Sustainable Schools NSW

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Our vision

Sustainable Schools NSW aims to support all schools, their partners and the community in realising a positive environment vision. Through careful planning your school community can implement, review and celebrate sustainability education initiatives.

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**** Not sure if you are registered as a Sustainable School? Email us and we can check for you. Remember to include the name of your school.

About us

What is Sustainable Schools NSW?
Measure your energy, water, waste and purchasing use with tools from our resource centre
A step by step guide to creating a whole school sustainability plan
Read about the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative - AuSSI

News

Important announcement for users of the SEMP Builder

The online School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) builder has been replaced by the SEMP Guide and adaptable SEMP Template. Visit Developing a Plan page to create a SEMP with the new template.

Be ahead of the game, find out what is happening - check Greendates for schools 2012

Walk Safely to School Day - Friday 18 May, 2012. Visit the website and you can register and print promotional stickers!
Inspire the next generation of Sustainability Leaders! An Enviro Forum for Secondary students is to be held at Taronga Zoo on 26 June, 2012. Visit the Field of Mars EEC website for more details.
Landcare in your school - High School Teacher's Resource - developed by Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority this resource is filled with great case studies, tips and advice as well as lesson plans for Stage 5 Geography, Agriculture and Science.
Product roadmaps for school waste - the Department of Education and Communities with support from the NSW Environmental Trust has developed a series of resources to help students eliminate waste going into landfill including organic recycling in their school grounds. Students can create their own roadmaps using the graphics provided or download the interactive whiteboard activity.
Water Sensitive Schools Program - involves building rain-gardens and other water sensitive and multi functional landscapes in or around school premises. They are currently recruiting Schools, Councils, Catchment Groups and Volunteers who wish to be part of this program.
WilderQuest launched by the Minister for Environment, the Hon Robyn Parker MP. WilderQuest is a website aimed at 5-8 year olds, featuring rainforest and coastal interactive, virtual environments.
Energy Investigations, Take the Earth Hour challenge! You can: investigate your school's energy use through WebGraphs; plan and implement changes to the way energy is managed in your school; measure and celebrate energy reductions; plan a school holiday shutdown and communicate your achievements with the community.
Report: "What matters to Australians: Our Social, Political and Economic Values" sponsored by the Australian Research Council this report shows a shift in Australians' interest in environmental sustainability. An extract from the report as well as an ABC Radio National podcast is available on the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute website.

Visit the archives for previous News items.

Professional learning workshops

Upcoming workshops in 2012:

Sustainability Video Conferences - Weeks 3 and 6 of this term. The Royal National Park EEC is coordinating a series of video conferences for Stages 1-3 on Bin Busters and Worm Organics. This is for DEC schools only. Only a few spaces left. View the flyer (pdf 140 KB) for more information.

Learning for Sustainability Video Conference Festival - it's on again from Monday 28 May to Friday 8 June, 2012. Showcasing over 80 video conferences focusing on environmental and sustainablity education. DEC schools only.

Free teacher professional learning day for GreenWay Primary Schools - June 27, 2012 titled "Using your local environment as a teaching and learning resource". Aim is to provide Stage 2 and 3 teachers with skills to engage students in authentic sustainability education in an outdoor setting. Conact the GreenWay Senior Project Officer for more details. For an outline of the GreenWay Schools Sustainability Program read their case study in our School Stories section.

Sustainability presentation - DEC has produced a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation which would be great awareness raising at a school staff meeting.

Don't forget! Your area might have their own School Environmental Network. Why not join other like minded teachers. Details of when and where the networks are meeting and the focus for the meeting are provided.

Want to share what you are doing at your school? Gibberagong and Field of Mars EEC's will be hosting a series of video conferences in 2012. The Green Room conferences are for teachers who want to share best practice in environmental and sustainability education. They are currently looking for teachers who are prepared to give a 20 minute presentation via VC. For more information email the Principal at Gibberagong EEC.

Not a school?

If you are from an organisation that works with schools, you can be involved by joining the Sustainable Schools Network. As a member of the network you will receive regular news about upcoming opportunities and activities you can be involved in. The Sustainable Schools Network is made up of over 1500 schools and organisations in New South Wales and is still growing.

Opportunities

Don't miss out! The following opportunities are available for schools:

Grants and funding:

Environmental Trust Eco Grants now open! Grants are available for schools. Applications close Friday 18 May, 2012.

Food Gardens in Schools Program - provides funding to establish food gardens in schools and utilise these for teachers' and students' learning across the curricula. Applications now open, closes Friday 18 May, 2012.

Coles Junior Landcare School Garden Grants - Round 3 for 2012 are now open!

Beverage Container Recycling Grants - from Keep Australia Beautiful and the Coca-Cola Foundation Community Recycling Grant is offering financial assistance for local communities wishing to improve beverage container recycling. Closes 15 June, 2012.

Newman's Own Foundation Junior Landcare Reconstruction Grant - was your school garden damaged due to floods? If so you are eligible to apply for this grant worth up to $1,000.

Turf Australia and Junior Landcare offer green makeovers! The Perfect Patch of Green program invites schools and youth groups to describe how natural turf would enhance their environment. Applications close 31 July, 2012.

For more details and other grants available for schools go to Grants and funding.

Awards and competitions:

Be a Future Spark! Use your imagination and WIN $1000. Make a video or convince the judges in writing about your BIG ideas for a clean energy future. Deadline is July 16, 2012.
eReport challenge. Another WeCreate project asking students to report on a sustainablity project in their local area. Entries must be uploaded by 12 September, 2012. Open to all students in Australia.
Enviro Inspiro! 2012 is open. NSW SRC invites students in NSW public schools to create a 5 minute media presentation to showcase a successful student-led environmental project.

For more details and to find out about other awards and competitions go to Term 2 Awards and competitions in our Resource Centre.

Other opportunities:

Nominations are called for the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Education in New South Wales in the following categories:
- Formal educator
- Government educator and
- Community educator

The overall NSW Environmental Educator of the Year in 2012 will then be chosen from the winners of each category. For more information visit the NSW Chapter of aaee.

Enviro Forum Secondary Sustainability Leaders This one day forum is for Stage 4. 5 and 6 students and their teachers. It is designed to inspire our future sustainability leaders to take action for a positive change in our schools. To be held at Taronga Zoo on Tuesday 26 June, 2012. For more information visit the Field of Mars EEC website. Information is also available about a primary forum to be held in August.
As part of the Clean Energy Council's Clean Energy Week 2012, (Term 3) primary students and their teachers will have the opportunity to attend the main event at their annual conference on Friday 27 July held at the Sydney Convention Centre. Register your interest now!
YES (Youth Eco Summit) at Newington Armory, Sydney Olympic Park, 17-18 October, 2012. Open to all schools (cross sector). Don't miss out on this great curriculum-based sustainablity event! For more information including how to register download the flyer (pdf 178KB).

Join the CarbonKids Program in 2012. This is a CSIRO initiative with great benefits to both students and teachers. More information is available from our Resource section.

Conferences

2012 National Landcare Conference to be held in Sydney from 3-5 September, 2012. More information will be posted when available.

Rio+20 - United Nations Conference on Sustainble Development, 20-22 June, 2012. Cant' go to Rio? Read the Australian Government flyer (pdf 0.98MB) on how your students can be involved.

As one outcome of the Rio+20 conference, the People's Sustainablity Treaties have been drafted as a forward looking process and targets beyond the conference. This is a series of independent collective agreements, you canparticipate by providing feedback.

Our Partners

Office of Environment and Heritage

Department of Education and Communities

logos for Sustainable Schools Initiative and for CEC