2015 ResourceSmart Schools Awards
The 2015 ResourceSmart Education Awards ceremony was held on Wednesday 14 October at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf.
Congratulations to Winters Flat Primary School, Castlemaine on being the esteemed ResourceSmart School of the Year 2015. Check out the amazing sustainability stories on our category winners and finalists in the 2015 Awards booklet and profiles below. Thank you to all our inspiring entrants.
The ResourceSmart Education Awards – Victoria’s largest sustainability awards program for schools and early childhood services – reward and recognise a huge range of imaginative and inspiring activities that have led to outstanding sustainability achievements for the Victorian community.
ResourceSmart School of the year
Winner: Winters Flat Primary School, Castlemaine
Winters Flat Primary School is an impressive and inspiring leader in education for a sustainable future. They embed sustainability into their curriculum and engage students, parents and the broader community.
The student led action team ‘Eco Kids - Community Leaders’, is a group of students from grades 3 to 6, who lead on events and activities to create a sustainable school.
Leaders attend conferences, workshops and community meetings to improve their understanding of environmental impacts while developing their presentation skills.
They conduct energy, litter and biodiversity audits and the results are published in the school newsletter. These results also guide program plans that motivate positive behaviour change to reduce carbon footprints at school and home.
Behaviour change activities include the school’s Nude Food everyday to reduce litter, and the ‘1, 2 or 3 layer days’ depending on the weather to reduce the energy needed to heat and cool classrooms. Students have to developed enormous pride in the beauty of the school grounds, it is a shared responsibility for all to keep the grounds litter free.
The biodiversity focus recognises how local habitat has been depleted due to urbanisation. By working with local elders, Landcare and friends groups, a group of students were inspired to create an indigenous garden to increase the wildlife habitat in the school grounds.
Over 100 students, parents and teachers participate in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden with links to food preparation. Students also work with Friends of Campbell’s Creek as a contribution to community spaces.
The Fridge Henge Art project - In Our Fridge Not a Bit is Wasted – was created with support from the Castlemaine Arts community. As part of the project students determined what items in the fridge included food miles. They reproduced items, using recycled craft materials and filling a disused fridge to illustrate their message. The project was well received creating interest at the festival and was a media favourite.
Finalists
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Bentleigh West, a 5 Star ResourceSmart School, shares their sustainability story with their sister schools located in Jakarta, Bali, Dhaka and Balgo - a remote indigenous community in the Tanami Desert, Western Australia.
Sustainability Coordinator, Leonie Brown leads the school’s sustainability management plan. The program helps students to understand the biodiversity challenges around the world and the vital importance of addressing these problems. Initiatives are in place to harvest, reduce, recycle and reuse water allowing students to develop knowledge of global water issues.
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Footscray City College takes a holistic approach to biodiversity education integrating it into curriculum and at the school in extra curricula activities. More than 170 students from Year 7 and 8 participated in National Tree Planting Day in July, with students planting over 400 plants native to the Western Plains. The sustainability program includes planting endemic species in the school grounds and establishing a biodiversity seedbank for seed collection.
Through collaborative work with Maribyrnong City Council and a student run environmental group, Footscray Environmental Society (FES) significant improvements have been achieved in the whole of school recycling program with new bins for recycling and a commitment from council to collect the recycling waste.
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St Louis has a broad range of environmental activities embedded into the school’s curriculum. The school grounds include extensive vegetable gardens, aquaponics and an orchard that provide produce for the student kitchen. Classes incorporate the schools pond and wetlands where students discover the delicate nature of wetlands and their important ecological roles.
St Louis Environment and Sustainability Leaders promote sustainability and environmental initiatives in the areas of water, energy, waste and biodiversity across the school. To assist in the day to day running of the school, the energy and waste warrior teams increase awareness of the importance of turning off appliances not in use and ensuring that waste is correctly sorted.
Newcomer of the year
Winner: Mountain District Christian School
Over the past 12 months, Mountain District Christian School have shown great initiative and made great progress in multiple areas of sustainability, particularly energy and biodiversity. They are determined to make sustainability part of every child’s learning experience at the school.
Mountain District have worked around challenges, such as costs for energy efficiency upgrades, to achieve great reductions in energy in the past year. They have decreased their use of non-renewable energy from 2014-15 by over 50 percent.
