ResourceSmart Schools Awards – 2024 Finalists

The Kew Eco Crew kickstarted after the school discovered high electricity bills linked to phantom power usage – when devices are on but unused.

The team liaised with solar industry leaders and led the school to successfully apply for the Greener Government School Buildings Program.

The students introduced checklists to ensure non-essential appliances are off outside of school hours. In one year, the motivated Kew Eco Crew inspired the community and saved 50,000 kWh of usage for the planet.

This school joined ResourceSmart Schools Program in 2023 and has already achieved 2 stars.

The school introduced HEROES (Harvest, Eat, Record, Observe, Environment, Sustainability), a subject that quickly became the school community’s core.

Staff, students, families, council officers, local tradespeople and nurseries came together to build infrastructure, including a chicken coop and orchards for the HEROES program.

Second-hand materials were donated and fallen trees were repurposed for the HEROES kitchen. Students create video updates, tend to the garden, and inspire environmental action.

The school’s environmental journey began in 2022 with the formation of the Sustainability Team.

The students write newsletters, conduct energy audits, and educate peers on sustainability topics such as efficient heating and cooling.

The team transforms food waste into compost for the campus gardens. This action has diverted 70kg of food waste from cooking classes from landfill.

With the support of the executive team and teachers, these amazing students are thriving in sustainability at the school.

The college integrates sustainability into policies, infrastructure plans, and the curriculum providing an immersive sustainability experience for students.

The school promotes the use of second-hand books, the purchase of recycled paper, and the collection of unused electronic devices via Mobile Muster.

The school recently installed 450 solar panels and 2 water tanks to reduce their resource use and students learn about First Nations’ people and culture and collaborate with organisations to improve biodiversity in the local area.

After students conducted a whole of school waste audit and staff monitored high traffic areas, the school identified a need for the introduction of 8 waste streams.

Following implementation, the school has continued to demonstrate its dedication and success in sustainability initiatives.

In one year, the school diverted over a tonne of waste from landfill, including the transformation of organic waste into biofuel, installed 449 solar panels, and rainwater tanks that help save 464 kilolitres of water annually.

In 2023, the school’s Grade 5/6 Passions & Pathways program led to the creation of a sensory garden in the junior playground.

The students of this 5 Star school helped design and build the garden, using local and recycled materials, and now manage its maintenance. The garden aligns with the school’s Care for Environment focus, promoting wellbeing, stewardship, whilst providing an interactive space for students and the wider community to enjoy.

The Friends of Port Melbourne Primary School (PMPS) Garden Group, comprising of 18 members, combines horticultural expertise with a passion for learning.

Renowned for their resourcefulness, the group builds gardens using recycled and donated materials and host the Wednesday Garden Club.

The team created a memorial garden, and a sensory garden and contributed to the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor Initiative.

The Wednesday Garden Club offers students hands-on experience in planting and maintaining green spaces, fostering connections with local biodiversity and community action.

This Parent Sustainability Group with 30-plus members, tap into their varied skillsets to benefit the school. For instance, an engineer organised professional energy audits on each campus, and sustainability experts supported students undertaking waste projects.

Their creativity led them to develop the Party Kit Network program for families to host events without relying on single-use plastics.

With this team’s support, the school achieved their one star, won 2 ResourceSmart Schools Awards, and became a sustainability beacon within their community.

Laura’s school only joined ResourceSmart Schools in 2023. In just one year, Laura has embedded sustainability in the curriculum and engaged the local community using her creativity.

Laura developed programs such as the Holiday Family Sustainability Competition which encouraged students to improve sustainable behaviours at home and created the Waste Warriors house point system to encourage plastic-free lunch boxes.

Laura’s passion connected the school with local organisations such as Yarra Ranges Council and the achievement of 2-star status in record time.

The Green Gals, comprised of Gill, Sarah, and Erin, are an intergenerational teaching team that champions sustainability learning and lead 35 students who form the Green Magpies.

Connecting with the local community is the cornerstone of their work, having showcased their initiatives at the Bendigo Sustainability Festival and in mentoring neighbouring schools.

Their efforts culminated in the school achieving 5-star status, celebrated with a community flash mob and a visit from the mayor.

Sarah, Jacq and Anna have propelled their school to achieve 3 stars in two years by mobilising the entire community.

The trio guide the student Sustainability Leaders and the Nature Ambassadors from each year level. They have successfully advocated for sustainable lighting and waste reduction on campus whilst educating their colleagues on how to incorporate this learning into curriculum.

Their leadership inspired Sustainability Leaders to write and perform a play about local flora and fauna, showcased at the school’s Green Day event.

Andrew has been instrumental in the school achieving a 4-star status.

As the school’s Sustainability Leader, his expertise in integrating the environment into the curriculum, guidance on career pathways, and support in building and sharing networks encourages his students to pursue future careers in sustainability.

With Andrew’s support, his students lead Sustainability Week activities, participate in the Green Innovators Sustainable Building Program, school revegetation projects, and an environmental debate at the Go Green conference.

