ResourceSmart Schools Awards – 2023 Winners and Finalists
For the 14th edition of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards, we're celebrating everyone who has been working so hard at achieving great things – no action is too small.
Tomorrow’s leaders have arrived. Our young people and schools are already leading the way on sustainability, creating real impact for Victorian communities beyond the school gate.
We celebrate everyone in our ResourceSmart Schools community who has worked to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum over the past year and everyone who entered this year’s Awards.
Read the ResourceSmart Schools Awards 2023 program (pdf, 10MB) to learn more about the winners and finalists.
Emerging School of the Year
A category that celebrates a school that has recently joined RSS and has already started to embed sustainability in everything they do.
Winner: Ardeer South Primary School, Sunshine West
The power of research, grants, and community action.
Students, staff and parents are all behind this school’s brand-new urban forest, food-producing garden and orchard, Lilly Pilly courtyard, community greenhouse, and their beloved Hope Garden. These spaces were designed to improve students’ wellbeing and local biodiversity.
Grants from Woolworths, DEECA, Brimbank Council, and Queen’s Jubilee Tree Planting Program supported the set up of these areas that are diligently cared for by the school’s Foresters and Farmers student leaders and the Gardening Club.
A whole school-run competition supported learning about passive shading to increase canopy cover, while research informed the Hope Garden wellbeing aspirations.
A mix of research, grant applications, community passion, and local inspiration were the key ingredients for Ardeer South Primary School’s amazing green journey.
Finalists
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All wheels in motion: an inspirational top-down approach.
Geelong Grammar’s 4 campuses joined ResourceSmart Schools in 2022. Among their many sustainability activities, the school designed a new Sustainability Policy and Action Plan, appointed a sustainability manager, replanted indigenous and native plants, and installed 265kW of solar panels across two campuses.
The school also used baseline data collected from sustainability activities as a resource for learning.
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Strong foundations and student action for a long-lasting journey.
With support from the principal and staff, parents at this school have established the Waste Warriors group, the Garden Club, and have a parent representing sustainability on School Council.
They ran a workshop that resulted in the introduction of the Student Environment Club and sustainability captains to continue their ResourceSmart journey.
Campus infrastructure and Operations School of the Year
Celebrating the school that best demonstrates their commitment to environmental sustainability.
Winner: Castlemaine Steiner School and Kindergarten, Muckleford
A school designed with permaculture principles and community spirit.
Parents and students built the school’s first buildings from mud bricks and followed permaculture practices from the very beginning.
The school established its own wetland and island and now uses this area to work on the River Detectives program, planting native trees, watching birds, and weaving cumbungi to clean wastewater.
The Bushfood Island was created by collecting water from the surrounding area in a dam and the entire wetland includes 3 effluent ponds, one dam, and four large water tanks. Surface water from the school grounds feeds into the dam and storm water is used for gardening and firefighting purposes.
This school has solar panels and energy-efficient lighting that cut down bills by 25 to 30 per cent. However, their monumental water infrastructure and the fact that they attracted over 120 species of birds with their wetland-island haven is what makes this school a rare permaculture gem.
Finalists
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Green areas to inspire great waste-avoidance practices.
The Foresters and Farmers student group became the drivers of a system of food waste caddies collected each lunchtime from classrooms. The school has also installed water tanks and Biofilta Food Cubes, which are paid forward by delivering surplus crops to Food Bank.
The school’s impressive Urban Forest and Hope Garden provide students with spaces for wellbeing, recreation, and immersive learning.
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Embedding sustainability one firm step at a time.
In 3 years, parents, staff, and students have introduced solar panels, LED lights, a multiple waste stream bin system, and heat pumps for hot water, ensuring a sustainable space for students to learn.
Staff members work with student leaders to engage them in the process of drafting the School Environmental Management Plan and ensure the achievement of their targets.
School Volunteer of the Year
Celebrating a volunteer or volunteer group who supports the implementation of sustainability activities by contributing their time and expertise.
Winner: St Therese’s School, Essendon
The Dads club: the parental environmental action committee.
