3 June 2022

Congratulations to two Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne that have won 2022 ResourceSmart Schools Awards.

An initiative of Sustainability Victoria, the ResourceSmart awards recognise school communities that have worked to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum over the past year. The winners were announced yesterday at an event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Student Action Team of the Year (Primary) was won by Our Lady of the Nativity School, Aberfeldie, for promoting environmental awareness with faith:

The school’s Franciscan Action Team meets weekly to discuss plans for a better school. In 2021, the group audited the school’s unused electronic items. Unused items were donated to community groups and others were sent to the Moonee Valley Transfer for recycling. In 2021, the Franciscan Action Team ran an energy audit that helped inform the school’s successful grant application for LED light bulbs, adding to the amazing work undertaken by this persistent and creative team.

Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Primary) was won by St Thomas More’s School, Mount Eliza, for inspiring the next generation of green entrepreneurs:

Inspired by their knowledge of circular economy, and after learning from local entrepreneurs working with sustainable practices, the students created their own sustainable product range to promote and sell at a school market. Climate change literacy is explored through various genres, such as historical fiction, non-fiction narrative and dystopian fiction, while the STEM program offers hands-on opportunities to build and plan for the society of the future.