This was achieved via two major strategies: firstly by replacing all lighting on the property with low energy LED lights and secondly by increasing the use of solar energy from a 3 kilowatt to 23 kilowatt system.
Finalists
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Glengarry Primary has delivered biodiversity, waste and community leadership initiatives. Children are continually looking for new ways to help native wildlife and new opportunities to educate others, including younger students, parents and other school communities, so that everyone benefits. They appreciate biodiversity is not just about animals, but also about trees, flowers and groundcovers. Everything has a value at Glengarry.
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Rowville Secondary College (RSC) started the commitment to waste reduction late in 2014. In April 2015 the Environmental Student Leadership (ESL) group organised a Clean Up RSC Day for years 7, 8 and 9. They found ways of boosting waste reduction around the school. The ESL group identified the shortfalls of the school and, instead of being daunted by their magnitude, they were inspired by the opportunity for change that was presented.
Early Childhood Service of the Year
Winner: Lorne Kindergarten
Lorne Kindergarten’s mission this year has seen the implementation of their Junior Earthlings Sustainability and Science Program. Junior Earthlings is an original, integrated sustainability and science program that fosters student awareness, engagement and delight in the natural world. The program’s core goal is to enhance children’s understanding that sustainability is more than simply being waste and water wise.
Through an innovative, measurable program that includes excursions, guest speakers and play-based learning, children are guided to an understanding of the environment and their impact upon it, within a framework of scientific and cultural enquiry.
Collaboration with educators, local businesses and families provides the opportunity to create a variety of sustainability programs. A new project as part of the program’s ongoing plan
is the River Creek Bed where children are encouraged through child directed play to recognise that natural science is profoundly connected to sustainability.
Finalists
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In twelve months Heathmont East Pre-school has incorporated multiple sustainability actions into their children’s education. The parents and community have embraced this theme which has led to a doubling in the recycled resources donated by families, including vegetable scraps. Every year Heathmont hopes to introduce another aspect that can lead them to being a truly sustainable pre-school.
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Little Beacons has exceeded in all seven areas of the early childhood sector’s National Quality Standards. The centre plays a key role in advocating for the importance of indoor and outdoor environments. They inspire services to deliver high quality educational programs and believe children are ambassadors for the environment. Their ’Let’s Explore’ program has evoked conversation and has changed the way they support children and families to connect with their world.
Primary Teacher of the Year
Winner: Jeanette McMahon, Winters Flat Primary School, Castlemaine
Jeanette is a dedicated classroom teacher and the inspirational Sustainability Coordinator at Winters Flat Primary School. She exudes passion, dedication and determination in her pursuit to empower students, teachers and community to take positive steps towards building a sustainable world. She ensures staff are aligned, supported and equipped to teach sustainability through the themes of waste, water, biodiversity and energy.
Throughout the past year, Jeanette has been instrumental in Winters Flat becoming a 4 Star ResourceSmart School and engaging the entire school community in that journey.
Jeanette drives the Student Leadership program with various student groups to ensure that sustainable practices remain a focus for the students and a genuine way of life for the school.
Jeanette coordinates school and community sustainability events such as the Youth Leading the World Sustainability Conference and invites sustainability specialists to impassion the school.
Finalists
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Leonie’s passion, skills and knowledge drive sustainability education, sharing her vision with educators, professionals, staff, students and parents. She is a great mentor to young staff and an inspiration to those who hear her speak. Leonie’s work is ever evolving, and she continues to inspire young people with her knowledge and skills to make this world a better place.
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Marcus is enthusiastic, thoughtful and committed in his ideas and displays a sense of purpose to students and the local community. He understands the impact environmental issues have on our planet and how students can make a real difference. He prepares and empowers them with inspiring presentations by speakers from across a broad range of environmental topics. Marcus makes a difference.
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Emma Canning’s passion for sustainability and community has created positive change for St Peter’s. Emma has demonstrated a strong sustainability focus by organising school and community participation along Darebin Creek. Emma has also organised the fortnightly student active citizen group which visits the local nursing home, Green Gables, to provide activities and hospitality.
Secondary Teacher of the Year
Winner: Melbourne Girl’s College, Andrew Vance
Melbourne Girls’ College’s Sustainability Coordinator Andrew Vance sees his role as an opportunity to educate, encourage participation, and empower students to make a difference. Student led teams are guided by him to manage sustainability activities from ideas and planning through to implementation.
