Sustainability is an integral part of our school practice and culture. Since 2010 we have developed many initiatives that have stood the test of time and are just now ‘how we do things around here’.
Sustainability includes five key areas that we work on. These are Waste Management, Water Management, Active Transport, Energy Management and Biodiversity. We learn about these aspects in many ways including annual whole school activities.
Some of our sustainability practices include;
- Waste Management – recycling many items, chooks, veggie garden, compost and worms.
- Water Management – water education, Water Week celebration, collection and donation for Water aid Australia, Waterwise gardens.
- Active Transport – quarterly Walking School Buses, Ride to School Day, Active Transport Challenge.
- Energy Management – classroom monitors, extensive Solar collection.
- Biodiversity – annual tree planting, Quenda Day, possum and habitat development.
The Green Ambassadors programme is a whole school approach to environmental sustainability that has wide reaching impact. The engagement and training of class representatives occurs each year and the skills they develop are lifelong. Best practice in sustainability is shared through the classes and into homes. In a longitudinal sense, the programme which has been running for many years, has effected behavioural change on this generation of students and their families.
In 2017 we won the LandCorp Sustainability Western Australian Regional Community Achievement Award for our Sustainability programmes.
Our other Sustainablity highlight is our Annual Event “Bay OK Day” – founded in 2012. The event, which occurs in November, involves the whole school at an excursion to the beach where we celebrate our Sustainability achievements and learn about our marine environment at Old Dunsborough.
The day starts with an acknowledgement of country by our Cultural Ambassadors and then many volunteer experts that provide specialised learning experiences for our students. The 25+ providers include government departments, fishing, surf life-saving, Busselton Jetty and catchment councils. The activities involve Science, marine, environmental education, sustainability and the Arts. The event demonstrates the learning ecosystem that we have in our wonderful community and the strong community partnerships we have developed.