School awards recognise sustainability leadership
With achievements spanning waste reduction and litter monitoring, energy and water saving and the creation of kitchen gardens and wetlands, this year’s winners of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards have demonstrated remarkable sustainability leadership.
The awards are Victoria’s largest sustainability awards for schools, shining a light on the positive work schools are doing to protect the environment.
Ten schools across the state have been recognised in the 2023 ResourceSmart Schools Awards including Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility and Braybrook College that have each won in 2 categories.
Minister for Environment, Ingrid Stitt, attended today’s awards ceremony, presenting the ResourceSmart School of the Year award to Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility.
Matt Genever, Sustainability Victoria’s Interim CEO said, “I applaud the students, teachers, school staff and volunteers who are achieving great things in sustainability and showing outstanding leadership.
“You are all tremendous role models and I know your work will inspire other schools to take action.”
The ResourceSmart Schools program supports all Victorian primary and secondary schools to embed sustainability across school facilities, community and curriculum.
Over the past 15 years, more than 1,400 schools have participated in the program, saving more than $41 million on bills, reducing more than 118,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases through energy, water and waste efficiencies, diverting 194,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill, and planting more than 5 million trees.
2023 ResourceSmart School Award winners:
ResourceSmart School of the Year: Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility, Ringwood East.
Emerging School of the Year: Ardeer South Primary School, Sunshine West.
Campus Infrastructure and Operations School of the Year: Castlemaine Steiner School and Kindergarten, Muckleford.
School Volunteer of the Year: St Therese’s School, Essendon.
Primary Teacher of the Year: Ms Danielle Lamport, Monbulk Primary School, Monbulk.
Secondary Teacher of the Year: Ms Rowena Archer, Braybrook College, Braybrook.
Student Action Team of the Year (Primary): Overnewton Anglican Community College, Keilor.
Student Action Team of the Year (Secondary): Victory Lutheran College, Wodonga.
Community Leadership School of the Year (Primary): Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility, Ringwood East.
Community Leadership School of the Year (Secondary): Braybrook College, Braybrook.
Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Primary): Chewton Primary School, Chewton.
Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Secondary): Lilydale Heights College, Lilydale.