There are more than fifty students in the school’s sustainability team with Andrew working alongside both students and parents in a partnership that has produced award winning results.
Andrew instigated Melbourne Girls’ College’s annual Student Environment Conference, where over 100 students from local secondary schools workshop environmental issues and ideas.
His hard work and enthusiasm was recognised earlier this year when Melbourne Girls’ College were awarded the Zayed Future Energy Prize. The prize has enabled Andrew to embark
on construction of a range of renewable energy initiatives that will be used to educate students from around the State.
Finalists
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During her 25 years at Braybrook College, Rowena has worked on many projects, gaining funding, developing networks and links, writing reports for school council and advocating for sustainability within the school. Rowena remains dedicated to the students as she delivers on the theme ‘Braybrook College – caring for the environment’.
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For over 12 years Rohan’s work at Northcote High School has led to incremental changes and improvement in sustainability of the school and the local community. His persistence has allowed the school to reduce its impact on the planet.
Biodiversity Primary School of the Year
Winner: St Louis de Montfort’s Primary School, Aspendale
At St Louis de Montfort’s Primary School in Aspendale, maintaining the momentum to keep 750 students and 85 staff members engaged in sustainability is both challenging and rewarding. Staff support the development and implementation of biodiversity inquiry learning units into each year level.
Class groups visit the nearby Edithvale Wetlands to explore a real life example of a functioning ecosystem. These visits assisted in the management of the school’s ponds and wetland areas where students carried out water quality testing and observed that pumps would lift oxygen levels and regulate water temperature, while increased plantings would ensure filtration through the chains of ponds and waterways.
Acting on these findings has increased the variety of animals and macro invertebrates in the ponds and wetland areas.
Student Leaders promote biodiversity initiatives such as workshops and tours to inform the school community about sustainability. They engage younger students in workshops on worm farms, composting, aquaponics and ponding.
Finalists
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This small school has made great progress in the last year and is showing great enthusiasm for local biodiversity action. Chewton Primary demonstrates a whole school commitment where staff, students, parents and the school community are passionate about biodiversity and learning together. Chewton is showing how education and commitment to sustainability practices create a dynamic and nurturing learning environment.
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The College has worked as a community to develop a school environment based on principles of education for sustainability. Frayne is a small school that cherishes flora, fauna and nature and where hands-on involvement sows seeds in young minds. Their nature trail project showcases and reminds the school community of the surrounding biodiversity. Through vision, persistence the nature trail has exposed a new learning space for the community.
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The students at the College are immersed in sustainable practices which protect the natural and built environment in their early years. In the middle years the learnings extend in breadth and depth so the students' abilities to further explore sustainable practices and provide solutions to environmental issues are strengthened. Students are given the opportunity to learn in the natural environment including local beaches, bush and local waterways.
Biodiversity Secondary School of the Year
Winner: Footscray City College
Footscray City College takes a holistic approach to biodiversity education by integrating it into the curriculum and prioritised as part of extracurricular activities. Students have been collaborating with the local community and council to improve biodiversity as well as a school recycling program.
The school’s initiatives include planting endemic species in the school grounds, establishing a biodiversity seedbank for seed collection, creating classroom gardens and building a worm farm. Senior students have landscaped the school grounds as part of their VCAL program by designing and creating garden seating, and doing mass plantings that are boosting the school’s biodiversity.
Over 170 students from Year 7 and 8 participated in the National Tree Planting Day in July. The students planted over 400 plants native to the Western Plains.
Passionate about ensuring continual environmental awareness, students created Footscray Environmental Society - a student run environmental group that assists staff to organise events and develop environmental programs for their school.
Finalists
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Cheltenham Secondary College shows enthusiasm, collaboration and innovation: do any other schools run an Ibis Competition? Via the school bulletins, their passion for native birds and gardens is reaching students’ homes. Turning an ugly patch of wasteland into a productive community garden has inspired students as well as built strong connections with retirees and Council. This has allowed the school community to celebrate biodiversity together.
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Eaglehawk Secondary College in central Victoria, is committed to connecting people with the land. They have four periods a week allocated to working in the ‘Life Connections’ program which promotes student engagement, gardening, the natural environment and animal life. They are committed to showing people how to enjoy the land, work it, love it, respect it and care for it.
