Sustainability Club

Waring Season

We’re currently in Waring or Wombat season in the Wurundjeri seasonal calendar. This is the time of the year when Country slows down and rests. Although it is also the time wombats come out of their burrows and lyrebirds begin their courtship rituals, the season invites us to stay warm, slow down with the land and engage in quiet contemplation. In the Sus Club, we’ve done precisely that. Over this last month, we’ve taken a break from school, reflected on our wins, discussed what our next steps could be and how we’re going to go about achieving our goals. To this end, we will be working with Kitchen Garden and First Nations to rejuvenate our school’s Yarning Circle in time for Guling season, a time to stop and watch, listen and observe Country waking up.

Container Deposit Scheme

When our Sus Club joined the CDS program last year, we agreed that funds raised would go towards a cause we felt very strongly about: Zoos Victoria’s Fighting Extinction program and that our goal would be to return all containers coming into the school to leave the school via an appropriate bin.

Our latest data shows that we’re on the right track! Not only does the data show a significant and obvious increase in people doing the right thing and putting their eligible containers in the blue bins, but Zoos Victoria contacted us to let us know that LHC’s contribution comprised 3% of their total donations so far this year!  That’s huge!   We again express our thanks to groundskeeper Darren Wills, who help us to transport our containers to the depot every term. Pictured below are the bags full of eligible containers that Darren had to lug to the depo last term – each measures a massive 1.2m3 (that’s almost as tall as Ms Lim!).  Given the positive trajectory of our project, we have decided to reinvest our prize money from the ResourceSmart Schools CDS Excellence Award into getting more blue bins for all the staff offices at our school. Here’s to an increase in this term’s recycling!

Water Report

Our RSS module of focus this year is ‘Water’. The Sus Club’s activities this year will therefore look into reducing school water consumption, saving money, and promoting sustainable water practices through auditing, infrastructure improvements and curriculum integration. We will be tracking data, repairing leaks, talking about installing efficient technology and educating the community. To this end, we have been providing a snapshot of water use in our monthly newsletters:

Victoria’s water storage level has risen from 64% last month to 66.2%. Our school water usage has dropped from around 106,000 litres in June to around 76,780 this month – however, we were on break for two weeks! So, report leaks, turn off taps and be mindful when using the drinking fountains. Let’s stay on track to meet our targets!

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. Come along to SHUB 1 on Thursday at lunchtime to see what we’re all about and sign up!  We can’t wait to see you there!