Inspired by the ABC War on Waste documentary, a group of parents contacted the schools featured in the show to exchange ideas. This action inspired students to audit the canteen and ban toxic products but also kickstarted sustainability in the school.
The Parental Environmental Action Committee formed by 20 fathers hosted a waste-free camping experience with 40 students using portable bins to educate them on waste streams.
One of the dads, the owner of a sustainability-oriented workwear company, sponsored a stand at the school fete where he addressed fast fashion and its impact on water consumption.
This dad-led club donates its time and expertise to embed sustainability in the school while raising a generation of environmentally-conscious children.
Finalists
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It only takes 2 to kickstart a change.
The Overnewton Parent Sustainability Group started with one determined parent and one committed teacher wanting to support the Students Sustainability Group.
In a short time, they have encouraged audits at both campuses, built a new garden, drafted sustainable policies, supported the delivery of the School Environment Management Plan, and invited another ResourceSmart school to share their activities and motivate staff.
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The gardening rockstars: educating with expertise and passion.
In 2018, parents Anthony Moran and Melinda Williams turned their school’s run-down garden into a source of vegetables using sustainable practices.
Anthony and Melinda established Thursday Garden Club and the Composting Posse, supported the student-led Waste Warriors and Environment Club, and have inspired children to care and make informed decisions for their environment.
Teacher of the Year
This category recognises teachers who best demonstrate leadership in sustainability.
Primary Teacher Winner: Ms Danielle Lamport, Monbulk Primary School, Monbulk
Forging a culture of responsible leaders.
Danielle started her ResourceSmart journey in 2015 as the sole member of the sustainability team. She is responsible for the school’s 4 Star certification, embedding sustainability in the science curriculum for all year levels, and adding renewable energy activities in the STEM program.
Under Danielle’s guidance, student leaders introduced a rubbish-free lunch policy, created a list for parents of non-packaged snacks and contacted local businesses to source lunchboxes with separate compartments.
In 7 years, Danielle has created a staff sustainability team, introduced sustainability captains, supported the environmental national days, and spearheaded new infrastructure such as solar panels, water tanks, LED lights, and a kitchen garden.
Although Danielle has certainly contributed to the school infrastructure, it is her ability to shape and empower environmentally-aware generations that is her greatest achievement.
Finalists
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The impact of resource use reduction and student action.
The driving force behind the 3 Stars achieved by her school is Alison, the sustainability coordinator. She mentors several student action teams and has created the school’s sustainability webpage.
Alison’s work on the ResourceSmart Schools program saved the school $44,000 on bills. In 2022, through the B&B Highway Program, Alison also set up native garden beds to educate students and increase local biodiversity.
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Knowledge and action, two joint forces to promote sustainability.
Jemma is described by colleagues as the “embodiment of a sustainable crusader”. She teaches, mentors students, secures grants and works closely with the Mornington Peninsula Shire on zero single-use plastics targets.
This environmental science teacher is also responsible for the SubPod that now diverts 90 per cent of the school’s food waste from landfill, contributing to the school’s 2 Star certification.
Secondary Teacher Winner: Ms Rowena Archer, Braybrook College, Braybrook
Over 20 years of environmental stewardship.
Rowena’s vision for sustainability started in the 90s when she instigated the inclusion of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Environmental Studies elective. Her innovative eye is also behind the school’s Year 7 Environment Day, a yearly event with impacts on the whole community, and the 2022 Climate Emergency Program, which involved 500 students.
Heading the school’s Careers Team, Rowena’s creativity stood out as she worked with a local virtual reality company to secure the launch of the students’ Climate Change VR experience.
Rowena’s negotiation skills saw the school increase its solar panels from 3 to 100kW, conduct a carbon audit, source a specialised air‑quality analysis machine, and install new water tanks and waste and biodiversity facilities.
Rowena’s dedication is infectious and has inspired parents, and ensured students enjoy a culture of sustainability. Colleagues describe Rowena as “Braybrook College’s teacher of the century”.