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Over the last 12 months St Monica’s College EnviroFriends group has focused on increasing biodiversity by planting over 600 indigenous plants in their local wetlands and surrounding areas. Several EnviroFriends students visited local primary schools to assist with their vegetable garden and native planting. For these activities the students documented actions through photography and documentary style videos.
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Located on 17 acres of which about 13 acres is beautiful native bush, Mountain District Christian School is determined to keep it that way. The fauna on the property includes the endangered Helmeted Honeyeater, Tawny Frogmouths, wombats, wallabies, goannas, native antechinus and freshwater Crayfish. In conjunction with Melbourne Water they are working to keep the creek and its surrounds a healthy and diverse ecosystem.future generations.
Community Leadership Primary School of the Year
Winner: St Peter’s Primary School, Epping
St Peter’s is a school that consistently looks beyond the school fence and engages with the wider community to enhance outcomes for their students and community members. As part of this engagement students collaborated with Year 9 students from St Monica’s College to develop their school’s wetlands.
Their projects include:
- Students from St Peter’s collaborated with Year 9s from St Monica’s College to develop their school’s wetlands.
- All Year 1 and Year 5 students participated in Clean Up Australia Day.
- Senior students developed and presented a workshop on water pollution at the Kids of the Yarra event.
- They hosted five schools and four community organisations for ‘Green Day’ as part of Kids Teaching Kids.
- They planted over 150 trees in a nearby reserve.
- ‘Walk to School Days’ are held each term with one quarter of students and their families choosing to walk to school.
- Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program sessions are run twice a week for year 3 and 4 students supported by 30 parents and two community members regularly volunteer to help in the garden.
Finalists
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The school gives students a special leadership role and chance to work collaboratively in a real-life learning situation by running the school restaurant. Growing their own vegetables, preparing meals and serving to paying customers presents a wealth opportunities for each student to learn. Belgrave South engages with the community to make this project possible… and invites you to dine with them at Sophie’s Restaurant.
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The school has clearly demonstrated how networks and partnerships have been used to successfully embed and integrate the three AusVELS cross curriculum priorities into their school. Their Sister School program provides rich and authentic student learning experiences and bring a global perspective to students’ lives. Behaviour change for sustainability taking place at school is being shared with the wider community – locally, nationally and internationally.
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The staff and students at St Kilda Primary School are contemporary ‘Change Makers’. They strive to be sustainability community leaders and believe in making a difference. The school participates in the ‘A Drop in the Ocean’ initiative and the ‘Zero Waste Fete’. Green teams have created a community recycling depot and worked with parents and members of the school community to build nature play spaces.
Community Leadership Secondary School of the Year
Winner: Footscray City College
Footscray City College was chosen as Australia’s participant in ‘Weather Stations’ – a global project based on the idea that writing and film gives people the ability to conceptualise scientific ideas such as climate change. Creating literary responses to climate change, year 9 students met with scientists and artists who provoked their thinking about how the world in the not-too-distant future may be radically different from the one we know, and how our lifestyles and behaviour influence this.
Students collaborated with Tipping Point Australia and indigenous author Tony Birch to produce significant creative writing and short documentary films on sustainability and climate change themes.
Growth in the students’ knowledge and awareness about climate change has dramatically increased motivation for action and change amongst the students. This has translated into more conversation about these topics with an undertaking by staff to focus curriculum content strongly on sustainability and increase student involvement in extracurricular activities.
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The college’s significant achievement has been to build a sustainable program that links their English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Karen Refugee students with the environment. Bendigo Senior leads the EAL VCAL/Gravel Hill Community Garden Project. Over 2000 students and staff are continuing their efforts which is benefiting the wider Bendigo community.
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St Paul’s has led a multi-partnered environmental ‘talk of the town’ project which has been recognised in the local community. At the school, an outdoor classroom has been created for the whole community through revegetation, working bees and events, the creation of walking trails and information sessions on the threatened fauna species.
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Western Port has embedded environmental education across the curriculum and the school has been a trail blazer in developing a broad range of initiatives that reflect their sustainability ethos. They have shared their learnings with the community in a film that celebrates all of their projects and showcases their relationship with their sister school – SMK Aminuddin Baki in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Energy Primary School of the Year
Winner: Winters Flat Primary School, Castlemaine
Winters Flat’s energy efficiency initiatives created a culture shift across the entire school that is also influencing energy use in the family home. Reducing the schools carbon footprint is top of mind and deeply ingrained wasteful habits are being challenged in day-to-day operations, activity planning, special events and product purchasing. Staff and students stop and ask: 'Is this energy efficient? Can we do better?' The school has achieved reductions in energy use of almost 25% across the past two years.
