Resource Smart Schools

Coburg West Primary School has made a strong commitment to embed more sustainable practices in our school operations.

Over the next few years, we aim to

- increase the number and diversity of plants and animals in our schoolyard

- reconsider and reduce our energy consumption
- be more mindful of the way in which water is used at the school
- minimise the amount of waste that is created and sent to landfill

We hope to educate our students about environmental issues, empower them to make change, and work with local organisations, council and our incredible parents to further strengthen community connections.

As part of this commitment, we have signed up with the ResourceSmart Schools program. ResourceSmart Schools is an award-winning Victorian Government program run by Sustainability Victoria that assists schools to embed sustainability throughout teaching, learning and the way that schools run. Schools are guided and supported to take action in four key areas: Biodiversity, Waste, Energy and Water. There are set targets and actions for schools to document, which helps to track our school’s impact and to identify savings made. We will be working closely with our school facilitator from CERES to ensure that students and staff can reach these goals.

In 2024, we received our first Resource Smart Schools star for completing our Core Module and are well on our way to receiving our second and third stars in the areas of Biodiversity and Waste. Our students are heavily involved in coming up with and reviewing school sustainability goals. Each class from years 1 through to 6 have 1 student elected as Sustainability Leader. Our leaders meet monthly to brainstorm and share ideas on how the community can be more environmentally conscious.

You can read up more about ResourceSmart Schools here https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/energy-efficiency-and-reducing-emissions/resourcesmart-schools/about-resourcesmart-schools

READ ABOUT OUR EARLIER WORK HERE