Sustainability

Welcome back to another fantastic year for sustainability at LHC! Because we have a lot of new staff, students and families joining our school community this year, this newsletter will provide some background information about who we are and what we do (for more about what we’ve done in the past, you can search for our older newsletters online).

Sustainability is the practise of managing resources and continue to enjoy all the things we have, without compromising or taking away the future generations’ abilities to enjoy those same things. There are four pillars of sustainability – environmental, economic, social and human culture. These pillars inform the mandatory cross-curricular priority in the Victorian curriculum and is integrated across all learning areas at our school.   To this end, LHC has a dedicated Sustainability Club that meets every week to discuss ways that our school can foster and practise the skills, knowledge and values for sustainable living, beyond the curriculum. 

ResourceSmart Schools

LHC is a ResourceSmart School (RSS) that works toward earning RSS stars. RSS Stars is a special Victorian Government award program. It celebrates schools that do a great job helping the environment in their school work, lessons and community. Schools can earn one to five stars by completing different topics like energy, water, waste and biodiversity (plants and animals). As they earn more stars, they learn to use fewer resources, save money and create less waste. These stars are progression stages on a school’s sustainability journey:

We are incredibly proud to announce that we have just received our fourth star! This is definitely something to celebrate as it represents the work that the Sustainability Club and the whole school community has put into the program over the years. Our goal this year, therefore, it to complete our final module to become recognised as a leader school in this area. The final module requires us to focus on water conservation. If successful, LHC will be one of only two public secondary schools to achieve this certification!

Join the club!

Want to make a real difference at school and beyond? Join the Sus Club and turn your ideas into action!

• Plan fun eco-events 🌱

• Lead recycling and waste-reduction projects ♻️

• Raise awareness about climate and community issues 🌍

• Meet friends who care about the planet 🤝

No experience needed — just bring your energy and passion! Together, we can create a greener, cleaner future starting right here at school.   Ready to take action? Come along to S-Hub 1 on Thursday at lunchtime to see what we’re all about and sign up! We can’t wait to see you there!

Use your superpowers!

Did you know that Art is a superpower that you can use to advocate for sustainability? Art can help people understand and care about protecting the Earth. It takes hard-to-understand facts about climate change and turns them into pictures, sculptures, or activities that are easier to understand and remember.   Art can also grab people’s attention in public places, bring communities together to take action and show how buying too much stuff can hurt the planet. Some artists even use recycled or natural materials in their work to show how we can reuse things and take better care of the environment.   LHC has already had two artists submitting work for entry into an exhibition – watch this space for more in our next newsletter on this. In the meantime, consider signing up for The Big Issue Cover Competition!

The Big Issue is a magazine that helps people and the planet. It gives people who are homeless or doing it tough a chance to earn money by selling the magazine and keeping part of the profits. This helps them build confidence and skills. The Big Issue also supports the environment by promoting eco-friendly products, using electric vans, reducing waste and sharing stories about protecting the Earth. It is a “business for good,” which means it uses money it earns to help create a fairer and more sustainable world. The Big Issue is currently calling on all artists aged 15 and under, to get creative and help them design a very special cover for The Big Issue – celebrating Earth Day 2026! Show them what you love about our beautiful planet and your artwork could be seen all around Australia – supporting the vendors, who sell the magazine.   The winning artist will also receive a grand prize: a $300 voucher for art supplies, thanks to Eckersley’s Art and Craft, plus a gift bag from the Wilderness Society!   For more information on how to enter, see Ms Lim at the Senior Office. 

Fighting Extinction School

Did you know that LHC is a Fighting Extinction School? Zoos Victoria gives this title to schools that help protect endangered animals. These schools teach students about real wildlife problems and guide them in projects where they can actually help. Schools earn this recognition by running conservation projects, using helpful zoo resources and sharing what they are doing to protect local wildlife. It shows that students are learning how to make a real difference for animals in danger. One of the ways our school contributes to wildlife conservation as a Fighting Extinction School is to fundraise for the Zoos Victoria’s conservation projects. 

Container Deposit Scheme

LHC is also a registered donation partner with the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic). All funds raised from Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic) allows schools to raise funds by collecting and returning eligible drink containers for 10 cents each. Over 600 schools are registered, including LHC! All funds raised from the containers collected at school are donated to Zoos Victoria’s Fighting Extinction Program.   So please remember to put your empty, eligible cans, bottles and juice boxes in the blue bins you see around the school and not on the ground or in the ordinary general waste bins.