The school council ratified a Heating/Cooling Regime and Events Policy and now the whole school sustainability curriculum plan and events calendar ensures that consistent messaging reaches staff and students. Specific energy initiatives include: class energy monitors, energy audits, solar panels and energy saving policies. Community leaders implemented a ‘1, 2 or 3 layers’ program, making weather announcements each day and school users are being asked to put on a jumper rather than the heater.
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Mount Evelyn mentors other schools by encouraging them to leave their cars at home. This school is an advocate for cleaner air, reduced usage, fewer cars and economic benefits for parents and is an environmentally aware school community that wants to take action to fight climate change. They aim to have all schools in their community use alternative transport to school.
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Werribee Primary School has a strong sustainability team that is well supported by the school leadership team. Werribee Primary School takes practical action to reduce their energy consumption and demonstrates leadership both within the school and the wider community. These students are ‘change champions’ who take responsibility for creating a sustainable future and improving environmental outcomes for their community.
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The college has created a culture of respect for the environment by immersing in initiatives that demonstrate sustainability in action. Staff and students share skills and knowledge with school families and other schools. They are a 21st century showcase school, and their commitment to sustainability is evident in the day-to-day practices of staff and students and in the significant investments in infrastructure.
Energy Secondary School of the Year
Winner: Mountain District Christian School, Monbulk
Mountain District Christian School’s goal is to decrease use of non-renewable energy by at least 50 percent using a two-part strategy.
Firstly, lighting was retrofitted with low energy LEDs, which reduced lighting energy consumption by 60 percent, with an added benefit of improved quality of light. The project has an estimated five year payback period.
Secondly, they increased solar energy generation capacity from 3 kW to a 23 kW system with 80 Australian manufactured solar panels. This project was made possible by a Power Purchase
Agreement (PPA) with Planet Ark and Tindo Solar. The arrangement includes the installation and an agreement that gives the school a reduced rate for the energy they use for the next 15 years. During this time Tindo manage and maintain the panels and the school takes ownership at the completion of the contract.
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Braybrook College have solar panels and other initiatives such as lockable light switches and sensor and timer lights. They have undertaken significant work to educate the entire school community on energy conservation. Their long-term aim is to reduce energy usage through education and through technology in areas such as automatic shut off.
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Students from Northcote High School initiated a lighting upgrade project and demonstrated that with persistence, positive changes can be made. They’ve shown that change can take a long time to achieve and obstacles might be encountered but dedication pays off. The lighting upgrade project’s estimated savings in electricity and maintenance is $57,500 over 10 years and 38,700 kg of CO2 saved per year.
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The college developed a successful model for installing a solar system using locally raised funds. The entire project was eventually funded by donations from parents, teachers, students and the local community. The project has increased community awareness of solar energy and the project has been used in curriculum projects within the school.
Waste Primary School of the Year
Winner: Winters Flat Primary School, Castlemaine
The entire school community at Winters Flat has embraced and shared the responsibility of ongoing waste reduction. The project commenced with a simple message – don’t bring rubbish to school – and now Nude Food day happens every day for students.
The sustainability student team, or Community Leaders, run meetings and attend conferences such as Do more with Less, Youth Leading the World, GRIP leadership. They also promote
community events and activities such as battery exchange program, Little Green Wagon, World Environment Day and Recycling Week.
The Community Leaders conduct waste audits to ensure the correct bins are being used and provide input into the school sustainability calendar and newsletter. When the school was
below the ResourceSmart benchmark for waste to landfill, Leaders were motivated to introduce new initiatives and now they continue to monitor and record the results.
Finalists
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Ivanhoe Primary School has made significant measurable and sustainable changes in order to reduce waste and change the attitude of the school community. They have built momentum to continue implementing waste reduction measures across the school and will keep persisting with these great initiatives.
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Engaging in programs such as Kids Teaching Kids, Grade 5 Social Enterprises and a No Rubbish Competition, students put their knowledge into practice and motivated others to be involved. As leaders in environmental education the school has recycled wheelbarrow gardens which are watered with recycled water. The vegetables grown in composted soil are sold to the community with funds being directed to more environmental initiatives.
