

Their new Cumberland Building was awarded the 2024 Learning Environments Australasia Design Award, and their Precious Plastics program educates students on plastic pollution and recycling.

Collaboration for conservation

Lilydale Heights College embeds sustainability into all aspects of school life, guided by the school’s passionate sustainability learning specialist Shannon Sargeant. 

Students at this 3 Star school work together on solutions to real-world environmental issues through programs such as There is No Planet B and Ocean Plastic Waste. 

Their collaborative town square artwork project deepened understandings of First Nations perspectives on sustainability. 

As a Monash University Idle Off pilot school, they raised awareness about vehicle emissions. 

Working together with Zoos Victoria on their Fighting Extinction science project, students aided conservation efforts for species like the Mountain Pygmy Possum.

5 star status builds momentum in Monbulk

Monbulk Primary School has made significant progress in sustainability, achieving a 5 Star status in 2023. 

The school’s sustainability leader, Danielle Lamport, has led various initiatives, including planting native grasses, creating a water-wise indigenous garden, and reducing waste to landfill through CDS Vic. 

The school has also worked together with the community through partnerships with local nurseries and participation in events like the Repower Festival. 

The school’s sustainability values are integrated into the curriculum and everyday actions by staff, students, and the wider community.

Leading the way with a greener cafeteria

Camberwell Grammar School boosted the sustainability of its cafeteria by reducing landfill waste, improving recycling, and ensuring ethical purchasing. 

Students, staff, suppliers and parents worked together on key initiatives such as eliminating single-use plastics, using reusable bowls and cutlery, and implementing Food and Garden Organics (FOGO) bins. 

Student-led campaigns promoting sustainability behaviours complemented these operational improvements. 

This 1 Star school improved waste sorting and reduced contamination, with annual audits revealing a reduction in landfill emissions and improved recycling rates.

Farm at the heart of campus sustainability

Students and staff at Croydon Hills Primary School have worked together to create their on-campus farm, including an orchard, composting area, chicken yard, and vegetable plots with innovative wicking beds. 

Using a Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grant, this 3 Star school turned an unused lawn into a biodiverse garden. 

Energy efficiency was improved by installing LEDs, while an upgraded rainwater system stores up to 120,000 litres. 

The school also diverts 95% of its food waste to compost.

Science and technology supports haven for local wildlife

St. Monica’s College’s EnviroFriends student team worked together to transform an unused sports pitch into biodiverse wetlands by Darebin Creek, creating a wildlife corridor. 

They recreated the endangered Victorian Volcanic Plains Grassland ecosystem and habitats for small birds, by building frog ‘saunas’, fish ‘hotels’, and nest boxes. 

Supported by STEM and IT programs, the school conducts environmental monitoring using drones and wildlife cameras. 

Collaboration with Whittlesea Council and community partners is strengthening ongoing sustainability and conservation education efforts.

Sustainability club’s rapid rise

Box Hill High School’s journey began in 2022 with the establishment of a sustainability club, which has grown from 4 members to more than 25. 

The school community has worked together to implement composting, container recycling, and a recycled stationery station. 

They have also delivered annual events like Sustainability Week, beeswax wrap making, and Walk/Ride2School Day. 

The school worked together with Monash University students on a car idling research project to reduce emissions around the school.

Sustainability a tick for student wellbeing

Siena Catholic Primary School has made significant strides in sustainability through its EarthCare program, introduced in 2024. 

The Grade 6 EarthCare Leadership team and the Green Team lead various initiatives, including managing green waste and paper recycling, participating in Clean Up Australia Day and National Tree Planting Day, and conducting biodiversity audits. 

By working together on sustainability projects with families and the wider community, student wellbeing has improved. 

The school’s efforts are supported by local partnerships, including collaboration with Ballarat City Council.

Building momentum towards tangible targets

The St. Angela of the Cross school community has worked together to integrate sustainability into everyday learning through initiatives such as Wrapper Free Wednesday, classroom composting, gardening club and development of the Gippy Bird Habitat Wetland Area. 

The 2 Star school installed a tracker to monitor water usage and conducted waste audits to minimise single-use plastics. 

Travel audits have encouraged sustainable travel, and involvement in the Aussie Bird Count has enhanced biodiversity. 