As the school’s Sustainability and Agriculture Coordinator, Dwayne is a dedicated leader.

Dwayne founded the Sustainability Committee, coordinated the school’s inaugural Sustainability Week and promotion of national environmental initiatives such as Clean Up days and Earth Hour.

Under Dwayne’s leadership, Aitken College attained 5 star status in 2023. As part of his legacy, Dwayne has forged partnerships that see students working on biodiversity projects with organisations such as Major Roads Project Victoria and Hume City Council.

Teagan led the creation of the school’s inaugural Sustainability Team after noticing students’ interest in a litter audit. She then reviewed the curriculum to identify potential for improvements to sustainability education at the college, using data to guide campus initiatives.

Teagan collaborates with staff and leadership to develop policies and practices and introduced a composting system engaging Year 7 students in learning about food waste.

The school integrates learning with sustainability through a speciality subject aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Year 3 students address the No Hunger goal by collecting and donating food, toys and clothing to local organisations. Years 5 and 6 focus on Responsible Production and Consumption, designing products and circular economy models.

The school prioritises hands on activities while developing literacy and numeracy skills. Students apply geometry and measurement skills to design campus infrastructure and undertake investigations learning about natural disasters.

The school partners with tertiary institutions and local organisations to inform curriculum and connect students learning to local issues. Students participated in the youth-led Sustainable Solutions project organised hosted by City of Ballarat and VicHealth. They attended 8 workshops and pitched their ideas to government leaders and politicians.

Through the school’s storyboards initiative, the students explored topics related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. They created storyboards to address the issues, share ideas on solutions, and showcased their brilliant and creative minds.

The whole-school approach to teaching sustainability has been achieved by introducing the HEROES specialist inquiry subject (Harvest, Eat, Record, Observe, Environment, Sustainability) which students participate in weekly.

The subject is aligned with ResourceSmart Schools module progression and aim to be creative in involving students in resource auditing, designing solutions for biodiversity health and waste management. As part of HEROES, students have researched, designed and planted the school’s Australian Native Food Garden and after a thorough investigation made changes to school waste management behaviours.

This 5-star school creates an immersive learning experience for its students. From the wildlife corridor, a school farm and Brodie’s Creek, the school campus provides a perfect backdrop for environmental science, agriculture and horticulture studies.

Students investigate habitats for endangered species, alternative methods of horticulture and sustainable farming, all through hands-on learning.

Inside the classroom, students are given opportunities to investigate recycling plastic waste through repurposing plastic bottle tops in the Precious Plastics unit, which incorporates Science, English, Maths, Design, Technology and Visual Arts.

The college prioritises sustainability in everything it does. This is evident from the Outdoor Classroom, the efforts made to engage a variety of learners, partnerships with community groups and the emphasise placed on career pathways.

The school strives to foster confidence in students to affect positive environmental change.

Year 7 students are upskilled in climate mitigation through “Oxygen Makers” unit where they conduct audits and design revegetation and waste solutions. Senior Geography students, inspired by the UN COP28 webinar, pitched a new action plan to school leadership.

The school has integrated all disciplines to have a focus on sustainability, guided by UN Sustainable Development Goals.

As part of Year 9 STEM, students made their own tiny houses by using laser cutters. The students were encourage to think about passive design, sustainable materials and thermal comfort when building their tiny house.

In addition, the school wetland serves as a educational resource for biodiversity studies. One student programmed a Raspberry Pi computer to record bird sounds, contributing to Cornell University’s Artificial Intelligence collection.

In 2023, the school re-engaged with ResourceSmart Schools, achieved 1-star status, introduced the Science and Sustainability class, and established both student and parent action teams.

This momentum led students to organise the Harvest Festival, a community event dedicated to addressing and transforming excess produce.

The school also founded the Science and Sustainability Network, an event that brings local schools together to support and learn from each other.

Staff collaborated with the University of Melbourne to integrate sustainability across all subject areas. From this, Year 5 and 6 teachers developed a unit of work involving local sustainability leaders, starting with the local Wadawurrung community.

The STEAM students learnt alongside their community on River Detectives to manage the local Yarrowee Creek.

They participated in excursions and incursions, designed their own sustainable living strategy, and presented it to a panel of experts, including the local mayor.

This 5-star school integrates sustainability and community engagement seamlessly.

Students visit Volcano Produce to learn about spray-free farming practices and distribute harvested food items to the local food share. Weekly lessons involve upcycling fabric into boomerang bags, to support the Bandari Project for underprivileged children and women in Tanzania.

For 7 years, students have contributed to the local Beach Monitoring Program, earning them recognition on ABC local radio for their environmental efforts.

This Sustainability Action Team partners with community to enhance biodiversity.

Working with local groups, like Treasure our Trees, students improve and maintain gardens, including an indigenous garden with Australian Native Food plants and a yarning circle.