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In just one year Rosanna Primary School has made huge changes to the way their waste is managed and is already seeing reductions. Students are driving the change that is happening in the school. There are regular articles on the school website, clean up days, traffic light bins and regular involvement with the community.
Waste Secondary School of the Year
Winner: St Joseph’s College, Geelong
With the motto ‘targeting zero waste’ the College has invested extensive time developing infrastructure and practices that maximise waste reduction for all waste produced at the school.With a desire to showcase initiatives and share findings with the broader community and other schools, a promotional video and a school sustainability website were developed.
To induct new students into the efforts to ‘target zero waste’, sustainability leaders conduct waste and recycling presentations for incoming year 7 students in the first weeks of term one.
Cut the Wrap (CTW) days are conducted for Years 7, 8, 9 students. During CTW days, students are awarded a credit stamp upon presentation of a wrapping free lunch during homeroom.
Food incentives are offered as a reward for classes with 100 percent participation.
Finalists
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Aitken College’s progress in the past year is inspiring and the benefits of their efforts will continue to be realised into the future. Through various initiatives, students are boosting the school’s sustainability by changing their behaviour and becoming more responsible for their waste production and disposal methods.
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Balwyn High School’s paper and cardboard recycling has increased from (approx.) 2–3 cubic metres per week to 9–12 cubic metres measured through recycling collections. Balwyn’s elimination of this substantial amount of landfill every week shows that they are committed to doing their part in helping to create a sustainable future for us all.
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Through the investment of time and effort, Rowville Secondary College’s initiatives have demonstrated dedication to sustainability. Organising, planning and implementing activities to learn, play and live in a waste-free environment will lead to learning and environmental benefits now and in the future.
Waste Primary School of the Year
Winner: Bentleigh West Primary School
As a 5 Star ResourceSmart School, Bentleigh West has achieved maximum water savings through harvesting, reducing, recycling and reusing initiatives. The past year has seen these achievements extended to their sister schools in Australia and Asia to create student awareness and actions addressing the plight of global water security.
Bentleigh West Primary‘s Global Water Cooperation Project involving four sister schools, was a Finalist in the education category of the 2015 United Nations World Environment Day Awards. Students collected, compared and analysed water data from sister schools in Jakarta, Bali, Dhaka and Balgo – a remote indigenous community in the Tanami Desert, Western Australia.
Students from Balgo visited Bentleigh West and participated in water education workshops. They produced a movie documenting their findings to share with students and educators from other schools across Australia. The documentary was used to launch the 2015 Kids Teaching Kids Week.
Finalists
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Each year, the camp provides a tactile learning experience in environmental education and water conservation to over 2,500 students from across Victoria. Somers immerses resident groups in a culture of environmental awareness and accountability through sustainable living practices. Students are inspired, leaving with greater awareness and care of precious water supply available for living creatures.
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Students take action to improve the quality of the local environment. They capture attention and inform different sectors of the community on the enormous toll that litter places on the environment, our quality of life and on Victoria’s financial resources. Students have prepared brochures for the local community, stencilled drains and contributed to articles in the school newsletter, the Banyule Council GreenWrap and the local newspaper.
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At Winter’s Flat Primary School students are incredibly water wise and understand how precious this resource is at a local and global scale. They are like water detectives and are always on the lookout for a drip or leak. The school has forged an ongoing partnership with Coliban Water which is helping students to learn about water management, collection, recycling, waste prevention, usage reduction and the importance of healthy waterways.
Water Secondary School of the Year
Winner: Daylesford Secondary College
Daylesford Secondary College curriculum focuses on the appreciation of water as a precious commodity. In 2008 the school participated in the Water Exploration Think Tank (WETT) with a focus on water-based cross curricular activities in the school and feeder primary schools. This was followed by the establishment of a wetland that harvested storm water run-off
as well as the installation of three large rainwater tanks to harvest rain from the roof.
After joining the School Water Efficiency Program (SWEP) in 2014, water use in real time reporting alerted students to anomalous water use, even while the school was unattended. Year 7 and 8 students undertook a water audit to identify outlets that needed attention. The faulty devices and a major underground leak was discovered and repaired. In 2014, Daylesford Secondary also undertook the ResourceSmart Schools water module which revealed significant savings on their water bills.