These efforts have built community momentum while contributing to the targets set out in the school’s sustainability action plan.

Parent duo brings sustainability into focus

Melissa and Melanie, parent volunteers at Bayswater South Primary School, have worked together and with the wider school community to make sustainability a central focus, fostering a community actively engaged in waste management. 

Forming a team with teachers and staff, and creating roles for sustainability coordination, their achievements include introducing composting and recycling programs, organising sustainability workshops, developing school garden projects, and launching plastic-free campaigns. 

These efforts have integrated sustainability into the curriculum and fostered environmental awareness.

A hands-on effort to transform school grounds

Ocean Grove Primary School has made significant strides towards sustainability, thanks to its dedicated parent volunteers Blair, Emma and Tiffany. 

These 3 leaders worked together with other parents to design and build a Yarning Circle for cultural learning and biodiversity, and a new kitchen garden with a veggie patch and composting system. These projects help to deliver this 3 Star school’s Sustainability Master Plan to improve habitat quality, create green corridors, and promote sustainability into daily school life.

Parent sustainability group makes Overnewton proud

Overnewton’s Parent Sustainability Group has worked together to boost sustainability awareness and inspire pride in community of this 2 Star school. 

With a focus on recycling and waste reduction, they’ve organised a waste audit, reusable party kit and stationery drive. 

The parent group participated in National Tree Day and volunteered with the local council to plant trees and increase biodiversity. 

They teamed up with Rethink Recycling and created community connections with local farms and Melbourne Water for Maribyrnong River revegetation.

Students spearhead sustainability journey

The Brunswick South Primary School’s Environmental Action Team (EAT) was founded by Year 3 and 4 students and now boasts over 30 members who work together on sustainability initiatives such as waste-free lunches, designing an indigenous garden with educational signs, and building insect hotels from salvaged materials. 

Notable activities at this 1 Star school in 2024 included a sustainability trail with guided tours and presentations on plastic pollution, and the 12 Days of Ecomas, a campaign for an eco-friendly Christmas.

Eco Club goes above and beyond

Fairfield Primary School's Eco Club is committed to sustainability, becoming a 2 Star school for their waste management efforts. 

The club tracks waste, uses worm farms, and promotes litter awareness. 

Their activities reach beyond the school, including creating artwork for Plastic-Free July and selling eco-friendly products made from waste materials. 

They’re working to reduce energy consumption and enhance biodiversity by creating an outdoor learning space filled with native plants and a frog bog, created with Victorian Junior Landcare funding.

Greening student life through teamwork

The Green Team at Heany Park Primary worked together to help the school earn 2 Stars, improving biodiversity, waste, water and energy programs. 

Through combined efforts, the team led composting initiatives, encouraged nude food lunches, and raised awareness about endangered species. 

They also conducted tours and workshops, worked with the Student Representative Council, and implementing programs like CDS Vic and endangered animal awareness week. 

These activities helped to weave sustainability into everyday student life, promoting environmental responsibility throughout the school.

Student green thumbs nurture biodiversity

Kardinia International College’s student-led committee Earthcore works together to foster a school-wide culture of sustainability.

Earthcore’s key achievements include reducing waste through a 5-stream waste system, conducting annual waste audits and promoting proper sorting for recycling. 

Biodiversity projects include planting 600 native trees and maintaining the educational Bush Tucker and Indigenous Garden and Senior School Vegetable Garden. 

This passionate team has also raised $1,500 for social and community causes, as well as money for their own sustainability projects.

Hosting an innovative sustainability summit

The Kew Eco Crew involves students in Years 9 to 12 working together to make their school more resource efficient. 

The group implemented an organic waste system using worm towers, and diverted drink containers from landfill through CDS Vic, driving school-wide participation through posters, speeches and social media. 

Understanding that they could achieve so much more when they work together, the Eco Crew organised their own Sustainability Summit in 2024 with 200 attendees from 19 schools. 

Presentations highlighted the schools’ sustainability efforts, while a Pop-Up Op-Shop sparked discussions on fast fashion while raising funds.

Student superpowers to educate classmates

Wellington Secondary College's Sustainability Champions team has built the school’s sustainability culture by working together in ‘climate superpower’ groups, using a program from Melbourne University. 