Working with Clean Up Australia Day volunteers, the group cleaned up the rail trail from Tecoma to Belgrave. While at school students educate their peers on waste management, manage worm farms and chickens, and sell eggs to fundraise for future garden projects.

Aitken College students work with Melbourne Water’s Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways Program by planting indigenous species in Brodie’s Creek, a known habitat for several endangered species.

The students also collect plastic bottles for recycling with local community and businesses through the Precious Plastics Program.

The college is engaged with Hume City Council’s Seedlings for Schools and Flick the Switch initiatives. Returning the favour, Council Officers ran workshops for Aitken College’s Sustainability Week.

In partnership with the Banyule Council, students contribute to tree planting days and in waste and biodiversity management projects.

The college extends its environmental efforts to support endangered species by participating in Zoos Victoria’s Fighting Extinction program.

The curriculum includes First Nations perspectives[, which considered in the way the school manages its natural resources.

Additionally, the college shares knowledge and resources with local primary schools, inspiring peers to create a greener future.

This school is a hub for community sustainability education and events.

The college invites primary schools to participate in the First Nations Immersion Day, where students learn how First Australians care for Country, and respectful and sustainable use of resources.

The curriculum includes green careers and science-based solutions, and the college collaborates with water authorities and the local council on biodiversity projects.

The school also facilitates sustainability discussions through networks like Beyond Net Zero schools and the Eastern Alliance for Sustainable Learning.

After attending the 2023 ResourceSmart School Awards, 5 students launched the school’s Eco Club. Now with 20 members, the club runs 4 key activities.

The Lids4Kids initiative collects lids for recycling, the Nesting Box project which builds and installs nesting boxes on campus, the Bird Hide project which repurposed a disused shelter for birdwatching, and the Wetland Project which encourages stewardship and wildlife data collection among the student body.

In addition to this, 2 digital-savvy students run a YouTube channel about local wildlife.

The school’s action team researched soft plastics on campus and focused their efforts on trying to reduce and avoid waste.

The students organised a month-long wrapper-free lunchbox competition and created educational materials to educate the community. This resulted in a 90% reduction in school soft plastic use.

The team collaborated with local, federal, and state authorities to promote and support the cause, and partnered with academics to explore plastic-eating fungi for soft plastic disposal.

This Green Team is active in supporting school events and fundraising for sustainability causes. They promote further action through their Green Talks’ initiative.

This team leads the school’s Harvest Festival, collecting surplus produce from homes, orchards, farms, and businesses. Helping the community address food waste by marketing, transforming, and sharing, excess produce.

These dedicated students are role models for their peers and are inspiring positive change in their community.

The Eco Crew students have been busy tackling waste and improving biodiversity.

The team planted 12 in-ground composting worm towers to improve soil quality in the gardens.

The students displayed maps for tower locations and installed compost caddies across the campus. The STEM leaders also got involved in designing signs to encourage the broader community to use the towers.

The students then shared their project in a presentation at a Kids Teaching Kids Conference.

The school’s co-curricular program engages 90 students in sustainability initiatives.

As part of the Circular Economy Program the students collect food scraps and freshly picked weeds to feed the school chickens and sell eggs to staff.

The team visits the school’s wetland on a weekly basis where they conduct clean-ups, weeding, planting, aquatic pest removal, and biodiversity audits.

The student’s presentation at the Whittlesea Council Environmental Conference on their goal for enhancing biodiversity in their wetlands and adjoining Darebin Creek was well received.

This 22-member Sustainability Team is dedicated to making their school more environmentally friendly.

The group established school composting systems to divert organic waste from landfill, planted native gardens and organised tree planting events.

The school successfully reduced its energy consumption by conducting an audit and running a targeted campaign. Whilst the team also host community workshops and events, which fosters a culture of sustainability in the local community.

The school’s award-nominated Reconciliation Action Plan reflects a strong community bond, fuelled by conscious student action.

The local Koorie Engagement Officer collaborates with Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation to incorporate First Nations perspectives into the school’s sustainability focused, award-winning curriculum.

Students collaborate with local groups on revegetation projects in their nearby reserve and Forrest Creek.

The Dog Poop Protest, a student initiative, later supported by Parks Victoria, educates the community on waterway pollution.

The school champions biodiversity efforts on and off campus.

By partnering with the Dolphin Research Institute, Port Philip Bay Eco Centre and local council, the school takes shared responsibility for looking after local marine and coastal ecosystems.

Together with neighbouring schools and community members, students planted 1000 native trees and continue to monitor litter and waste in the community.

During the school’s Green Day event, the community established a Jurassic Park-themed interactive garden for students’ enjoyment and learning.

This 5-star school is a local hub for sustainability in schools’ action.

The school hosts Teacher Environment Network meetings and contributed to the Department of Education’s Sustainability in Schools Policy.

By joining the Container Deposit Scheme and implementing a smart bin system, the surrounding community decreased its landfill waste.

The school campus features a wetland and biodiversity outdoor learning area, making for a rich learning environment for this small school of 53 motivated students.