Sustainability News
We Are Finalists!
FPS is one of 31 finalists in the 2025 ResourceSmart Schools Awards, which celebrates the power of working together to create the future we need.
Fifty-four schools from all around Victoria entered the awards, and the judges were challenged to select finalists across eight categories. The judges were impressed with the way schools amplified their efforts by working together – engaging students, multiple organisations, and the wider school community.
FPS is one of three finalists in the category “Student Action Team of the Year”, which celebrates student teams that best demonstrate environmental leadership. Here's the blurb on why they were selected as a finalist.
Eco Club goes Above and Beyond
Fairfield Primary School's Eco Club is committed to sustainability, becoming a 2 Star school for their waste management efforts.
The club tracks waste, uses worm farms, and promotes litter awareness.
Their activities reach beyond the school, including creating artwork for Plastic-Free July and selling eco-friendly products made from waste materials.
They’re working to reduce energy consumption and enhance biodiversity by creating an outdoor learning space filled with native plants and a frog bog, created with Victorian Junior Landcare funding.
When are the Winners Announced?
The 2025 ResourceSmart Schools Awards ceremony will be held at the MCG on Thursday 5 June, coinciding with World Environment Day. We have our fingers crossed for our Eco Club!
Energy Module: ResourceSmart Schools
This term we’re starting the Energy Module of ResourceSmart Schools (RSS). We're already well placed, with an impressive solar system and energy-saving features like temperature control and sensors. The module includes three parts:
- Workplace and Operational
- Learning and Teaching
- Whole School Community Engagement
Energy Overview
Fairfield Primary’s 80.52kWp solar system was installed in November 2021. According to Sustainability Victoria, a ResourceSmart School should aim to use 250 kWh per student per year. We’re only using around 151.41 kWh per student.
You can see our 2024 Solar Report in the attachment below.
How We’re Conserving Energy
- LED lighting throughout the school
- Passive cooling in the gym using infrared-reflective coating and low-powered fans (no need for refrigerative cooling). If you don't know about this project, you can watch here https://youtu.be/ccroQ1s61OE
- Aircon-off system in classrooms using motion sensors
Standby Energy
Part of the module is sharing energy saving ideas with the school community. I recently learnt that standby power can make up 10% of an energy bill which is quite a lot. At home, switching devices off at the wall can lead to real savings. It can be a bit annoying though, so there are some tech solutions that help such as: Master power boards, Remote-controlled power boards and Intelligent power adaptors. You can read more about those here.
If you have any questions about energy use at school or if you have any ideas to share, please email me ameliatrompf@gmail.com
Nude Food Fridays are Back!
Nude Food Fridays are back! Each Friday, staff and students are encouraged to have a nude food lunch box for the day.
Nude Food essentially means that all plastic is kept at home and our lunch boxes only have food that won’t create litter.
Each Friday, members of the Eco Club will visit classrooms to gather data about how many students have nude food lunch boxes. They will then fill in a class graph so students can see their classes’ progress.
We had great success with Nude Food Fridays last term so we are excited to keep it going
this term!
~ Amelia Trompf, FPS Sustainability Coordinator