Those with natural superpowers constructed microbat boxes, established a biodiversity garden, and maintained the community garden. Students with social superpowers educated their peers on topics such as the circular economy, waste disposal, and fast fashion through presentations and games. 

Students with cultural superpowers organised bake and sustainability fashion sales to raise funds for projects and promote circularity.

Problem solving for better sustainability solutions

Sustainability is embedded in the curriculum at Gippsland Grammar. 

Through the school’s outdoor, hands-on approach they work with First Nations community members, horticulturists and council officers, who all offer a unique take on sustainability curriculum. 

The Year 4 sustainability program offers an immersive learning experience where students work together to develop solutions to sustainability problems. 

The school encourages students to own their positive impact on the environment through their learning, ensuring sustainability remains a top priority.

Learning experiences tackle real-world sustainability challenges

Heany Park Primary's curriculum empowers students to become informed leaders in sustainability, incorporating authentic, inquiry-based learning. 

Students work together on real-world sustainability challenges through hands-on activities, such as exploring ecosystem interdependence and human influences on biodiversity. 

The curriculum at this 2 Star school incorporates First Nations perspectives, teaching traditional land management and native ecosystem preservation through a Yarning Circle and Bush Tucker Garden. 

Community engagement involves students working together with organisations like the Knox Environment Society and Dolphin Research Institute.

Students’ special connection with earth’s story

At St James' Parish School, sustainability is woven into the curriculum. 

This 3 Star school draws on storyboard narrative teaching styles, helping students form a deep connection to the earth's story. 

As part of the curriculum, students grow seedlings, plant vegetable gardens, harvest and cook with school produce, participate in River Detectives program, analyse water quality data, research local flora and fauna, participate in tree planting days, and utilise digital technologies to produce nature based movies and animations.

Murnong revegetation patch honours indigenous biodiversity

Melbourne Girls' College integrates sustainability across all learning areas. 

The school’s Murnong revegetation patch, a biodiverse habitat corridor to encourage native wildlife, is a focus of the curriculum in science, humanities and outdoor education. 

Biodiversity and cultural awareness are deeply integrated, with indigenous biodiversity a priority since the school hosted its first Murnong Day in 2011. 

Students researched pre-colonial flora and fauna and worked together to design a planting guide reflecting historical grasslands.

Citizen science boosts learning experience and local ecology

Victory Christian College embeds sustainability deeply into its curriculum, especially through its Environmental Science pathways for Year 9-12. These courses enable students to integrate practical experiences directly into their learning process. 

Students work together on citizen science projects, including collecting water samples and entering data into the River Detectives database. 

VCE students delve into topics like pollution and food security, using hands-on methods such as dissecting fish to assess microplastic pollution. Their findings on plastic pollution are shared with local authorities, to raise public awareness.

Hands-on approach builds student knowledge and participation

Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School has enthusiastically embraced Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic). 

Students in the Franciscan Action Team worked together with the school community to raise awareness of the program and encourage engagement and participation – even the wider community is now involved. 

Students take part in sorting containers to build understanding of the benefits of waste reduction. 

The 5 Star school has deposited a total of 4,214 containers, cutting landfill and raising $421.40.

Community partnership provides opportunity for those with disabilities

Pleasant Street Primary School has made significant strides in waste reduction and recycling through CDS Vic. 

The Pleasant Street Bees, a student-led sustainability team, works together on waste audits each term and manages the collection of 10c items. 

The school is working together with McCallum Disability Services to manage the collection and processing of recyclable containers, providing valuable work opportunities for people with disabilities. 

The school has raised around $200 from recycling efforts over the past two years.

Students’ strategy delivers containers and local connections

Wandin Yallock Primary School students devised methods for storing drink containers and purchased 4 large tubs for cans, tetra packs, glass and plastic bottles. CDS Vic goals were communicated through newsletters and classroom presentations. 

The school has worked together with the wider community, and now collects containers from families, businesses, and the local Country Fire Authority, raising awareness of the impacts of littering and strengthening connections. 

The school has raised $400 and won $500 from VICReturn for water tanks.

Tackling contamination through community engagement

CDS Vic has proven a cost-effective way to boost Braybrook College’s recycling efforts. 

