Green initiatives

Green Week 2015

Spring was welcomed with Green Week, providing perfect weather to clean up Merri Creek, recycle old clothing, eat wrapper and meat-free lunch, turn off heaters and rally to support the Great Barrier Reef.

Landcare Camp

The NHS Green Team spent a few beautiful days at Boho South, where landcare projects aim to connect areas of bush for animals to move between. Over two days we planted a massive 1800 trees, getting down and dirty in the soil and afterwards relaxing with campfires, a bushwalk to Mount Wombat, jam sessions on guitar, uke and saxophone and badge making. One of the best experiences was sleeping around the campfire for the first night under the Milky Way of stars. I woke up at 5am to see the last stars just fading, and the sunrise beginning to bleed into the sky. Like the sound of all these serene descriptions? Join Green Team!!

Anna Langford

ResourceSmart Finalists

Finalists in Sustainability Victoria’s ResourceSmart Education Awards 2015 were announced on September 10, receiving recognitionfor their inspiring sustainability projects.

The ResourceSmart Education Awards are Victoria’s largest sustainability awards program that recognise Victorian schools, early childhood services, students and teachers for their sustainability projects.

A record number of entries were received this year, with over 180 entries from more than 100 schools across the state. Students and teachers at Northcote High School have been named finalists in the Energy School of the Year and Teacher of the Year (Rohan Griffiths) of the ResourceSmart Education Awards 2015. The Energy award nomination recognizes the work the students and staff have done in driving the installation of LED lights in the school. The students who started this project in 2012 are now in Year 12 and have been able to see the first stage of a lighting upgrade. The teacher of the Year nomination for Rohan recognizes not just the work of one year but the culmination of many years of work to achieve changes around sustainability in the school and local community.

As Northcote High Schools entered three categories we will be considered for Victoria’s acclaimed ResourceSmart School of the Year Award.

More than 1,200 Victorian schools have participated in ResourceSmart Schools program since its inception in 2011, with a saving of over $4.5 million on energy costs from 2011-2014.

Winners will be announced at the 2015 ResourceSmart Education Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 14 October at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Winners and finalists will share in prizes that will support further sustainability actions to minimise waste, save energy and water, promote biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their school communities.

 For a full list of finalists or information about ResourceSmart Schools, visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/educationawards