Working with school communities

Embedding sustainability long term, takes a whole school approach. We work across school communities to get great results. Solway Primary School  has been a 5 Star ResourceSmart School for over 8 years.  Here are some of their achievements: 
  • 5 Star ResourceSmart certification
  • Boroondara Sustainable School of the year (2012)
  • Established a strong Parent/Teacher Sustainability Team
  • Engaged students through leadership and peer to peer learning

Engaging and empowering students

Working with Pinewood Primary School's Green Team delivered a great sustainability program, helping students brain storm their vision, develop their action plan and set their sustainability goals. Some of these goals included:
  • Creating a biodiversity haven around their pond
  • Energy efficiencies through a  ‘Switch off’ competition
  • Reducing school yard litter by 50% and zero fruit scraps to landfill
The students achieved these targets and the school was awarded 2 Star certification for the Core and Energy modules.

Tackling waste to reduce landfill and save $$$

Disposing of waste is expensive for schools and generates huge quantities of landfill each year.  Peninsula Grammar identified waste as a problem and wanted to take action. A Waste Stream Assessment helped them to understand how waste is generated and disposed of at the school.  Their solutions have diverted 1,048 cubic metres from landfill (that's equal to 48 garbage trucks!) and saved thousands $$$.

Students at Peninsula Grammar are now driving new waste initiatives to ensure that sustainability becomes an embedded ethos.

A whole school approach to waste

Seabrook has a large school population of about 1, 000 students, so finding the time to come together with the Grade 6 students to organise waste audits and come up with recycling ideas was a challenge.  With the So-Eco Tackling Waste Program, Seabrook has achieved a whole school fully operational recycling program for the very first time, reducing both landfill quantities and disposal costs!
 
The canteen staff have come on board by removing plastic straws and small plastic bags and the school has started a Nude Food program. It's a whole school approach!