Finalists
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Inspiring a new generation of environmental professionals.
Andrew’s positive footprint changed the school. He has embedded sustainability in the curriculum, supported green events and purchasing policies, encouraged renewable energy, secured emissions reductions and saved $524,000 on bills.
Andrew’s inspiration also transcends the school gate. He presented green careers options for Vocational Education and Training students, leading to 26 enrolments in natural and physical sciences university courses in 2022.
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Changing the sustainability approach in the curriculum.
One of Judith’s greatest legacies is the Green Tradies Program, where volunteers and students work on weed management, composting, and harvesting vegetables to then cook meals, bringing the community together while enriching students, learning experience.
She also introduced the Leadership for Sustainability Group, worked with Agricultural and Horticultural students on permaculture, and created the school’s outdoor classroom.
Curriculum Leadership School of the Year
This category recognises teaching and learning of sustainability through the Victorian curriculum, and the creative and innovative approaches to addressing sustainability in lesson plans, units of work or school-wide curriculum.
Primary School Winner: Chewton Primary School, Chewton
Connecting with First Nation people to learn about sustainable practices.
The School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP), developed by parents and the School Council, became the base of the Whole School Inquiry Scope and Sequence with sustainability at its core.
In 2022, the whole school completed a STEM biodiversity unit, learning about culture, history, science, and ethics, culminating in a Reconciliation Walk along the banks of Forest Creek to Me-Mandook Galk, the ‘grandmother tree’. Students investigated the sustainability practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and created a series of storyboards along the walk.
Grade 5 and 6 students learnt about the value of habitat protection, while foundation and grade 1 and 2 students worked on waste and tackled the school’s biggest litter problem, muesli bar wrappers, by making home-made bars to inspire the community.
Students from grade 3 and 4 investigated energy efficiency, which influenced the school’s lighting upgrades.
Finalists
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Real-life examples for real-life problems.
The school’s transdisciplinary approach encourages students to connect and transfer their learning. The curriculum includes activities on sustainable resource use and excursions for all year levels.
For instance, grade 5 students enquired into a unit, Energy Reduction Can Impact Life. They tracked the school’s energy bills to study ways to reduce their consumption, while enhancing their mathematical and communication skills.
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Fostering personal pledges with a 5 Star curriculum.
Foundation to year 6 students completed environmental sustainability as a specialist subject while incorporating science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
Grade 5 and 6 students participated in a sustainable photo trail, following clues to find different sustainable features at school, leading them to make personal pledges and analyse individual actions, taking their 5 Star commitment beyond the school gate.
Secondary School Winner: Lilydale Heights College, Lilydale
Environmental awareness and responsibility across all levels.
Students across the school teamed up to perform resource audits covering litter, ocean plastic waste, biodiversity and general waste.
Year 7 Maths students were responsible for litter, year 9 Humanities students cared for biodiversity, and year 10 Sustainable Futures students looked after waste.
Science and Humanities students from year 8 worked together on the Ocean Plastic Waste unit, which focussed on solutions to environmental problems from a human and ecosystem perspective.
Year 10 Kitchen Garden students learnt about horticulture, science, and food technology from a sustainability perspective.
All year levels were offered the Student Engagement in Learning for the Future (SELF) subject in 2022, providing the Sustainability Team and the Sustainability Captains with the opportunity to create a lesson on waste streaming.
Lilydale Heights is proud to have a First Nations advocate and Indigenous perspectives are integrated across the curriculum.
Finalists
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An innovative approach to engage on environmental action.
This school addresses sustainability in creative forms, with students writing and producing a climate change play, working on the school’s solar panels, gathering data from energy bills and participating in Environment Day activities.
Members of staff also hold a dedicated meeting to discuss environmental initiatives and improvements around the school.
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From scratch: working for a whole school approach to sustainability.
Harnessing an education model that equips pupils with tools and experiences to face real-life challenges, Croydon Community School students started a Student Representative Council with sustainability at its core.
