Discover the benefits of joining ResourceSmart Schools
Are you an educator who is passionate about the environment?
Ready to make your school community more sustainable and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders?
Looking for support and structure to make it happen?
We invite schools across Victoria to join the award-winning ResourceSmart Schools program, designed to help schools embed sustainability in everything they do. And it’s free.
Since 2008, more than 1,600 schools have participated in the program and:
- saved more than $63 million on bills
- planted 5.1 million trees
- avoided more than 110,000 tonnes CO2e (greenhouse gas emissions)
- diverted 170,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill
- saved 1.9 million kilolitres of water.
Case study: Carrum Primary School
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Amanda Carmichael:
Carrum Primary School has always been involved in sustainability.
One term every year at our school is devoted to sustainability in our curriculum, and our whole school is behind that. Our normal is other people’s extraordinary.
Marcus Mulcahy:
Sustainability Victoria has been a really important part of who we are as a school.
Amanda Carmichael:
Sustainability Victoria runs the ResourceSmart Schools program, which gives you a really clear set of guidelines as to what you should be doing to achieve a 5 Star sustainable school. Our main sustainability initiatives at Carrum revolve around our reduction of waste, energy usage, water usage and the way that we actually approach our local and community environment.
We have chooks, goats, birds and we have children that look after the whole lot.
Marcus Mulcahy:
The kids from prep all the way through to grade six go around and pick up the food scraps around our school and they have a whole program where the kids manage the farm on a daily basis.
Amanda Carmichael:
Around the school we have vegetable beds where we grow produce that's in season, and then we actually use it in our kitchen for cooking.
The children plant the produce, they weed it, they look after it, they harvest it, and then, best of all, they eat it.
When you walk around the school, what you won’t see is rubbish. What you won’t see are bins. We actually aim at zero waste. What you will see are children interacting with animals. You will see children who are taking time out just to watch birds and look at their environment.
Marcus Mulcahy:
One beautiful thing about it is that we share that knowledge with other schools as well too. So other schools come to Carrum Primary School just to see what's possible. It’s been an unbelievable thing for our school to win ResourceSmart Schools, School of the Year.
Amanda Carmichael:
When we actually won, they were over the top. One school can achieve whatever they put their mind to. If you’ve got people that care about the environment and want to make a difference, you can do it.
Why join ResourceSmart Schools?
- Enhance learning: Integrate sustainability into the curriculum, providing students with learning experiences around waste, energy, water and biodiversity.
- Build community: Engage students, staff, and the wider community in meaningful sustainability projects.
- Professional development: Join a network of passionate sustainability teachers and access free workshops and development opportunities.
- Achieve recognition: Gain certification and recognition for your school's sustainability efforts. Enter the annual ResourceSmart School Awards.
- Save money: Reduce energy, water, and waste costs, freeing up funds for other important school activities.
How it works
- Register your school: Sign up to get started on your sustainability journey.
- Meet your facilitator and access resources: Each registered school is assigned their own program facilitator to guide them step-by-step through the program.
- Set goals and implement actions: ResourceSmart Schools is a flexible, self-paced program that can help your school meet its unique sustainability goals.
- Track progress: Use our online platform to monitor your achievements.
'The RSS program develops confidence, responsibility, maturity, and practicalities not found in classroom-based 'feel good' sessions. It relates to real life, real issues, and our very real planet'
Ready to join?
Become a ResourceSmart School today.
Want to find out more?
Sign up to receive emails about the ResourceSmart Schools program.