A Green Team of student volunteers worked together to collect recycled containers in dedicated bright red recycling bins. Some initial issues with contamination were solved through education and raising awareness in the school community. 

The school also worked together to implement one student's proposal to replace the end-of-year skip with detailed waste-stream drop points.

Campaigns and competitions boost recycling rate

Kardinia International College’s student sustainability group, Earthcore, has worked together to ensure the continued success of CDS Vic at the school, reducing waste and raising funds to reinvest in sustainability projects. 

The Purple Bin Project ensured proper recycling of eligible drink containers across both campuses. Educational campaigns and competitions like Bin It to Win It and Sort Smart, Win Big have engaged students to help overcome challenges like contamination. 

More than 60% of eligible containers are now being recycled.

House rivalries accelerate container collection

Kolbe Catholic College set out to reduce landfill waste and increase recycling by 12% over 4 years, and CDS Vic has helped them make a great start. 

The Student Leadership Team came up with the idea to align CDS Vic with the school’s houses. They organised house-coloured collection bins and started a hotly contested Sustainability Shield competition. 

To encourage staff and students to implement CDS Vic at home, the school started Containers for Charities, working together to collected over 500 containers.

Infectious enthusiasm inspires change

PE teacher Marita Ryan’s leadership has embedded sustainability into Albion Primary School's curriculum and community, helping the school achieve 5 Stars. 

Marita engages students in hands-on sustainability lessons like gardening, biodiversity audits and water testing. 

Her infectious enthusiasm for outdoor activities has encouraged students and families to work together in activities like bird watching and Clean Up Australia Day. 

She has inspired the school to prioritise sustainability education, leading to community partnerships with Landcare, River Detectives, and Brimbank Council – helping the school achieve so much more when working together with others.

Building community connections in Port Fairy

Sustainability Leader Benson Steere has made sustainability a core value at St Patrick’s and has maintained the school's 5 Star status over four years. 

By working together with the wider community, he created real-world learning opportunities for students like beach monitoring days with Deakin University and water-saving projects with Wannon Water. 

His passion has created a culture where sustainability is celebrated and embraced by all, making a lasting impact on both the school and the township of Port Fairy, and building the future we need.

An inclusive approach to sustainability

Garden, maintenance and sustainability specialist Stephen McNeight has helped transform Wendouree Primary into a sustainable environment and a 3 Star school. 

Stephen is a facilitator of the school’s flexible learning program, where he works together with students who struggle in traditional classrooms in gardening, composting and animal care. 

Stephen organises events for National Tree Day and World Environment Day, and has developed partnerships with Fishcare, local wildlife rescues, Rotary and Landcare groups. 

Stephen incorporates First Nations Education and coordinates NAIDOC and National Reconciliation Week activities working together with local First Nations people.

Preparing students for sustainability careers

Sustainability Coordinator Elise Dunstan has led the way in environmental education at Kew High School, integrating sustainability into school operations and curriculum. 

Elise works together with students on developing numerous opportunities to participate in sustainability action. Her efforts include working with international students and students with additional needs, driving CDS VIC collections and promoting worm farming, recycling, and waste management. 

She prepares students for careers in sustainability by empowering them through events like the Kew High School Sustainability Summit, which attracted over 200 students and featured various industry and community organisations.

Sharing her expertise to leave a legacy

Sustainability Learning Specialist Shannon Sargeant has been championing sustainability at 3 Star Lilydale Heights College since 2002. 

She has integrated sustainability school-wide through waste audits, an ocean plastic waste project, the No Planet B initiative, second-hand book sales and constructing nesting boxes for local biodiversity. 

Understanding that the school can achieve so much more when working with the wider community, Shannon has shared her expertise through professional learning sessions, engaging local primary schools and presenting at conferences.

Empowering students as changemakers

Sustainability Coordinator Ben Coleman has inspired positive change at St. Monica's College by working together with students and the wider community. 

With a focus on empowering students as changemakers, he has built partnerships with organisations to expose students to real-world career paths in sustainability. 

Ben works together with teachers, too: he reviews lessons, develops new projects, and provides them with practical resources on sustainability. 

Ben’s achievements include transforming Clean Up Australia Day into a whole-school competition and the creation of Bush Tucker gardens as a ‘living classroom’ for new learning opportunities.