25 January 2018

When it comes to green schools, St Louis de Montfort’s, Aspendale is top of the class.

The school has achieved a five-star rating for being a sustainability 'super school'. Its teachers have spent a decade implementing innovative sustainability practices and teaching students and the community ways to reduce, reuse and recycle water, waste, and energy to help save the planet.

St Louis is one of more than 1300 Victorian primary and secondary schools and 96 early learning services that have taken part in Sustainability Victoria’s free ResourceSmart Schools program over the past decade. Sustainability Victoria is a statutory authority set up by the state government to help Victorians create a better environment. Its ResourceSmart Schools program makes schools and students greener by teaching students, teachers and the community about sustainability and embedding the sustainability message.

Since 2008, the program has saved schools more than $20 million in energy, waste and water costs, avoided more than 58,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases and helped young people and school communities gain the knowledge, skills and experiences needed to make sustainable choices. The program advises how to implement green practices through modules that cover water, energy, waste and biodiversity. Audits of achievements reveal how much schools are saving. The Aspendale school completed all five modules three years ago but still undergoes audits to maintain its rating and ensure principles are revisited and remain embedded.

When the school joined the program, it had little knowledge of sustainability but after 10 years of green projects, it won the program’s School of the Decade award last year. Projects include a kitchen made from shipping containers, solar panels with a battery system, an amphitheatre featuring reused tyres and sleepers, an orchard, garden beds, wetlands, permaculture area, chicken coop and greywater pond. Each class has student waste and energy leaders, compost bins, paper recycling trays and signs reminding them to turn off lights and computers when not in use and stating recommended heating and cooling temperatures. Outside artwork promotes water saving initiatives and tanks supply water for toilets, gardens and a tennis court.

Principal Tom Lindeman said the school had made substantial savings since implementing the program, which could be measured, for example, through its Schools Water Efficiency Program online monitoring system and in reduced electricity, water and waste collection bills. 'Students gain a better understanding of the need to look after our planet and learn that they can play an important part,' he said. 'The program helps teachers show students how to do that.' Nearly 60 per cent of Victoria’s 2239 schools have taken part. The school also educates the community and has hosted a steps to sustainability conference and run workshops at the Victorian Schools Gardens Show, and at Green Schools and Kids Teaching Kids conferences.

After a successful tender, work started during the holidays on a $7.7 million learning centre whose sustainability features will include ventilation systems to reduce heating and cooling costs and water tanks, allowing recycled water to be used in toilets. The Department of Education and Training requires contractors to supply and install LED lighting and solar PV systems in 100 schools for the Greener Government Buildings pilot.