Finalists
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Balwyn High School created a sustainable sports field that uses water harvested on site and does not require watering from mains. The surface area of their field, 4,000 m2, is nearly the size of the MCG. The water saving benefits of maintaining a field of this size without using mains water is immeasurable and a fantastic water saving initiative.
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Braybrook demonstrates persistence and an ongoing positive attitude towards sustainable action particularly around water conservation. Braybrook College participates in SWEP, and uses a water data logging system to identify major leaks within the school. The school has saved a large amount of money and saved a large amount of water from being wasted. Braybrook is a water saving role model to other Victorian schools.
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St Monica’s College has taken a progressive approach to educating students on water. They teach students to be leaders in water saving initiatives and by passing their knowledge of water conservation onto the local community hey are helping others be mindful of water usage in their daily practices.
Primary Student-led Action Team of the Year
Winner: Ballarat Grammar Junior School – Mount Rowan Campus
After discovering three feral kittens, a group of year 4 students identified the need to establish a feral cat management program. Set on 120 acres at Mount Rowan, the program promotes
environmental advocacy under the philosophy of caring for life. Students researched feral kittens and how to care and tame them to enable homing. Fundraising was undertaken to feed the cats and to de-sex an adult cat. Students monitored local cat populations and designed posters to educate the school community.
The students not only raised awareness of this problem but also found homes for seven cats. Research showed that, on average, four kittens a litter are born every twelve weeks. With the kittens’ kittens contributing to the population over a seven year period, these students have prevented close to 2,900 cats causing devastation to the environment. This group of students are also active in planning sustainability activities and working with Landcare
Finalists
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The Boronia Heights Primary School student action team recognised a need for change and took action to bring it about. As a result of their leadership skills other students became involved which lead to school-wide changes in the way they generate and dispose of waste. This has demonstrated that kids who have passion about sustainability can inspire others to join them and lead change throughout the community.
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At its heart, the Irymple South Primary School student action team wants to educate the community on healthy lifestyles and sustainable practices. Students are highly visible and active in the environmental program. Daily tasks include feeding the chooks the scraps and checking incubating eggs. Parents, staff, students and community representatives make up the management team, which ensures the ongoing sustainability of the program.
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Winters Flat Community Leaders are concerned for the environment and the state of the world around them. These students are challenging the wider community to reduce its carbon footprint and make sustainable changes at school and at home. They promote, monitor and reward good practice and are responsible for maintaining the high profile of sustainability in their school community.
Secondary Student-led Action Team of the Year
Winner: Warracknabeal Secondary College
Warracknabeal’s Student Environmental Action Group was formed in February this year. It’s a dynamic group of volunteers with a vision to lead on sustainability in their school community. Their role includes educating and empowering students and staff to ‘speak up and switch off!’ (lights, projectors, speakers, heaters, taps).
Following a presentation from the ResourceSmart Schools facilitator, students were inspired and empowered to begin influencing behavioural change. It began with flicking off light switches in empty rooms, opening blinds and turning off speaker knobs on interactive whiteboards.
Undercover Litter Cops gave awards to students who were seen putting rubbish in the bin instead of on the ground.
The Group recently represented the school at the Grampians Wimmera Mallee (GWM) Water Conference in Horsham where they shared information on the health of the catchment, outlined the water treatment process and compared GWM facilities to those of a developing nation.
Finalists
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EcoMacK is a passionate student action team at MacKillop Catholic Regional College who strongly advocate for environmental and social justice. The students love networking with other schools and are making plans to offer support to local primary schools in their gardening and sustainability activities. The students are determined that every action they take contributes to the bigger picture.
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Braybrook College has an ambitious environmental team whose goal is to achieve ResourceSmart Schools 5 Star accreditation and make a difference in the school community. They raise awareness about sustainability amongst the students and get them involved in events that will help reduce their greenhouse emissions and be recognised as an environmentally friendly school.
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The college’s Environment and Sustainability Student Leaders have made substantial progress in a short amount of time. Their sustainability initiatives and events have been successful and beneficial, laying the foundation to develop future strategies. The team identified the environmental shortcomings of the school and were inspired by the opportunity for change.
2015 awards booklet
The ResourceSmart Education Awards are a great opportunity to boost school’s profile, network with other Victorian school’s that excel in sustainability, and celebrate with the community
Want to know more
Get in touch:
ResourceSmart Schools Awards, Sustainability Victoria
03 8626 8747
resourcesmartawards@sustainability.vic.gov.au