Thanks to teacher Ms Stephanie Brown, students also participated in a sustainability camp and attended excursions with Maroondah City Council and the Community Alliance for Waste Reduction and Sustainability.
Community Leadership School of the Year
This category recognises schools that best demonstrate a commitment to community leadership through the encouragement of innovative sustainability practices and action on climate change.
Primary School Winner: Eastwood Primary School & Deaf Facility, Ringwood East
Generosity and partnerships for collective action.
With a long-lasting commitment to sustainability, this 5 Star school worked closely with Maroondah Council, participating in incursions, Tree Day, and Ride and Walk to School activities. The school also partnered with Bedford Park Community Group and Precious Plastics to recycle plastic bottle tops.
With a Climate and Health Small Grant from EACH, the school was able to improve their kitchen garden program by addressing climate change and extending access to all students. This initiative provided Ringwood Church of Christ with soup for families in need.
The school contributed to the Department of Education’s Sustainable Schools resource development by providing input and reviewing documents.
A school delegation from the US visited the campus in 2022. The visitors enjoyed a student-led tour, learnt about ResourceSmart Schools, participated in a kitchen session, and will hopefully follow in the footsteps of this remarkable community-oriented school.
Finalists
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Sharing intergenerational knowledge in the garden.
Every fortnight, students from all year levels completed gardening and cooking activities, learning about climate change and sustainable food practices.
They also had the opportunity to connect with traditions and celebrations like Rosh Hashanah, Tree Day, Earth Day, and Grandfather Day where volunteers and grandparents shared knowledge and stories with the children.
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Student-led action on climate change research.
The school’s student action team, the Waa’s Helpers, took RMIT students on a tour around campus to identify challenges faced by overheating. With the help of RMIT and Brimbank Council, students found solutions to these problems while learning more about the science of climate change.
The school also donates repurposed clothing items to communities in Zambia and Elcho Island.
Secondary School Winner: Braybrook College, Braybrook
Meaningful experiences that inspire a whole community.
In 2022, the school’s Environment Committee invited a local politician to talk about sustainability, which planted the seed for the school to aim for carbon neutrality, a path they are already well on their way to achieving.
Braybrook College’s carbon neutrality ambitions are backed by a multi-pronged approach that upskills students and staff while engaging with the community. The school encourages recycling and reuse with stations for old batteries and mobile phones, as well as book exchanges.
The traditional Year 7 Environment Day revolves around sustainability-related topics. Students and staff attended the Meteorology, Water, and Virtual Reality climate change workshop, learnt from Fisheries Victoria facilitators, and enjoyed a silent disco activity with sustainability themed music.
Throughout 2022, students have also participated in the Ride2School Day, Earth Hour, audits and activities to increase biodiversity, and the Seeds for Space program.
Finalist
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Student-led approach to tackle local and national problems.
Students from Viewbank College’s Sustainability Group and the Young Persons Plan for the Planet program (YPPP) built a vertical native garden using recycled components, collected with the help of the whole school community.
YPPP students expanded their scope of influence by attending the 2022 Conference in Townsville to discuss water quality management and solutions to ensure the health of the Great Barrier Reef.
Student Action Team of the Year
Celebrating student teams that best demonstrate environmental leadership.
Primary School Winner: Overnewton Anglican Community College, Yirramboi campus, Keilor
Making noise to make a point.
With weekly meetings, the Waa’s Helpers remain determined to promote positive environmental change. They presented at the North West Communities for Climate Action Conference, attended the Schools Strike 4 Climate, and regularly provide sustainability updates during school assemblies, on social media, and even in the local press.
This motivated student action team was pivotal in achieving the school’s 1 Star certification. They created signage on waste and energy action and introduced plants in each classroom. Moreover, they entered the Environment Education Victoria’s Sustainability Test Competition, winning a worm farm for the school.
For Sustainability Week, the team invited The Little Litter Project to present ways to eliminate litter.
The Waa’s Helpers also worked with RMIT students on analysing the effect of climate change on their school, expanding their perspectives and spheres of influence.
