Sustainability News

We’ve Earned our Second Star!

As we come to the end of another year, I want to take a moment to thank everyone in our community for their ongoing enthusiasm and support. It’s been an exciting year, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside so many of you. 

I’m also excited to share some great news – thanks to the hard work of our staff, students, and the Environmental Sustainability Working Group (ESWG), we’ve earned our second star in the Waste module of ResourceSmart Schools (RSS)!

Looking at our 2024 RSS waste report, Sustainability Victoria recommends that schools aim for 0.3m³ of landfill waste per student per year. This is a target that most schools struggle to meet (in fact the last school I was at was sitting at 1.3m3 per student) but Fairfield Primary School has managed to achieve just 0.19m³ per student. This success is thanks to the systems set up by the ESWG, but most importantly, it’s due to the ongoing dedication of our staff. Managing waste is an ongoing effort – it’s not something you can just set and forget. 

Look out for our ResourceSmart Schools (RSS) signs going up soon. One star for the core module, and our second star will follow early next year. 

A Special Thanks

A special thank you to Corrin, Di, and Martin, who are stepping down from the ESWG committee as their children move on to high school. They have all worked tirelessly over the years. I remember attending an ESWG meeting years ago to talk about Plastic Free July initiatives, and being so impressed by these wonderfully formidable people on a mission to improve their school. We will miss them very much. Thank you for everything you've done for our school and community.

If you would like to join the committee in 2025, we would love to have you! Please email Amelia to find out more.  

~ Amelia Trompf, Sustainability Coordinator