Sustainability Update

Staff PD & Energy Module for ResourceSmart Schools

At the end of term two, our teaching staff were fortunate to have Andrew Vance, a parent and a leading educator, deliver a Professional Development session on energy. We were so lucky to have Andrew share his passion for renewable energy.  

Andrew described some of the energy initiatives we currently have at FPS including:

• Renewable energy generation
• Aircon off energy efficiency
• Energy efficient lighting upgrades
• Cocoon coating
• Zero gas! (and recovery of $$$ in unused copper in the old building to pay for the new heat pump).
• Passive cooling with increasing canopy cover keeps aircon costs down and student comfort up.

During the session, Andrew also engaged us with hands-on demonstrations including a bike that generated electricity and solar-powered hats and he shared reasons why energy conservation is so important.

Building on this momentum, Graham and I conducted a room audit over the holidays. As a result, each classroom will now implement a "Switch Off" plan to guide students and staff on energy-saving practices throughout the day, at the end of the day, and at the end of term. Simple habits like turning off lights when leaving a room or closing doors to retain heat make a real difference.

On a personal note, this all brought back memories of my own childhood. I remember the collective eye-rolling with my three sisters whenever Dad reminded us to turn off the lights or shut doors to stop drafts. At the time, I didn’t truly appreciate it but looking back, I now realise he was well ahead of his time. As an early adopter of home solar in the 1980s, he was striving for what we now call net zero and every light left on mattered.

I’ve come full circle. His persistence makes sense to me now, not just because energy conservation saves money – it's better for the planet especially here in Victoria, where we still rely heavily on brown coal (in fact, you can see in real time our reliance on brown coal here). My children are still little enough to get behind my efforts to conserve energy and will even tell their dad to put a jumper on before turning the heater up, although I imagine the collective eye rolling is on its way! 

~ Amelia Trompf, FPS Sustainability Coordinator