Finalists
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Student action with local impact.
The Sustainability Team improved the biodiversity within the school but also in the wider community by revegetating an area across the road from the school. The team engaged with the local council and contacted local nurseries to determine what would be the most suitable to plant.
Revegetating this area provided habitats for wildlife and engaged the wider community.
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Giving back to the community and the local environment.
This 4 Star school’s sustainability team formed by 93 students ran Sustainability Day, a school-wide activity based on studying and working on natural resources. To finance future activities, the team ran a fortnightly sustainability raffle with a prize of fresh produce from the garden.
They also participate each month in a beach monitoring activity run by Port Fairy Coastal Group.
Secondary School Winner: Victory Lutheran College, Wodonga
Organised action for clear goals.
The school’s ResourceSmart Team is made up of 23 students from years 5 to 11. Meeting fortnightly, their agenda includes discussing available grants and competitions, recycling initiatives, and crafting and selling eco-bricks and food wraps.
Their determination and outstanding organisational skills were crucial to achieving the school’s 2 Star certification.
To promote biodiversity, the team organised a frog discovery tour and monitored species in their ecosystem using the Australian Museum Frog ID App. They also undertook pollinator counts and participated in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count.
They encourage sustainable behaviour among their peers by promoting recycling, compost bins, solar cones and sharing second-hand uniforms between families.
The ResourceSmart Team promotes their activities based on module progression, as well as environmental community events, to keep everyone in the loop on sustainability action for a healthier environment.
Finalists
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A sustainability-oriented governance and civic education approach.
The senior Environment Action Team played a major role in developing the school’s first Sustainability Policy through the collection of data and reviewing the final draft.
Their interest in civic matters and the environment is extraordinary. They joined a classroom politics debate with the grade 6 leaders, and developed and submitted a video rejecting a nearby gas terminal.
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Seniors mentoring juniors to lead by example.
The Green Team, formed by senior and junior students, joined the Recycle Right Initiative and completed volunteer work experience at an Indigenous nursery to learn about features to attract biodiversity.
Alongside the CERES team, the Senior Pathways Sustainability Group undertook a biodiversity audit that led students to build insect hotels and make scarecrows using recycled materials to improve the campus.
ResourceSmart School of the Year
This category recognises outstanding sustainability achievement in Victorian primary and secondary schools through:
- positive impact and innovation
- addressing sustainability as a cross-curriculum priority in the Victorian Curriculum
- engaging the broader community
- improvements to campus operations and/ infrastructure
- sustainability leadership in the education sector/other schools.
Winner: Eastwood Primary School & Deaf Facility
Over a decade of enduring action.
This 5 Star school represents the primary sector in the Eastern Alliance for Sustainable Learning (EASL) educators reference group. Always happy to support their peers, they have become leaders among Victorian schools.
The school embeds sustainability as a cross-curricular priority and dedicates a whole school term to environmental learning. Additionally, the school supported the Department of Education by reviewing sustainability resources.
Last year, the school community regenerated their campus by repairing planter boxes, renewing garden beds, reviving package‑free food days, and bringing back the Active Travel Weekly Tally Competition.
Eastwood Primary School & Deaf Facility joined the program over 12 years ago, achieved 5 Star status in 2020, and is the 2023 ResourceSmart School of the Year thanks to their remarkable commitment to achieving great things for the environment.
Finalists
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Student agency with local impact.
On its way to achieve 5 Star certification, this school encouraged student curiosity and action through their Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning Program, activities with local organisations, and their horticulture, science and agriculture subjects.
The school’s Outdoor Learning Space Master Plan was developed by students who received advice from Wurundjeri Elders to rehabilitate a nearby area for biodiversity and learning purposes
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A contagious enthusiasm beneficial to the sea.
Students of this 4 Star school supported the Port Fairy Coastal Group by recording and monitoring data on erosion levels at two local beaches. The collected data is used in literacy and numeracy classroom activities, with the findings later reported to the community.
The passion of these students is so contagious that a nearby school has joined them in their coastal mission.